Good news for fans of fast-paced, arena-style shooters: Unreal Tournament 2004 is back, thanks to a collaboration between dedicated modders and Epic Games.
The OldUnreal community announced on February 13, 2026, that they have received official permission from Epic Games to revive and modernize the classic first-person shooter. Which means a title that has been unavailable in digital stores for years is now freely downloadable and playable.
A Modern Installer for a Classic Game
The OldUnreal team didn’t simply re-upload an traditional installer. They’ve created a specialized installer that downloads the original game and automatically applies the necessary patches for modern systems. The classic FPS now runs smoothly on Windows Vista and later, as well as on Linux systems – even on a Raspberry Pi – and newer Mac operating systems. The team also addressed several bugs, improved the menu and controls and ensured the multiplayer experience is stable.
A Labor of Love
The project is driven entirely by passion.
“We’re doing this for free because we’re fans and we love the challenge,” the team stated in their announcement, adding that maintaining the servers and licenses still incurs costs. Despite this, they aren’t requesting any payment, simply hoping to breathe recent life into the arenas.
Where to Play
The team successfully met their goals, and the game is now available for download. Anyone looking to revisit a nostalgic favorite, or experience the game for the first time, now has the opportunity. The link can be found in this X post.
Unreal Tournament 2004 is now available for free.
…well, I mean, you probably could’ve grabbed a GOG offline installer out the back of a truck earlier, but NOW it’s Official/Legal and has the in-development community patch built in for ongoing support. https://t.co/CmHiqslJuT pic.twitter.com/NHH2jB2iPp
