Thirty years after Quake's original release, developer MachineGames has added a new chapter to the 1996 id Software shooter called Dawn of the Machine. The update, revealed at QuakeCon, adds 19 new levels in which Quake's protagonist is trapped in what's described as "a dimension of endless illusion," and it is available across all versions of the game's 2021 remaster, including Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
The new episode introduces new enemy types and weapon variants, including the Super Axe, which unleashes lightning on successive strikes, and the Laser Cannon, which fires ricocheting projectiles. Dawn of the Machine is also built for replay: players can collect runes to unlock new paths on later playthroughs while keeping previously acquired health and ammo upgrades. The update also adds one new deathmatch map, more achievements, and a cheats menu.
Alongside the new campaign, the update includes a vault of behind-the-scenes material from Quake's original development, featuring early, unfinished playable levels with working names like "Tim," "Tim10A" and "Tim14," accompanied by original developer notes describing tight hallways and dead ends where the design intent isn't entirely clear.
MachineGames, the studio behind the rebooted Wolfenstein games and 2023's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, previously collaborated with id Software and Nightdive Studios on earlier Quake remaster episodes before creating this anniversary update.
The QuakeCon panel where the update was revealed included id co-founder John Romero, who noted the announcement fell not on the 30th anniversary of Quake's June 1996 release, but on the 30th anniversary of the day he left id Software. Quake marked the end of an era for id, as Romero, American McGee, Michael Abrash, Sandy Petersen and others departed after its development; Petersen has said Quake "ruined id Software." The studio went on to release Quake 2 and 3 and later the modern Doom series.
The anniversary update arrives as id Software faces new turmoil: Microsoft imposed substantial layoffs at the studio as part of a broader plan to "reset" the Xbox business, cutting staff shortly after id shipped DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages. Id co-founder John Carmack said the layoffs would "dampen the mood" of a planned founders reunion panel at QuakeCon featuring Romero, John Carmack, Adrian Carmack and Tom Hall. It remains unclear what id Software and MachineGames will work on next as Xbox narrows its focus to its biggest franchises.