Quake (vkQuake)

Game: Quake → (DOS, 1996)

vkQuake: a Quake port that renders with Vulkan instead of OpenGL, based on the QuakeSpasm and QuakeSpasm-Spiked ports, which build on the source code id Software released. It runs every mod compatible with QuakeSpasm, such as Arcane Dimensions, and the 2021 re-release content. Compared with QuakeSpasm, it renders and loads on multiple threads, goes past 72 Hz without breaking physics, mimics the software renderer’s underwater effect, and supports both classic and enhanced models (MD5, like the re-release’s, or MD3), true-color textures and skins, anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering, 8-bit color emulation, and pixelated scaling, plus a mods menu. With a ray-tracing graphics card it adds dynamic shadows and the re-release’s dynamic lights. This year’s releases have added order-independent transparency, SDL3, Steam achievements, a level-selection menu, and an improved console; the latest, 1.37.0 (October 12), added ambient occlusion from monsters and items onto the level, a render resolution separate from the menus and HUD, controller gyro aiming, flick stick, and rumble, and background autosaves. Many of these additions come from Ironwail, another Quake port. There are builds for Windows (x64, with an installer, and Arm64) and Linux (AppImage); the macOS builds are published by Mac Source Ports.

You needThe files from your own copy of Quake (the id1 folder with its .pak files), from the original release or the 2021 re-release (for the latter, vkQuake goes into its rerelease folder); it finds Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store installs on its own. On Linux, the game’s file names must be lowercase. Plus a Vulkan graphics card and 64-bit Windows (with the Visual C++ redistributable) or Linux with glibc 2.31 or later; dynamic shadows and lights need ray tracing.

How it gets to PC

Port of the released source code

Console

MS-DOS

Original studio

id Software

Year

1996

Author

Novum

Stars

2.3k

Last activity

2026-10-30 · 1 day ago

Latest version

1.37.0 · 2026-10-12

License

GPL-2.0

Language

C

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