Quake: Dawn of the Machine — Free DLC with New Campaign and 19 Maps
The classic shooter Quake by id Software has received a major free update to mark its 30th anniversary. Developers from MachineGames have unveiled a new episodic campaign titled Dawn of the Machine, which adds 19 new levels, new enemy and weapon variants, and alters the level structure.
New Campaign: 19 Maps and Repeating Worlds
The story centers on a Ranger trapped in an endless illusion. He must relive the same violent scenarios repeatedly until he finds a way to destroy the so-called Nightmare Machine, which is believed to be the key to breaking the cycle.
The new episodic campaign includes 19 new maps that form a single, connected story. The experience is enhanced by a new soundtrack, hidden secrets, and a dedicated hub area. A new Deathmatch map has also been added.
Level structure in Dawn of the Machine differs from the original: certain locations repeat, but change after each run. New routes appear, previously inaccessible areas open up, and findings (health, ammo) persist between attempts, making the game harder with each cycle.
Players must travel between different realities using runes to unlock new paths. Enemies may return after death or change, while encounter rules become unpredictable.
New Enemies and Weapons
The enemy roster has been expanded with new variants of classic creatures: Rocket Ogre, Demo Dog, and Blood Shambler. They feature altered behavior, increased firepower, and new attack mechanics, such as explosive traps.
Weapons have also received updates: the Super Axe now throws lightning on consecutive hits, while a new Laser Cannon fires projectiles that bounce off surfaces to damage enemies from multiple angles.
Technical Improvements and Fixes
The update includes several technical changes across all platforms. Interpolation has been overhauled to reduce input latency and eliminate visual artifacts where the camera lags behind the weapon or effects. A bug related to teleporting large distances has also been fixed.
Weapon bobbing has been re-enabled and can now be toggled independently of general view-bobbing. Performance in scenes with many enemies has been improved by limiting the number of shadows cast by creatures like Enforcers. Additionally, a bug on PlayStation 5 was fixed where weapons in the Scourge of Armagon episode did not produce sound or controller vibration.
Availability
Dawn of the Machine is available for free to owners of the original Quake on the following platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store, Game Pass, PC Game Pass).
On Nintendo Switch 2, the episode is available via backward compatibility with the Switch version. Owners of the game on these platforms will receive the update automatically.
Note: The DLC is currently unavailable for versions of the game on GOG and Epic Games Store. Attempting to join a game with friends from Steam or consoles will result in a "Disconnected from servers" error. Bethesda clarifies that this is not an account ban, but simply a lack of content availability on these platforms at the moment.
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