Where to Find ioquake3 Guides for Playing or Running a Server

ioquake3's official site points to two dedicated guides: the Player's Guide for instructions and help playing ioquake3, and the SysAdmin Guide for getting started running your own game server. Both are linked directly from the site's "Get Started with a Guide" section, alongside the Download page.

Player's Guide: for playing ioquake3

Use this guide if your goal is to play Quake 3: Arena, Quake 3: Team Arena, or the mods made for those games. According to the site, the Player's Guide provides "instructions and help playing ioquake3."

Typical path:

1. Download the engine for Windows, macOS, or Linux from the Download section.
2. Follow the Player's Guide for setup and play instructions.
3. Note that ioquake3 is an engine, not the game data itself — the site links to a "Buy Quake 3: Arena & Team Arena" page, and also suggests playing a game made by other teams using ioquake3 if you don't already have Quake 3.

SysAdmin Guide: for running your own server

Use this guide if you want to host rather than just play. The site describes it as the way "to get started running your own game server." This is the relevant entry point for server setup, configuration, and administration topics.

Other entry points on the site

Beyond the two guides, the site offers:

What ioquake3 actually is (so you pick the right guide)

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 and first released under that license by id software on August 20, 2005. It is a community project — not part of or sponsored by id software, Bethesda, or Microsoft. That distinction matters: if you only want to play, start with the Player's Guide and the Download page; if you want to host, start with the SysAdmin Guide; if you want to build something new, go to the source code.