Quake II RTX similar games & best alternatives

Quake II RTX - Trailer
Quake II RTX - quake-ii-rtx_1.avif
Quake II RTX - quake-ii-rtx_2.avif
Quake II RTX - quake-ii-rtx_3.avif
Quake II RTX - quake-ii-rtx_4.avif
Quake II RTX - quake-ii-rtx_5.avif
Quake II RTX - quake-ii-rtx_6.avif

Quake II RTX

Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2019

Should you play it?

Quake II RTX is a cutting-edge, ray-traced reimagining of id software’s old school classic, by NVIDIA’s Lightspeed Studios. Global lighting effects, including realistic reflections, refraction, shadows, ambient occlusion and global illumination are a result of the path-traced simulation of light.

What works

  • Free upgrade for original quake 2 owners
  • Stunning ray tracing and lighting effects
  • Faithful to original gameplay
  • Customizable graphics settings
  • Runs on a range of hardware with scaling options

Things to keep in mind

  • High gpu demand with rtx enabled
  • Some areas too dark without sufficient lighting
  • Lack of music included by default
  • Limited new content beyond visuals
  • Multiplayer suffers from cheating issues

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Beyond Sunset

  • PIGFACE

  • Skibidi Toilet Hero

  • Zortch

  • Crysis 2 Remastered

  • Chop Goblins

Less competitive

Games that feels like Quake II RTX but with less competition against others

  • Project: Snowblind

  • Killing Time: Resurrected

  • PowerSlave Exhumed

  • DEAD TRASH

  • Hands of Necromancy

  • Darkenstein 3D

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • DOOM 3

  • DOOM Eternal

  • Wolfenstein 3D

  • RAGE

  • Quake II

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Quake II RTX: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Competition, Expression, Violence.

Last update: 03/08/2026