Quake Rooftops Jam Adds 19 Free Fan Maps Focused on Rooftop Gameplay

The Quake community released a new free fan level pack called Quake Rooftops Jam on Friday, adding 19 custom maps to id Software's 1996 first-person shooter. The pack focuses on rooftop environments, a setting rarely seen in the original corridor-based game.

The mapping jam challenges creators to build levels where rooftops are the primary play space. Notable entries include Robert Yang's "Mermaids in the Basement," a sun-soaked nonlinear map set in a Mediterranean coastal village semi-submerged in water; "Once, But No More," a sprawling cityscape with multiple architectural styles and platforming sequences; and "City of Traitors," a maze of gothic spires in a misty purple void.

The pack is available for download from Slipseer. It requires a Quake source port such as Ironwail or vkQuake. Players must extract the files into a new "qrtjam" folder within their Quake directory and launch the source port with the command line argument "-game qrtjam".

2026 has seen a surge in Quake mapping activity, including the Quake Brutalist Jam 3, numerous 30th-anniversary map packs, and an official campaign titled Dawn of the Machine. Meanwhile, the future of the series remains uncertain. Rumors suggested MachineGames might be developing Quake 6, but indications point to the studio's next project being Wolfenstein 3. The multiplayer spin-off Quake Champions has ended its live-service updates, though it remains playable as a standalone paid title.