Cancelled Quake GBA port found on developer’s 256MB Flash Card

Quake
(Image credit: id Software)

Since its release in 1996, Quake has had many ports, allowing FPS fans across a huge variety of platforms from Sega Saturn to Nintendo Switch to enjoy its high-speed action. It turns out that the game also had Game Boy Advance port that, until now, has never seen the light of day. 

Forest of Illusion, a group dedicated to preserving Nintendo's history, revealed the unreleased version of Quake for GBA on Twitter. The port was worked on in 2002 by seasoned game developer Randy Linden, whose other projects include the SNES port of Doom. Lindin reached out to Forest of Illusion when he discovered a prototype for the game on a 256MB Flash Card in his storage.

The game looks hugely impressive for a handheld title, surpassing almost any other 3D game available on the Game Boy Advance at the time. "I've seen some impressive 3D games on the GBA, but nothing like this. I can't imagine how it would've looked like had it been released in a finished state," says one Twitter user. You can see the game for yourself in the video below.

According to a blog post detailing the discovery, Forest of Illusion says that the game doesn't contain any assets from Quake and that Lindin hasn't contacted developer id Software about potentially using them. When asked by Twitter user schbirid if this meant the project was "unauthorized and unofficial", Lindin confirmed that it was

The decline in popularity for the GBA eventually led to Lindin repurposing the data to use in his own game, Cyboid. "Initially starting out titled as "Meat", Cyboid was created to be a small and fast-paced game that you could come back to over and over again. Definitely be sure to check it out!" says Forest of Illusion. You can do just that by visiting Lindin's website

While you're here, why not also check out our pick of the best FPS games you can play right now. 

Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.

Read more
Star Wars Battlefront Kit Fisto
After 16 years, a playable Nintendo Wii build for a canceled Star Wars: Battlefront 3 game appears to have been found, and modders are going to finish it
Star Fox 64 screenshot of four animal characters running down a hallways
The team behind the unofficial Zelda Ocarina of Time PC port just modernized another Nintendo 64 classic, and the original creator is "very happy" about it
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
best GBA games: A screenshot of someone playing Pokémon on a Game Boy Advanced.
The 25 best Game Boy Advance games of all time
Ninja Five-O
The legendary Konami GBA cult classic that sells for $300 a pop on eBay finally gets its long-awaited modern reissue next month
Big in 2025 montage image showing the Doom Slayer from Doom: The Dark Ages as well as combat against various demons and a cyber dragon
Doom: The Dark Ages takes the series forward by winding the clock several centuries back
Latest in FPS
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic roguelike dev says innovation for innovation's sake is too expensive to survive: "We're a studio of 50 people with bills to pay"
Screenshot from PowerWash Simulator 2, showing two jet washers spraying one dirty wooden house.
After 3 years and 44,327 overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews, viral hit PowerWash Simulator is finally getting a sequel complete with split-screen co-op
Screenshot from Spectre Divide, showing a character in a purple jumpsuit and full face mask aiming their gun.
Despite more than $60 million in investments, Shroud-backed FPS Spectre Divide and its dev are shutting down after the first season failed "to cover day-to-day costs"
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
After concerns from Valve, creators of CS:GO mod that aimed to "recreate the 1.6 vibe" are now "auditing the current build" to comply with guidelines
Doom: The Dark Ages screenshot
Doom director claims The Dark Ages can be beaten without using a gun, but "the game's not necessarily built to do that"
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Battlefield dev reveals more of his Bad Company 3 script and confirms the plot would revolve around the squad getting kicked out of the military and brought back for a final suicide mission
Latest in News
First Berserker: Khazan screenshot showing two characters engaged in battle
Compare it to FromSoftware all you want, but the devs on this extremely promising hardcore action RPG say they're making "more than just a Soulslike"
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
MMO scholar puts a $500 bounty on old versions of RuneScape as part of a community archive project: "You might have ALL of the game's lost versions!"
Khazan holding a red glowing sword during the upcoming PS5 game, The First Berserker: Khazan.
"Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting": Lead dev on promising Soulslike RPG pushes balanced difficulty because "if stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
There's never been a better time to play Chrono Trigger than on its 30th anniversary as the all-time JRPG great is just $4 in Steam Spring Sale
The Surrender
The Boys star's new horror movie gets great first reactions calling it "truly terrifying" featuring some of the "best performances" of 2025 so far
Ender Magnolia screenshot showing a spirit shooting at a monster enemy
One of the best new Metroidvanias just got a huge update with New Game+ and heaps more content like a boss rush mode