Xonotic
Xonotic is a free, open-source arena FPS built on the DarkPlaces engine (a heavily modified Quake engine). It is the spiritual successor to Nexuiz and has been in active development since 2010. The game is free to download and play.
What It Is
Xonotic is a movement-heavy arena shooter with a full weapon loadout available from spawn (Blaster + Shotgun) and pickups for everything else. Matches are fast-paced and reward map control, movement tech, and weapon comboing.
The Blaster is a unique fixture of the kit: it deals low damage but has no ammo cost and is primarily used as a movement tool throughout the game, not just a fallback weapon.
Game Modes
Standard vanilla modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch, CTF, domination, key hunt, freeze tag, assault, and more. The server browser organizes vanilla servers under the “Normal” category. InstaGib, Overkill, and vehicle CTF are popular mutator modes with separate communities.
Physics
High air control relative to other AFPS games. Ground friction is heavy; bunny hopping is the primary way to maintain speed. Strafe turning is the key skill for navigating at speed without losing momentum.
Community
Considered one of the more welcoming AFPS communities. Active players generally help newcomers if asked. Pickup sounds and map callouts are part of the competitive meta, especially in duel.
XDF and the Defrag Scene
XDF (Xonotic Defrag) is a race/trick movement mode with distinct CPMA-like physics, effectively a separate game running on the Xonotic engine. The Xonotic development team does not actively support XDF.
The defrag community organizes its own competitive events independently. The primary hub is xdf.gg. The XDWC (Xonotic Defrag World Cup) and XSC (Xonotic Strafe Competition) are the main organized events, tracked at https://xdwc.xdf.gg. XSC 2026 ran 5 rounds with 344 participants.
XDF movement tech (CPMA-like strafe jumping, circle jumping) is meaningfully different from vanilla Xonotic physics. Knowledge does not transfer cleanly between the two.
Resources
- Official site and beginner guide: https://xonotic.org/guide/ (Halogene’s Newbie Corner, comprehensive, actively maintained)
- Stats: https://stats.xonotic.org
- XDF competitive scene: https://xdwc.xdf.gg
- XDF hub: https://xdf.gg