Quake 2 gets surprise remaster, available right now

Hold onto your hats because Quake II just got a surprise remaster. And it's available to play right now.

It’s rare to get a remaster announcement on the same day we’re told we can actually play it, but occasionally the stars align – today is one of those days.

It's here! It's here! Watch the Quake II official trailer below

The remaster, which has been handled by retro video game experts Nightdive Studios, is available to play on all platforms.

However, while Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC players can all grab themselves a copy right this second, it’s Xbox players who are truly winning at life right now because they can get it on Game Pass. Money will need to be exchanged either way, but why fork out £7.99 when your subscription has you covered?

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Nightdive, there’s a huge list of improvements that this remaster is packing, including enhanced cinematics, improved animations, and accessibility features. Partnered with that fine array of additions, there’s also the welcomed news that the Sonic Mayhem soundtrack has returned.

But Id Software isn’t just content on giving you the remastered base game; just like they did with the original game’s remaster, Id has included expansions as well. Consequently, players will be able to play 33 extra campaign levels, as well as 21 deathmatch multiplayer maps. And as if that wasn’t enough, a brand new expansion is also featured in Quake II, titled ‘Call of the Machine’, which introduces another 28 campaign levels.

That’s a lot of gameplay to get getting on with, and for such a cheap price too!

Bethesda is really spoiling fans right now, not just because of this surprise drop, but because of all the hard work it's putting into making Starfield a massive hit – like offering free downloads of the game prior to its release.

If you prefer playing games with friends instead of flying solo, every campaign is co-op friendly. Those playing online with friends can have up to 16 people join in, while local co-operative play is limited to four. Still, those are some good numbers for the social gamers amongst you.

Quake II is available on the Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC (via Steam, Epic Games) for £7.99.