About Quake II
id Software released Quake II in 1997, and despite the name it shares little with the first Quake. It swaps dark fantasy for military science fiction: you are a marine sent to the home planet of the Strogg, cybernetic aliens who have attacked Earth. The single-player campaign was well received, but the multiplayer had the longer life, and weapons like the railgun and rocket launcher became deathmatch standards.
How it runs in your browser
The version here comes from pieter.com, which runs it as an unofficial, non-commercial effort to keep the game playable, and it plays right on this page. It is built around multiplayer: you drop into the map the server has loaded at that moment and take on the other players connected to it, to a maximum of eight. There is nothing to download or install, and you don’t need to own the game.
Because it is a shared live server, what you get depends on who is playing. At quiet times you may have the map to yourself; at busier times it can fill up. If the game doesn’t respond, click inside it so it can take your mouse and keyboard input, and press Esc to get your cursor back.
Saving doesn’t really apply to deathmatch, and it isn’t listed for this version.
Controls and devices
Quake II is a keyboard-and-mouse game, and that is how this version is meant to be played. Controller support isn’t listed, and phones aren’t supported. The key bindings aren’t listed here; if the defaults don’t suit you, look for them in the game’s options menu.
Mouse sensitivity is worth a minute of attention before you start. Browsers can pass mouse movement differently than a desktop game does, so if aiming feels too fast or too slow, adjust it in the options.
Who it’s for
This is for anyone who misses classic arena shooters and wants a match without setting up a client or a server. It also works as a quick introduction for people who have only heard of Quake II, since a round takes no preparation. For more games you can play against other people, see our multiplayer list.
Is Quake II Free, Safe and Official?
Is Quake II free to play here?
Yes. pieter.com runs it as a non-commercial project, and it plays on this page with nothing to download or buy.
Is this the official Quake II?
No. It’s an unofficial project, not made or endorsed by id Software or Bethesda, and it may be taken down if they ask.
Can I play the Quake II campaign in the browser?
This version is built around online deathmatch on a shared server. The single-player campaign isn’t listed as part of it.
