4.3 GB
The shotgun still kicks, and the Strogg still scream when you hit them.
Quake II Enhanced is a free fps game released under Commercial · DRM-free purchase. It runs on Windows, needs about 4.3 GB of disk space, and requires no account, payment or trial. On a computer, the fastest route is the PlayBound Launcher. On a phone or tablet, use the official store or site instead.
One-click install
PlayBound fetches the official release — no third-party mirrors.
Windows
Buy Quake II on GOG — the $9.99 listing is the pack, covering the Enhanced build, the 1997 Original, both mission packs, Call of the Machine and Quake II 64.
Windows
Run the DRM-free offline installer into its own folder. Roughly 4.3 GB downloads; allow about 5 GB on disk.
Windows
Launch the Enhanced build, set resolution and controller bindings, and start a campaign to confirm saves work.
Windows
For classic mods, launch the Original executable from the same install folder instead.
Recommended first-time setup and configuration steps when launching Quake II Enhanced.
Buy Quake II on GOG and run the DRM-free offline installer into its own folder.
Launch the Enhanced build once, set resolution and controller bindings, and confirm a new save works.
For mods, launch the bundled Original executable instead — the Enhanced build does not load 1997-era game DLLs.
How to join and navigate multiplayer lobbies and servers in Quake II Enhanced.
Create or join a PlayBound Party so everyone launches the same build — Enhanced and Original cannot see each other's games.
Use the Enhanced build's in-game server browser for crossplay deathmatch and co-op with console players, up to 16.
For a private match, one player hosts from the multiplayer menu and shares the address through the party.
Minimum
See the GOG store page
Recommended
See the GOG store page
Both. GOG's Quake II listing is a pack containing Quake II (Enhanced) — Nightdive's 2023 remaster — and Quake II (Original), the untouched 1997 build. One purchase installs both, and you choose which executable to launch.
No. It is $9.99 on GOG, DRM-free. PlayBound lists it because that price covers five separate campaigns, two engine builds and working online multiplayer, which is the kind of ratio our catalog is for.
Yes, full controller support in the Enhanced build — both GOG and Steam list it, and it was built for the console versions of the remaster. The Original 1997 executable's gamepad handling is much rougher.
Sixteen players online in deathmatch and team deathmatch, four players in online or split-screen co-op through any campaign, and up to eight in local split-screen PvP on PC. Crossplay works with Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players, and bots can fill out offline or online matches.
Not with the Enhanced build. Quake II mods shipped as native game DLLs compiled against the 1997 engine, and the remaster cannot load them. Use the bundled Original executable for Action Quake II, Rocket Arena, custom maps and the rest of the classic scene.
GOG ships a Windows build only — there is no official Mac or Linux release of the remaster. It runs well on Steam Deck through Proton, and the Enhanced build's native controller support means it needs no community config.
A brand-new twenty-eight-level expansion MachineGames built for the 2023 remaster, plus a deathmatch map. It is included at no extra cost and is a genuinely new Quake II campaign, not a remixed one.