Movement is the skill
A grappling hook, a dash, rocket jumps, strafe jumps and bunny hops. The fastest player decides where the fight happens.
Free arena FPS for Windows, Linux and macOS
Move fast.
Aim faster.
quark is an arena shooter in the Quake and Diabotical family. Grapple, dash, rocket jump and bunny hop through 21 maps, on servers that run at 1000 Hz.
1000 Hzserver tick rate
13game modes
21maps, each built for a mode
3 + 1ranked ladders and a time trial
Why quark
Built to feel instant
A custom C++ engine with one goal: no hitches between your hand and the screen. Everything else is there to make the fights better.
1000 Hz servers
Servers start at 1000 ticks a second and only step down if the host can't keep up. The game is tuned for its worst frames, not its average.
Fair ranked play
Three ladders: 1v1 Vanilla, 1v1 Laser Vampire and FFA Instagib. Everyone plays with the same model, HUD, controls and 10 ms interpolation.
Bots that play like people
Four levels, from Beginner to Expert. They only see what you could see, react like humans, and the best ones bunny hop, dash and grapple.
Build maps together
The map editor is part of the game. Invite friends and edit the same map at the same time, then play it straight away.
Make it yours
A HUD editor with custom widgets, crosshairs, player models, sound packs and snap tap. Record demos and watch them back.
Every model, in 3D
Spin the player models, weapons, projectiles, the crown and every map in your browser, then build your own model from boxes and drop it into the game.
Open the assets →Every sound you can hear
All five sound kits and every announcer voice, with waveforms. Then make your own sound effect with a small synth and save it as a .wav.
Open the sounds →13 modes
Pick your fight
Team objectives, duels and free-for-alls. Every map is built for one mode, and you can make custom modes with your own rules.
Team modes
- VS Bastion, Orbital
One life each per round. Last team standing wins. First to 5.
- Bomb Depot
Attackers plant the bomb at a site, defenders defuse it or run out the clock.
- King of the hill Summit, Downtown
Hold the hill with no enemy on it for a point a second. First to 100.
- Payload Railyard
Push the cart along its track while the other team tries to stop it.
- Neutral payload Canal
Both teams fight over one cart and push it toward the other end.
- Multi point Midtown, Lodestone
Attackers take the points in order. Each capture adds time and moves both spawns forward.
Duels
- 1v1 Temple, Furnace, Dojo, Anvil
Rounds on one ruleset: Vanilla, Laser Vampire, Instagib and more. First to 5.
- Duel Clockwork
Every life brings a random modifier: low gravity, giants, rockets only.
- Tourney Colosseum
A single-elimination bracket of 1v1s, seeded by rating.
Everyone for themselves
- Free for all Harbor, Gantry
Most kills when time runs out wins. A tie goes to sudden death.
- Race Viaduct
Hit the checkpoints in order. Viaduct is also the ranked time trial.
- Hide and seek Hamlet, Hightown
One seeker with a knife. Everyone seeks once; ties go to rock paper scissors.
- Tag Foundry
Whoever is the tagger when the timer runs out is out. Last one standing wins.
Ranked: 1v1 Vanilla, 1v1 Laser Vampire and FFA Instagib each have their own ladder, and the Viaduct time trial has its own board with splits. Ranked games always use the default model, HUD, controls and 10 ms interpolation.
21 maps
Every map has a job
Each one is built for a single mode and every structure is there for a reason. Lodestone is the exception: a mine big enough for nine modes.
Temple Ranked1v1 Vanilla · a pagoda temple 
Furnace Ranked1v1 Laser Vampire · a blast furnace 
Dojo Ranked1v1 Laser Vampire · face off, no firing for 5 s 
Gantry RankedFFA Instagib · a crane hall 
Anvil RankedAll three ladders · a smithy 
ClockworkDuel · inside a giant clock 
DepotBomb · a freight depot 
SummitKing of the hill · a mountain peak 
DowntownKing of the hill · a city block 
RailyardPayload · a rail yard 
CanalNeutral payload · a canal town 
MidtownMulti point · a city centre 
Lodestone 9 modesMulti point · a mine 
HarborFree for all · a harbour 
BastionVS · a castle 
OrbitalVS · a space station 
ColosseumTourney · a Roman arena 
FoundryTag · a factory floor 
HamletHide and seek · a valley village 
HightownHide and seek · a skyscraper over a city 
Viaduct Time trialRace · a mountain gorge
Weapons
Nine ways to win
Every weapon has an alt-fire. These numbers come straight from the game's code, fastest kill first.
| Weapon | Damage | Shot every | Hits to kill | Time to kill | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading weapon stats... | |||||
Time to kill is from 100 health with every hit landing on the body. Headshots, splash and modifiers change it.
Live
Leaderboard
The top ten on each ladder, straight from the ranking server.
Loading the leaderboard...
What's new
Latest update
Loading the latest update... See every update.
Download
Get quark
The launcher installs the game and keeps it up to date. Prefer to manage it yourself? Grab the game on its own.
Windows may warn you. quark isn't signed with a paid code-signing certificate, so SmartScreen can say it's unrecognised. Click More info, then Run anyway.
Every file is signed. Each download has a .sig next to it, made with the release key, and so does this site's file list (SHA256SUMS). The launcher checks every update and itself. To check a file by hand: quark_sign verify <file> (how).
All releases, with notes and signatures: GitHub releases. Want new builds first? Try the testing channel.
Community
Play with people
Find a match, report a bug or suggest a change on Discord. The code is all on GitHub, free and open source.
Made by one developer, with a lot of help from playtesters.
Run a server
Host your own
Hosting from the game's menu is the easy way. For an always-on server on a Linux box (a small cloud VM is plenty):
sh tools/server/install.sh --public --name "my server"It starts on boot, restarts if it crashes and updates itself between matches. Details are in the README.