Quake Turns 30 and Gets Dawn of the Machine, a Free 19-Map Episode From MachineGames, Out Now Everywhere

Quake is 30 years old this week, and instead of a discount and a wallpaper pack, the anniversary present is an actual new campaign. Dawn of the Machine, a free episode built by MachineGames in collaboration with id Software, is out now as an update to Quake on PC, PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2 through backwards compatibility. It is also included on Game Pass.

We did not expect one of 2026's better value propositions to be attached to a shooter from 1996, yet here we are. MachineGames has been quietly writing new Quake chapters for years, from Dimension of the Past for the 20th anniversary to Dimension of the Machine in the 2021 remaster, and this new episode picks up that thread with its biggest effort yet.

Video: PlayStation on YouTube

What is inside the free episode

Dawn of the Machine packs 19 new maps into one cohesive campaign, and the studio says progression flows continuously rather than resetting between levels like older expansions did. Ranger is trapped in a labyrinthine dimension where time folds back onto itself, reliving the same violent cycles, and the way out runs straight through a final boss called The Nightmare Machine. Along the way you collect runes that unlock previously sealed paths, and health and ammunition upgrades persist as you go, which gives the whole thing a light progression spine that classic Quake never had.

The arsenal grows too. The Super Axe is a lightning-charged take on the humble melee starter, and the Laser Cannon fires projectiles that ricochet around corners, which sounds like exactly the kind of chaos Quake's tight corridors were built for. Enemies get remixed variants as well, including the Rocket Ogre, the Demo Dog and the Blood Shambler. Round that out with a new original soundtrack by Christian Plogfors, hidden secrets scattered across the maps, and a brand new deathmatch map for the multiplayer faithful.

Our take

Free is free, but this is more than a token gesture. Nineteen maps is a full episode by any classic shooter standard, and MachineGames' previous Quake work has been genuinely excellent, so the pedigree is there. It also fits a pattern we like: id Software's catalog keeps getting real post-launch support, from the Revelations expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages earlier this summer to this. And with Bethesda's remaster roadmap for Fallout 3 and New Vegas already public, the company's back catalog is clearly not being left to gather dust. If Quake has been sitting in your library since that Game Pass binge, this weekend is the excuse to reinstall it. The update should download automatically, and the new episode gets its own entry in the game's menu.