# ioquake3

![ioquake3 modded with high resolution textures and widescreen fix](https://wiki.sebin-nyshkim.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/scaled-1680-/bildschirmfoto-20260321-135924.png)

<p class="callout warning"><strong>ATTENTION:</strong> A legitimate copy of the game is required to play!</p>
  
ioquake3 is a free and open source first person shooter engine based on the *Quake III: Arena* and *Quake III: Team Arena* source code.

ioquake3 is available from the AUR:

~~~bash
yay -S ioquake3
~~~

If you don't want to compile the game every time there's an update, the Flatpak version is available:

~~~bash
flatpak install org.ioquake3.ioquake3
~~~

## Game assets

*ioquake3* requires the original *Quake III: Arena* game files in order to function, mainly the file `pak0.pk3` from [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2200/), [GOG](https://www.gog.com/game/quake_iii_gold) or the retail CD release.

Navigate to the `baseq3` directory of your original game and copy the `pak0.pk3` file to the appropriate location for your chosen installation of *ioquake3*. You can start the game once and it will tell you where it expects the files and create the directory structure for you.

| Install method | Directory                                          |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Single user    | `~/.q3a/baseq3/`                                   |
| System-wide    | `/opt/quake3/baseq3/`                              |
| Flatpak        | `~/.var/app/org.ioquake3.ioquake3/data/q3a/baseq3` |

Next, grab the patch data from the [ioquake3 website](https://ioquake3.org/extras/patch-data/) and copy the contents into the `baseq3` directory as well, so it has `pak0.pk3` through `pak8.pk3`.

## Settings

Once the game files are installed, start the game once, accept an empty CD key and exit out again. This will make the game create a config file in your home directory that you can edit to enable higher resolutions.

Open `baseq3/q3config.cfg` and edit the following values:

~~~c
seta cg_fov         "120"  // Field of view
seta com_maxfps     "125"  // Optimal `125`, `200` or `333`
seta cl_maxpackets  "125"  // Same as `com_maxfps` or half
seta r_mode         "-1"   // Resolution mode, `-1` = custom
seta r_customwidth  "2560" // Custom resolution width
seta r_customheight "1440" // Custom resolution height
~~~

A lot more configuration options are explained [here](https://forum.fpsclassico.com/quake-3-config.php) (optional).

## High resolution textures & widescreen fix (optional, but recommended)

There exist mods to enhance a few aspects of the game:

- [Widescreen fix](https://clover.moe/flexible-hud-for-ioq3/)
- [High resolution fonts and HUD](https://www.moddb.com/mods/high-quality-quake)
- [High resolution texture pack](https://ioquake3.org/extras/replacement_content/)

Put the `.pk3` files from these downloads next to the others in your `baseq3` directory.

These will make the game play nicely with modern graphics and updates the settings menu to allow you to set proper resolutions for HD displays.