Xonotic

Xonotic is a free and open-source arena first-person shooter and a direct successor to the original Nexuiz project. Built around the DarkPlaces engine, itself derived from the Quake engine, Xonotic embraces the fast movement, weapon mastery, map knowledge, and competitive multiplayer that defined classic PC arena shooters. The project has been developed by its community for more than a decade and remains completely free to play and modify under the GPLv3+ license.

The first thing you'll notice is the speed. Xonotic isn't interested in the modern FPS philosophy of carefully moving from cover to cover. Players rocket across maps, bunny-hop, dodge incoming fire, launch themselves around corners, and constantly manage their momentum. Movement isn't just something you do to get between fights, it is part of the combat itself.

The weapons are equally important. Xonotic features 16 full weapons, each with primary and secondary firing modes, and weapon selection can completely change how you approach an encounter. A good player isn't simply accurate; they know which weapon to pull out, when to switch, how to combine attacks, and how to control the resources scattered around the map.

There is a substantial collection of game modes, including traditional Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Clan Arena, and more unusual modes such as Nexball and Freeze Tag. Multiplayer Race is also supported, giving the movement system an entirely different purpose.

Maps are equally important to the experience. Xonotic ships with 25 official maps, while dozens more community-created maps can be added. The game even includes its own mapping tools, making the community part of the process of creating the arenas everyone else plays.

Despite its competitive roots, Xonotic isn't exclusively for serious players. Bots provide a way to learn maps and weapons, while customizable servers, spectator support, demos, and an integrated statistics system make it capable of supporting organized competitive play.

Perhaps the most appealing part is that nothing about the game is designed around monetization. There are no battle passes, weapon stores, premium characters, or progression systems designed to keep you spending. Download the game, find a server, and you're playing the same fundamental game everyone else has access to.

The project also remains active: the official site currently lists version 0.8.6 and shows ongoing development activity from community contributors.