GtkRadiant
icculus.org
What it is
GtkRadiant is a free, open-source level editor and toolchain for games powered by id Tech engines. It includes map compilers, data authoring tools, and Q3Map2, with tools for 3D levels, terrain, and entity placement. The GtkRadiant 1.6 page lists support for games including Quake III Arena, QuakeLive, Urban Terror, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Quake2, Quake2: Remastered, Quetoo, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, and Jedi Academy. Support for a game can depend on an active developer to test and address issues; some titles may require an older version or third-party fork. GtkRadiant reads and writes assets in a game's directory, and the project recommends installing the game first. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Linux distribution is through Flathub as a Flatpak; the Mac version requires XQuartz, MacPorts, and other dependencies. Volunteers maintain the GPL-licensed project, which is provided as-is without warranty or support. Listed help options include forums, IRC, tutorial sites, and a GitHub issue tracker.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- GtkRadiant is an open-source level editor and toolchain for games based on id Tech engines.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Purpose
- GtkRadiant is an open-source, cross-platform level editor and toolchain for games powered by id Tech engines.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Intended users
- The project describes its audience as commercial developers and individual modders making levels for supported id Tech games.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Platforms
- The project lists Windows, Mac, and Linux as supported platforms.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Support
- Support options listed by the project include forums, IRC, tutorial sites, and a GitHub issue tracker.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- License
- The source is protected by GNU GPL version 2 and is copyrighted by id Software and contributors.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Build system
- The source builds with SCons and supports separate radiant, q3map2 and q3data targets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Company facts
- LinkedIn lists id Software as a privately held Richardson, Texas computer-games company founded in 1991 with 51–200 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
- Cross-platform support
- The official site lists Windows, Mac and Linux support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Developer workflow
- Developers can submit pull requests, use the issue tracker and consult the wiki in the public GitHub repository.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Development
- The source is on GitHub, where developers can fork the project, make changes, and submit pull requests.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Development builds
- Development builds are described as experimental and potentially buggy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Documentation depth
- Official documentation combines dated QeRadiant manuals with newer Windows and Mac compile guides and Q3Map2 manuals.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Extensibility
- The project encourages teams to fork and modify the GitHub source for advanced needs that the main release does not cover.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Flathub trust status
- Flathub marks the package unverified, medium risk and support unknown; it is community-provided and not affiliated with or supported by Timothee Besset.Read 15 Oct 2026 · flathub.org
- Game assets
- GtkRadiant reads and writes game assets from the game's directory, and the project recommends installing the game before installing GtkRadiant.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Game support
- The GtkRadiant 1.6 page lists support for QuakeLive, Quake III Arena, Urban Terror, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Quake, Quake2: Remastered, Quake2, Quetoo, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, and Jedi Academy.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Game support limits
- GtkRadiant 1.6 game support depends on an active developer to test and fix issues, and some games may only be supported by older versions or third-party forks.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Gamepacks
- Gamepacks provide game SDK files, and multiple packs can be installed and selected through project settings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Graphics toolkit
- GtkRadiant is built with the GTK+ toolkit.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Level construction
- The repository describes an editor that includes map compilers and data-authoring tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: 2D editing
- A Splash Damage forum complaint describes edge-selection and 2D drawing glitches.Read 15 Oct 2026 · forums.splashdamage.com
- Limit: model rendering and crashes
- A GitHub issue reports ASE models missing from 3D view, q3map2 output mismatches, missing bspc.exe and camera-plugin crashes across releases.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: texture bugs
- Software Informer’s review reports texture bugs in windowed mode.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gtkradiant.informer.com
- Limit: vertex editing
- A JKHub mapper reported that the 1.6 vertex tool frequently damaged brushes and created invalid geometry.Read 15 Oct 2026 · jkhub.org
- Limit: Windows saved-map crashes
- A JKHub discussion reports GtkRadiant 1.4 crashing when opening saved maps on Windows 10 and notes a broken native save dialog on newer Windows versions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · jkhub.org
- Linux build limitation
- The README says Arch Linux is the only local Linux setup likely to work and leaves Ubuntu and Fedora users on their own.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Linux distribution
- The official installation guide distributes Linux GtkRadiant as a Flatpak and recommends the Flatpak SDK for development.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Mac dependencies
- The Mac build requires XQuartz, MacPorts and additional MacPorts packages such as gtkglext and SCons.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Maker and maintenance
- The project identifies id Software as the id Tech maker and says GtkRadiant is maintained by community volunteers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Map compilation
- Q3Map2 is bundled with GtkRadiant for map compilation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Mapping tools
- The source repository describes GtkRadiant as including map compilers and data authoring tools.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Mission scope
- The project prioritizes stability and a small set of well-supported games over major new systems.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Notable news
- Windows Central reported on July 17, 2026 that Xbox layoffs removed 136 id Software positions; studio head Hugo Martin said the remaining team was still roughly Doom 2016 size.Read 15 Oct 2026 · windowscentral.com
- Ownership
- Crunchbase identifies the legal name as IDS Inc. and says id Software was acquired by ZeniMax.Read 15 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
- Praise: game resources
- Software Informer’s editorial review praises the quantity of resources available for different games.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gtkradiant.informer.com
- Praise: usability and compilation
- Software Informer describes the editor as powerful while remaining simple for knowledgeable users and calls compilation stable and fast.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gtkradiant.informer.com
- Q3Map2
- Q3Map2 is included with GtkRadiant.Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Rating on Software Informer
- 5 out of 5 from 3 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · gtkradiant.informer.com
- Release status
- The downloads page offers GtkRadiant 1.6.7 for Windows, 1.6.6 for Mac and Flathub for Linux.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Security and trust
- The Flathub listing marks GtkRadiant as unverified and potentially unsafe.Read 7 Oct 2026 · flathub.org
- Support model
- Support is provided through community forums, IRC, tutorial sites, mailing lists and GitHub issues.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Supported games
- Current 1.6 documentation lists Quake, Quake II, Quake II Remastered, Quake III Arena, Quake Live, Quetoo, Urban Terror, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force and Jedi Academy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Warranty
- The official footer states that the software is provided as-is without warranty or support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Windows dependency
- Windows users may need Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, with both x86 and x64 packages required on 64-bit systems.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
- Windows installation
- Windows distribution is a compressed archive that is extracted and started with radiant.exe.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
Plans and prices
GtkRadiant Free GPL-licensed · provided as-is without warranty or support Read 7 Oct 2026 · icculus.org
GtkRadiant Free Desktop level editor · GPL software · community support · id Tech-focused Read 15 Oct 2026 · flathub.org
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Includes map compilers, authoring tools, and Q3Map2
- Tools cover 3D levels, terrain, and entity placement
- Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Source is available on GitHub for community contributions
Limits
- Provided as-is without warranty or support
- Game support can depend on active developer maintenance
- Mac version requires XQuartz, MacPorts, and other dependencies
- Flathub marks the listing unverified and potentially unsafe
Who it suits
It is aimed at commercial developers and individual modders making levels for supported id Tech games. The game-support caveats matter to anyone choosing a version for a particular title.
Verdict
GtkRadiant offers a free toolchain for level creation across several id Tech games. Check the listed game support and platform requirements before choosing an installation.
Where Specifiction places it
- Game Level Editors#3 of 288.6
