id Software, Nightdive Studios, and MachineGames’ Quake (Enhanced) delivers Dawn of the Machine, a new expansion that sends Ranger back into the Elder realms’ brutal loop of monsters, stone, and steel. As confirmed on Quake’s Steam page, Bethesda Softworks’ enhanced package combines the 1996 shooter with its two original expansions and three MachineGames chapters, while supporting crossplay across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Dawn of the Machine Traps Ranger in Quake’s Nastiest Nightmare
Dawn of the Machine does not treat Quake’s old campaign as museum furniture. Its setup has Ranger caught in an endless illusion, reliving violent deaths while searching for the Nightmare Machine—a mysterious construct whose destruction may finally break the cycle. This premise fits Quake’s peculiar dark-fantasy energy. Ranger pushes through infested military bases, medieval castles, lava-filled dungeons, and gothic cathedrals with a weapon rack built for turning twisted knights, ogres, and other Elder-world nightmares into chunks.
The package also includes the original The Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity expansions, alongside MachineGames’ earlier Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine. For players who remember Quake as a single, forbidding descent through four dimensions, that is a substantial reason to reinstall—or finally find out why the game’s atmosphere still hits so hard.
For a quick look at the enhanced release in motion, Bethesda Softworks’ first-party captures the sharper presentation without sanding down the original game’s grimy mood.
The Real Upgrade is Having a Whole Quake Night Again
The enhanced version supports four-player online or local split-screen co-op through the base campaign and expansions. Competitive multiplayer supports up to eight players online or four in local split-screen, with dedicated servers for online matchmaking and peer-to-peer support for custom matches. Crossplay matters here because Quake’s best multiplayer stories were never about perfectly curated progression tracks. They were about panicked rocket jumps, last-second ambushes, and the moment a friend discovers that the map knowledge you have been quietly carrying around for years is worth more than any unlockable badge.
Players also get access to free curated fan-made and official mods and missions, including Quake 64, which is available to download now. Ownership includes both the fully moddable original version and Quake (Enhanced), so purists can preserve the old PC experience while console players and co-op groups can use the revised release’s controller support, add-ons, and cross-platform multiplayer.
The enhanced edition supports up to 4K and widescreen resolutions, plus enhanced models, dynamic colored lighting, anti-aliasing, and depth of field. More importantly, it keeps Trent Reznor’s atmospheric soundtrack in place, because Quake without that industrial dread would feel like a castle without a crypt.
Will you tackle Ranger’s new nightmare solo, or drag three friends into the Elder realms for co-op chaos?
