Objectively the best internet pew-pew game to play with your friends. I run a deathmatch server with a fantasy-themed map rotation:

Server: dungeon.church:27960

Player Setup

ioQuake3 is an open-source engine that runs Quake 3 Arena on modern computers. You install the engine, drop in the game files, and you’re good to go.

The ioQuake3 team has a more detailed Player Guide

Installation

flowchart LR
    A[Install ioQuake3] --> B[Download Patch]
    B --> C[Get pak0.pk3]
    C --> D[Copy to baseq3]
    D --> E[Launch & Configure]
    E --> F[Join Server]

1. Download and install ioQuake3
2. Download the patch update from iD Software and unzip it
3. Download the game file — grab pak0.pk3 from our mirror
4. Copy files to the application folder:
   • Mac: Finder → Go → Go to Folder → ~/Library/Application Support/Quake3
   • Windows: typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Quake III Arena\
   • Linux: ~/.q3a/
   • Put pak0.pk3 into the baseq3 subfolder
   • Copy the patch pk3 files from the zip (baseq3 and missionpack folders) into the matching subfolders
5. Launch the game — if it asks for a CD Key, use: RC7GSLHWJP2B3TAD
6. Enable custom map downloads: Setup → Game Options → Automatic Downloads → On

Join the Server

Multiplayer → Specify → enter server address dungeon.church

To bookmark the server, open the console (~ key) and enter:

/seta server1 dungeon.church:27960

Adding favorites via the game menu is broken on Mac. Console method works reliably. Only IPs work for bookmarks, so you can also use 192.9.236.115:27960.

Tweaks

For smoother gameplay on modern hardware, open the console (~) and enter:

/snaps 40
/rate 2500
/cl_maxpackets 125
/com_maxfps 125
/com_hunkMegs 512

• AL Error during gameplay: open console → /seta s_useOpenAL 0 → restart

Optional Mods

Mod	What it does
Neural Upscale Textures	AI-upscaled high-res textures
Q3A Reloaded	Alternative HD texture + HUD pack
Flexible HUD	Fixes menus on widescreen monitors
Player Model Pack	Additional player skins

Batocera

If you’re running Quake 3 on a Batocera retro gaming setup, there’s a guide for ioQuake on Batocera covering the specifics.

Server Administration

Some notes on administration.

Discord Notifications

I wrote a simple Quake notification plugin for Redbot powered by the JSON output of qstat.

Compiling for ARM64

The server runs on Oracle Cloud ARM platform so I had to compile it:

sudo apt install build-essential libsdl2-dev
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ioquake/ioq3/master/misc/linux/server_compile.sh
chmod +x server_compile.sh
./server_compile.sh

Server Mods

Currently server runs as ‘pure’ vanilla deathmatch.

Mod	Notes
BMA	’black metal’ mode, grappling hook
OSP	Competition-focused, more common
RA3	Abandoned?

Not sure if there’s a modern equivalent of RA3 that you can actually run. See:

• RA3 server setup in 2022 — links to v1.8
• RA3 containerized

Fantasy Skin Picks

Some skins I have bookmarked (from ws.q3df.org archive):

Character	Model	Notes
Mind Flayer	Flayer	mdl-Q3clan.pk3 ✅
Beholder	Orbb (Beholder skin)
Nothic	Cruentus
Dragon Knight	Dragon Knight
Wizard (Jawa)	Jawa (Blue)	md3-jawa.pk3 — has bot support
Wizard (Vivi)	Vivi (Blue)
Gladiator	Provocator	md3-provocator.pk3 ✅
Dark Knight	Dark Knight (Dembones)
Winged Fighter	Uriel (Asenar)
Dwarf Fighter	Thor (Blue)	md3-thor.pk3 ✅
Dragonborn	Uriel (Radzyn)
Revenant	Revanant
Undead	Gammy	Female
Zombie	Smirking Louis
Wolf	Wolf
Giant Bug	Bugger

Stats

• GameTracker keeps track of player stats and server status.
• quake3-vsp-stats — Docker image, works with XP mod
• Reddit thread on stats options

Resources

• ioQuake3 — the open-source engine
• lvlworld — community database of Q3A maps
• ws.q3df.org — massive archive of player models
• Apple Gaming Wiki — Mac-specific notes
• Steam — buy the original (Windows)