Getting Going...

The first thing to check is that you have the latest Quake 3 Arena Point Release installed. Before attempting to run Q3F 2, you should start Quake 3 without any special options, bring down the console (by hitting the tilde [`] key) and check the version installed.. You can always get the latest point release for all operating systems from www.quake3arena.com.

You may also run in to problems if you've ever installed any updates or patches that aren't from id Software - for example a CD-Hack that changes the Quake 3 Arena executable or any 3rd Party DLL's (such as Arenaspy or an FPS enhancer). In all cases you should delete or rename any files with the .DLL extension that are present in your \quake3 or \baseq3 directory. id Software have never released any offiicial patches with DLL extensions.

If you are a Windows user you can now use the automated online installer to check which files you already have (if any) and then locate the fastest download site and get exactly what's required to bring your installation up to date. The Windows Online Installer is available from the Files page at www.q3f.com. Once this has completed, you can start playing right away by clicking the Play Q3F icon on your desktop. Once Q3F 2 has launched, select the Play Q3F option from the main menu. This will take you into the Q3F Server Browser. Just pick a server, wait for connection and play!

If you would prefer to install manually from the ZIP file please refer to the WIndows Installation link below.

If you are using an Apple Mac or the Linux operating system, please click the relevent link below for full details on manual installation.

You will probably want to rebind your keys to ones which are more comfortable or familiar. To do this hit the ESCAPE key while playing and select the Bindings menu. For more information on configuration, click the Configuration link below.

If you’d like to run a non-dedicated server for your friends to play on, just hit the CREATE button in the Server Browser. To learn how to run a dedicated Q3F 2.0 server, check out the Running Servers section available below.

Q3F is fully customizable. All HUD, Graphics and Administration features can be configured to suit your needs. You can also write your own macros, menus and scripts - see the Advanced section above for further information.