Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is Huge
The Quake community has done it again. What started as a fan mapping event has grown into something that barely resembles the 1996 original. Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is not just a small pack of community levels. It is a massive, almost total conversion project that pushes the classic Quake engine in ways that would have seemed impossible back in the nineties.
The original Quake shipped with 32 levels and a handful of deathmatch maps. Quake Brutalist Jam 3 arrives with a staggering 77 maps created by the community, all themed around brutalism, the moody and concrete heavy architectural style. That is more than double the content of the base game, wrapped in a sharp, oppressive visual identity that gives Quake an entirely fresh atmosphere.
The project is available through the Slipseer site, which has become a central hub for modern Quake modding. Alongside the download you will find a detailed blog style announcement explaining the vision behind the jam and what you need to do to get it running.
A Total Conversion Feel for a Classic FPS
Brutalist Jam 3 did not just ask mappers to make more Quake levels. The organizers and contributors spent months building a deep mod framework that gives the jam the feel of a full blown total conversion.
According to the announcement, work began quietly in the winter of 2024. The team wanted this to be something uniquely ambitious for the community. Instead of just reusing id Software’s original tools and assets, they slow cooked an extensive overhaul that modernizes much of Quake’s look and gameplay while still respecting its roots.
The result is more than a map pack. Players can expect:
- A complete visual overhaul of Quake’s roster of enemies and weapons
- Brand new weapons with fresh animations and mechanics
- New enemies and power ups designed to fit the brutalist theme
- All new 3D art assets that give the levels a cohesive and oppressive style
Videos released by the team show just how far things have come. In the recent trailer the game looks almost like a modern indie shooter rather than a product of 1996. Lighting, geometry and texture work all push the engine to its limits, and the heavy concrete feel of brutalism comes through strongly in every shot.
If you want a closer look at the gameplay side, there is an earlier teaser that focuses on the new guns and mechanics. It highlights some of the more playful additions, such as the ability to dual wield wrenches. It is a fun example of how the jam blends serious aesthetic ambition with the kind of wild ideas that keep classic shooters fresh for long time fans.
Community Passion and How to Play It
Projects like Quake Brutalist Jam 3 exist because the Quake mapping scene never really died. Over decades fans have built tools, source ports and asset packs that let them transform id Software’s old shooter into something that can compete with modern indie games in creativity and challenge.
This third Brutalist Jam has quickly become a flagship example of what that community can do. The previous two Brutalist Jams were already impressive, but they were smaller and less extensive in scope. Brutalist Jam 3 scales everything up. More maps, more custom content, tighter shared theming and a much more ambitious technical foundation all contribute to an experience that feels cohesive rather than just a loose collection of community experiments.
The organizers are even working on a hub system to stitch the 77 maps together. Instead of just launching individual levels from a menu, the goal is to build a structure that lets you navigate between them in a more connected way. That is a serious design challenge when you are dealing with so many contributors and such a wide range of styles, but it shows the drive to turn this into a full campaign style experience.
Installing and running a mod like this will take a little tinkering, especially if you are new to classic PC shooters and their mod scenes. Thankfully the team anticipated that. On the Slipseer page you will find clear instructions on what engine build to use, where to place the files and how to launch the jam correctly.
If you are into PC gaming, this is a perfect project to try if you want to see what makes the modding community so special:
- It breathes new life into one of the most important shooters ever made
- It shows how far an old engine can be pushed with modern tools and know how
- It delivers a huge amount of free content for anyone with a PC capable of running a Quake source port
Even if you have never modded a game before, this is a good entry point. The instructions are laid out step by step and the payoff is massive. You are getting an almost new game sized experience wrapped around the bones of a classic PC shooter. For fans of retro FPS games, level design, or just experimental PC projects, Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is absolutely worth a look.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/quake-modders-banded-together-to-release-the-third-brutalist-map-jam-with-two-campaigns-worth-of-fps-goodness-in-a-megalithic-community-project-more-than-a-year-in-the-making/
