QuakeCon was a pretty successful event all things considered, even though it had a virtual design in response to Covid 19. It saw a lot of exciting announcements, but one of the more exciting was confirmation that Quake was going to be free through the Bethesda launcher.

Quake 2 was then offered for absolutely no charge. Now, it looks like Quake 3 will join the list of freebies, which is great news if you’re a fan of the Quake series or just want to see one of the most pivotal first-person shooters in action. This multiplayer-focused shooter will be available starting August 17th on the Bethesda launcher. It will remain so for 72 hours.

So if you want to go back in time and see what everyone was raving about back in the late 90s, be sure to keep August 17th marked off on your calander. It’s different from the previous installments that came before it in that it doesn’t have a single-player story mode. Rather, it puts a main focal point on multiplayer. That’s great news if you like putting your combat skills to the tests with others.

At the time of this game’s release, it was highly praised for its crisp graphics and addicting gameplay. You could play for hours and still find subtleties in ways to approach each match. The skill ceiling is pretty high and there are plenty of custom options for players, including field of view and advanced movement features.

If you do want to play solo, then there is the option to enjoy a multi-player experience only with bots instead of real players. It’s a great mode to practice and learn the various mechanics. Then when you hit the multiplayer portion for real, you’ll already be familiar with the controls.

There are a couple of different modes available in multiplayer, including Deathmatch, Tournament, and Capture the Flag. Deathmatch involves two teams of four, while Tournament mode is played between two players. It’s one of the more popular modes that has been featured at so many conventions over the years.

Capture the Flag features symmetrical stages where two teams compete to move the flag across their own zones as many times as they can before time expires.

Overall, Quake 3 is a pretty competent multiplayer shooter. Even still today, it provides a lot of fun experiences and is a great way to spend some hours if you have the time.