How to Contribute to or Follow the ioquake3 Project

Updated

You can get involved with ioquake3 in two main ways: contribute to the project itself, or follow its news and updates. The official site states that the project "could use your help" and points to a dedicated page listing "all of the ways to do that." For staying current, it directs you to follow the project on Mastodon and Blue Sky. If you just want to keep an eye on what's happening, the site's News section is the other place to look.

Ways to Contribute

The site does not enumerate every contribution option on the homepage itself — it links out to a separate page for that. Based on what the project describes about itself, the general areas of involvement are:

  • Code and bug fixes. ioquake3 is an open-source engine under the GPL version 2, and the source code lives in git on GitHub. The project credits a "dedicated team" with fixing bugs and adding features since the code was released by id Software on August 20, 2005.
  • Volunteer effort of any kind. The site thanks "everyone who has ever contributed" and notes the project "would not exist without" its volunteers.
  • Community resources. ioquake3 acknowledges support from Discourse.org, icculus.org, and Nuclear Monster.

For the specific, current list of ways to help, use the contribution link on the ioquake3 homepage rather than relying on a general summary — the project maintains that page as the authoritative entry point.

Following Project News and Updates

  • Mastodon and Blue Sky. The site explicitly invites you to "follow us on Mastodon and Blue Sky to keep in touch." These are the project's stated social channels for ongoing contact.
  • The News section. The homepage carries a News feed. A current example is the announcement of the 2025 7DFPS Game Jam, running December 5th to the 14th, with more information on the jam's itch.io page. The site notes you get "a little bit more than 7 days" to build an FPS, and frames the period before the jam as a good time to prepare if you want to build a game with ioquake3.

What You'd Be Contributing To

It helps to know the scope before volunteering. ioquake3 is a free and open-source first-person shooter engine based on the Quake 3: Arena and Quake 3: Team Arena source code, licensed under GPL version 2. With it you can:

  • Play Quake 3: Arena, Quake 3: Team Arena, and community mods (see the Player's Guide).
  • Run your own game server (see the SysAdmin Guide).
  • Play games other teams have built on ioquake3, if you don't already own Quake 3.
  • Build your own game from the source code in git on GitHub.

One clarification worth noting: although id Software released the Quake 3 source code, ioquake3 states it is "not part of or sponsored by id software, Bethesda, or Microsoft." It is a community project — which is precisely why volunteer contributions matter.

Practical Notes

  • If your goal is to play rather than contribute, the Player's Guide covers instructions and help; the SysAdmin Guide covers running a server.
  • If you want to buy the original games, the site links to a "Buy Quake 3: Arena & Team Arena" page. The homepage does not state a price, so check that page for current details.
  • Downloads are offered for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with more downloads available via a separate link.

In short: follow Mastodon and Blue Sky (or the News feed) to stay informed, and use the site's contribution page to find the current, specific ways to help.