Warnings
- The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.
Key points
- The game does not properly recognize the available VRAM on modern graphics cards, and as such forces the game to use lower image quality settings. Use Quake 4 Tweaker to resolve.
General information
- Quake Wiki - A detailed wiki for every Quake game made.
- Planet Quake
- GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
- GOG.com Support Page
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
- A free client provided by id allows Quake 4 to be played natively on Linux machines. It requires either a full retail copy or the demo to use it. Details can be found on the GamingOnLinux article.
- A faithful higher quality icon can be found from IconArchive.
Essential improvements
Patches
- Patch 1.4.2 (june 2007) is the latest version. GOG.com and Steam versions are already patched.
- Patch 1.3 (August 2006)
- Patch 1.2 (April 2006)
- Patch 1.1 (March 2006)
- Patch 1.0.5 (December 2005)
Delay corpses despawning
Skip intro videos
Game data
In-game general settings.
Configuration file(s) location
- This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.
Save game data location
System |
Location |
Windows |
<path-to-game>\q4base\savegames\[Note 1] |
macOS (OS X) |
~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.quake4appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Quake 4/q4base/savegames |
Linux |
|
Steam Play (Linux) |
<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2210/pfx/[Note 2] |
Video settings
In-game general video/audio settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
Template:Video settings
Set custom anisotropic filtering[citation needed]
|
- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Create and open
autoexec.cfg .
- Add
seta image_anisotropy 16 for the highest quality.
|
Input settings
In-game key map settings.
Template:Input settings
Audio settings
In-game advanced audio settings.
Template:Audio settings
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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Czech |
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Only available in the European local retail release. |
French |
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Italian |
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Polish |
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Only available in Polish retail release. |
Russian |
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Only available in Russian retail release. |
Spanish |
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Network
Multiplayer types
Connection types
Ports
Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
TCP |
27650 |
UDP |
27650 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
Issues fixed
Set larger screen resolution[3]
Locate the file Quake4Config.ini (Default Location C:\Program Files\id Software\Quake 4\q4base).
Make a backup of this file, then use a text program such as notepad to edit it.
In the document locate these lines and make the adjustments.
This is where you put your custom resolution. For example 1366x768 looks like this:
seta r_customHeight "768"
seta r_customWidth "1368"
You have to change r_mode to "-1" to get the custom resolutions to work:
seta r_mode "-1"
This is were you select your correct aspect ratio. "0" is 4:3, "1" is 16:9 and "2" is 16:10:
seta r_aspectRatio "2"
Poor image quality on modern systems
- The game does not properly recognize the available VRAM on modern graphics cards, and as such forces the game to use lower image quality settings.
Force high image quality[citation needed]
|
- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Create and open
autoexec.cfg .
- Add the following and save.
seta image_downSize "0"
seta image_downSizeBump "0"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "0"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "0"
seta image_roundDown "0"
seta image_useCompression "0"
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_anisotropy "16"
seta image_lodbias "0"
seta r_renderer "best"
seta com_allowConsole "1"
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Steam Overlay doesn't work
Run the Steam client as administrator[4]
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Add registry key[5]
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- Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers .
- Right-click → New → String Value.
- Put the full path to
Quake4.exe in the name, e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Quake 4\Quake4.exe .
- Open your newly created string and type in
RUNASINVOKER and confirm it.
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Sluggish mouse view
Use raw input[6]
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- Open
<path-to-game>\q4base\autoexec.cfg .
- Add the line
in_mouse 2
- Save the changes.
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ReShade overlay inaccessible to mouse
Bypass the game's mouse bind[7]
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- Open
<path-to-game>\q4base\Quake4Config.cfg .
- Search the line
seta com_allowConsole and set the value to "1".
- Start the game.
- Press Alt+Tab ↹ to switch into windowed mode
- Press ~ to open the console
- Access the ReShade GUI
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Microstutter
Instructions[8]
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- Open
<path-to-game>\q4base\autoexec.cfg .
- Add the following lines.
seta r_swapInterval "1"
seta com_fixedTic "1"
Notes
- This solution may cause speech lipsync to go out of sync, but gameplay should be unaffected.
r_swapinterval controls VSync.
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Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
OpenGL |
2.0 |
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Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
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macOS (OS X) | |
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Linux | |
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Middleware
|
Middleware |
Notes |
Audio |
OpenAL |
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Anti-cheat |
PunkBuster |
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Modifications
Sikkmod
- Sikkmod is a mod that was ported from Doom 3, which adds such effects as bloom, color grading, HDR and FXAA, and is easily configurable via the in-game menu.
- The game's multi-core rendering may cause problems with this mod, disable that setting if there are graphical glitches.
False Dawn
- False Dawn is a non-linear, multiple-goal mission with up-to-date graphics (powered by Sikkmod).
System requirements
Windows |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
2000 |
XP |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2000+ | |
System memory (RAM) |
256 MB |
512 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
3.2 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon 9700 Nvidia GeForce3 Ti 64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible
| ATI Radeon X1800 XL Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT 512 MB of VRAM |
- Windows 98 has been tested to work with Quake 4, but this is not officially supported.
macOS (OS X) |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
10.6.8 | |
Processor (CPU) |
2.4 GHz
| 2.6 GHz |
System memory (RAM) |
2 GB |
4 GB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
3.5 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon HD 2600 Nvidia GeForce 8800 512 MB of VRAM
| 512 MB of VRAM |
Linux |
|
Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
Kernel 2.4.x, Kernel 2.6.x |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2000+ |
System memory (RAM) |
512 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
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- Supported ATI chipsets: Radeon 9700 series, Radeon 9800 series, Radeon X300 series, Radeon X550 series, Radeon X600 series, Radeon X700 series, Radeon X800 series, Radeon X850 series
- Supported Nvidia chipsets: GeForce 3/Ti series, GeForce 4/Ti series, GeForce FX series, GeForce 6 series, GeForce 7 series
Notes
References