\new_player_guide\
How to play QuakeWorld Team Fortress
QWTF is the original class shooter — the 1996 Quake mod that Team Fortress Classic and TF2 descend from. It is still fast, still strange, and thanks to a fleet of bot-populated servers, still playable on demand. Here is everything you need, in the time it takes to respawn.
Three ways in
- 01 · Browser. Play right now — no install, no account. Pick a class and duel a live bot on Duelspine. Works on any modern desktop browser, Mac included.
- 02 · Client. Download the free alpha for Windows or Linux. It is a complete package — engine, assets and maps included, nothing else to buy or own. Extract, run, and the server browser takes you straight to a live game.
- 03 · Watch first. Not ready to commit? Watch a real match from the archive and see how the game moves.
Your first match
Most QWTF maps are capture the flag: grab the enemy flag, carry it back to your own base, and stop them doing the same to you. The classic arena is 2fort — two symmetrical forts separated by a bridge and a lot of bad decisions.
Join a server, hit auto-assign to land on the team that needs you, and pick a class. Soldier and Medic are the recommended starters — the client marks them for you. Bots fill both rosters, so the round is already alive when you arrive; they make room as humans join.
Movement is the game inside the game: QuakeWorld's physics reward bunny-hopping, rocket jumps and grenade jumps. Don't worry about any of that in match one. Shoot rockets, chase the flag, and the rest follows.
The nine classes
- Scout — the fastest thing on the map. Runs flags, concs ahead of the push.
- Soldier — rockets, armour, no bad matchups. Start here.
- Medic — heals by touch, second-fastest legs, concussion-jump specialist. The other starter.
- Demoman — pipe traps and detpacks. Owns doorways.
- HWGuy — an assault cannon with a person attached. The wall that shoots back.
- Sniper — patience as a weapon. Controls the long sightlines.
- Pyro — incendiary rockets and a flamethrower. Chaos, weaponised.
- Spy — disguises, feigned death, and the backstab you never saw.
- Engineer — sentries and dispensers. The backbone of every defence.
Find the humans
The bots guarantee there is always a game. The humans make it worth staying. Pickup games and events are organised on Discord:
- QWTF Play Discord — discord.gg/BbBmjqAAwQ — our server: help getting started, client builds, and the live server board.
- QWTF Live — the wider community — hundreds of players, regular organised games.
- Steam group — QWTF Play on Steam — announcements when something big ships.
Already set up with your own QuakeWorld client? The live fleet console on the front page shows current servers and maps.
Questions people actually ask
- Is QWTF Play free?
- Yes. The browser version and the downloadable client are both free — no account, no purchase, no ads.
- Do I need to own Quake to play?
- No. The QWTF Play client is a complete download — engine, assets and maps included. The browser version needs nothing installed at all.
- Does QWTF Play work on Mac?
- There is no native Mac build yet, but the browser version runs in any modern desktop browser, including on macOS.
- Are QuakeWorld Team Fortress servers still active?
- Yes — QWTF Play servers keep a full roster of bots warmed up around the clock, so there is always a game to join. Humans drop in and out, and pickup games are organised on Discord.
- What is the difference between QWTF and Team Fortress 2?
- QWTF is the original 1996 Quake mod that the whole Team Fortress series descends from. It is faster and rougher than TF2: quicker movement, hand grenades, bunny-hopping and grenade jumps are all part of normal play.