Red Eclipse

Red Eclipse is a free and open-source arena shooter developed by the Red Eclipse Team (led by Quinton Reeves, Lee Salzman, and others) and built on the permissively licensed Tesseract engine (a fork of Cube 2: Sauerbraten). First released in its modern form in 2011, it received a major overhaul with v2.0.0 “Jupiter Edition” on December 19, 2019, and continues to receive small updates and beta patches into 2026. It’s available exclusively for PC (Windows, Linux, macOS) via Steam (free), itch.io, or direct downloads from the official site—no console versions exist or have ever been announced for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation, or Xbox.

Core Story

There is no traditional single-player campaign or deep narrative. Red Eclipse is pure multiplayer-focused arena action: you jump into fast-paced matches where teams (Alpha/Blue vs. Omega/Red) battle across futuristic maps. The “story” is in the moment-to-moment chaos—parkour-fueled gunfights, impulse boosts, and community-driven map creation. It’s all about accessible, skill-based combat with a huge variety of mutators that can completely change the rules of each match.

Gameplay and Features

Red Eclipse delivers a modern take on classic arena shooters (Quake III/Unreal Tournament style) with a heavy emphasis on agile movement:

• Parkour & Mobility: Wall-running, impulse boosts, dashing, grappling, and advanced tricks let you traverse maps in fluid, high-speed ways.
• Weapons & Combat: Seven unique main weapons (each with distinct playstyles) plus secondary tools. Fast, impactful gunplay that rewards movement and positioning.
• Game Modes & Mutators: Classic modes (deathmatch, capture the flag, etc.) combined with dozens of mutators that drastically alter gameplay—everything from low-gravity to instagib or team-swapping chaos.
• Map Editing: Built-in real-time co-op editor lets you create and edit maps with other players online.
• Multiplayer Focus: Online multiplayer (with bots for solo play), drop-in/drop-out support, and a welcoming community. No microtransactions, lootboxes, or paywalls—completely free and open-source.

It’s designed to be fun for everyone from noobs to experts, with low system requirements and highly customizable settings. Matches are quick, addictive, and endlessly replayable thanks to the mutator system.

PC Version (2011 / v2.0+ 2019–2026)

This is the only official version of the game. You can play it completely free on:

• Steam (recommended – automatic updates, easy matchmaking, Steam features).
• itch.io or direct download from redeclipse.net (Windows, Linux AppImage, macOS, BSD).

The game runs buttery smooth on even modest or older hardware thanks to the lightweight Tesseract engine. It supports high resolutions, ultrawide, customizable FOV, keyboard & mouse (or controller with community configs), and full graphics tweaks. The latest 2.1 beta branch (available on Steam betas) includes ongoing bug fixes and improvements. No console ports exist—Red Eclipse remains a pure PC experience built for mouse-driven precision and fast movement.

Console Versions

There are no official releases for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or any other consoles as of April 2026. The game’s fast-paced parkour mechanics and open-source nature have never been adapted for controllers or console hardware.

Red Eclipse is a hidden gem for fans of classic arena shooters who crave fluid movement, zero paywalls, and endless chaotic fun.