A Quake 2 remaster may be in the works as the classic FPS receives a variety of mysterious, telling updates to its Steam page, signalling that Doom developer id Software and Quake’s new owner Bethesda may be planning to update the shooter with a new version – certainly something to keep us busy while we wait on Bethesda’s space RPG Starfield, and also news of the Starfield release date.
On August 11, the Steam listing for Quake 2 was changed in a variety of ways. The descriptions for launching the game’s various mission packs were altered, as well as some of the configuration settings to launch the game from within Valve’s marketplace. Most tellingly, however, the description for Quake 2 was significantly rewritten, suggesting Quake 2 could be being positioned for a relaunch.
“Mankind is at war with the Strogg,” the game’s new description reads, “a hostile alien race planning an invasion of Earth. In response, we launched a preemptive strike…it failed. Outnumbered and outgunned, you must fight to shut down the enemy’s war machine. Only then will the fate of humanity be known.”
Changes to Quake 2’s Steam page don’t necessarily signal a remaster. Bethesda and id Software recently reshuffled some of the listings for both Doom and Quake, bundling Doom 2 into a single package with Master Levels and Final Doom, and the original Doom 3 with the reworked BFG Edition. The companies explained that Quake 2 would also be merged with its additional mission packs to form one executable, which could explain the Steam listing changes – Doom 2 also had its description updated.
But Doom 3 did not, and of course, the original Quake has already been the subject of a successful remaster back in 2021. Add to that, Quake 4 was recently added to the Xbox Insider previews program, and it seems a possible effort may be underway to revitalise and relaunch the entire brand. Especially ahead of Quakecon (which unfortunately looks unlikely to produce any more details on Starfield) it would follow that the classic FPS is receiving some kind of push, potentially in the form of a Quake 2 remaster.
Alternatively, despite the mounting evidence, this could all just be a mundane case of id Software cleaning out its metaphorical closet with some new frontpage verbiage. PCGamesN we’ll be keeping a close eye on Quakecon to see if rumours of a remaster are indeed confirmed.
In the meantime, you might want to try out a different shooter from our guide to the best FPS games. We also have a comprehensive catalogue of the best PC classics that are still worth playing. Alternatively, if the mere mention of the word “Bethesda” has got you wondering about Starfield, you can find out more with our guide to Starfield cites, including Neon City and New Atlantis.