Quake II is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Activision for Windows, released in North America on 9 December 1997. Despite its name it is not a direct sequel to Quake: the player fights the Strogg, a hostile alien race waging war on Earth. The 13-person team included designers Tim Willits, American McGee and Jennell Jaquays and programmers John Carmack, John Cash and Brian Hook; the soundtrack is by Sonic Mayhem.
Two mission packs followed in 1998: The Reckoning by Xatrix Entertainment and Ground Zero by Rogue Entertainment. The 1999 ports for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation were heavily reworked, with different or shortened levels.
id released the source code under the GPL in December 2001. On 10 August 2023 Nightdive Studios released an enhanced edition for PC and consoles with a new MachineGames expansion, Call of the Machine.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Quake II | Windows | Dec 9, 1997 | Activision | 1 |
| NA | Quake IIPorted by Logicware. | Mac | Jul 1, 1999 | — | 1 |
| NA | Quake IIDeveloped by Raster Productions; Europe July 1999. | Nintendo 64 | Jul 7, 1999 | Activision | 1 |
| NA | Quake IIDeveloped by HammerHead; Europe October 1999. | PlayStation | Oct 5, 1999 | Activision | 1 |
| NA | Quake IIBonus disc with Quake 4; Europe 2 December 2005. | Xbox 360 | Nov 22, 2005 | Activision | 1 |
| EU | Quake IISame date in Australia. | Windows | Dec 12, 1997 | Activision | 1 |
| WW | Quake II | Linux | Jan 6, 1998 | — | 1 |
| WW | Quake II RTXPath-traced version for Windows and Linux. | Windows | Jun 6, 2019 | Nvidia | 1 |
| WW | Quake IIEnhanced edition by Nightdive Studios; same day on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Windows. | Switch | Aug 10, 2023 | Bethesda Softworks | 1 |
Box art by region
NA Quake II
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
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ContentNintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 version by Raster Productions has different single-player levels and multiplayer maps, supports up to four players and the Expansion Pak, and uses a new, mostly dark ambient score by Aubrey Hodges.1
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ContentPlayStation
HammerHead's PlayStation port shortens Units 1, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 10, adds airlock-style corridors to hide loading, adds the Arachnid and Guardian enemies and saves only between levels or at checkpoints.1
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GameplayPlayStation
The PlayStation version runs at 512×240 and 30 fps and offers split-screen multiplayer for two to four players.1
Translations
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German Official
Bethesda SoftworksWindowsReleased
Steam and GOG list German.3
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Spanish Official
Bethesda SoftworksWindowsReleased
Steam lists Spanish (Spain); GOG lists Spanish.3
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French Official
Bethesda SoftworksWindowsReleased
Steam and GOG list French.3
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Italian Official
Bethesda SoftworksWindowsReleased
Steam and GOG list Italian.3
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Russian Official
Bethesda SoftworksWindowsReleased
Steam and GOG list Russian for the current edition.3
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
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Steam Purchase
Quake II
Original and 2023 enhanced versions with The Reckoning, Ground Zero, Call of the Machine and Quake II 64
Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com
How to run it today
Buy the Steam or GOG edition; it runs on Windows and includes the original and the enhanced version. id released the source code under the GPL in December 2001, so community engines such as vkQuake2 exist; they need game data from a purchased copy.
- Quake II on GOG gog.com
Best version
The current Steam and GOG edition gives access to both the untouched, moddable original and the 2023 enhanced version, plus both mission packs, Call of the Machine and the Nintendo 64 campaign as Quake II 64.2
Reception
Quake II sold 610,000 copies in the US by December 1999 and over 1 million worldwide by 2002. GameRankings averages were 87% on PC, 81% on N64 and 80% on PlayStation; Computer Gaming World named it 1997 Action Game of the Year, and PC Gamer ranked it the third-best computer game ever in 1998.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.