How to play a custom map

Found a map you want to play but unsure what to do next? The following should help you get started. If you are still stuck after reading this, post some details on the forum.

TL;DR version: Place the PK3 from a zip file in the baseq3 directory. Use the Skirmish menu.

The detailed version

• Find your map and download it. Pretty straight forward. There are download links to choose from on the Download page.
• All maps have a Game Type, which can be found in the Overview section. Take note of it. This will give you some information about what type of game mode the map has been designed for.
• Some maps require an add-on or mod to play. The common ones are, Challenge Pro Mode Arena (CPMA), Rocket Arena 3 (RA3) and Team Arena (an official add-on for Quake 3 Arena).
• If the map is labeled "CTF", it is a good idea to grab a copy of the original ThreeWave CTF pack as many mappers use this release as a texture base. Without the ThreeWave Pack, there is a chance you will have missing textures.
• Inside the downloaded zip file you should find at least one PK3 file and very possibly more files.
• Place all the files into your baseq3 folder. You will need to find this folder by yourself - it could be anywhere.
• Start Q3A and select (in most cases) Single Player then Skirmish.
• Select the Game type that matches the one for the map you have downloaded.
• Browse the maps until you find the map you downloaded.
• Play the map.

Common issues

Some maps do not appear in the menu system browser. There are a number of reasons why this happens:

• You did not put the PK3 into the baseq3 folder.
• You did not select the correct Game type from the Q3 menu.
• The map requires a mod for it to work correctly.
• The author of the map did not include an .arena file. This is a common issue with the oldest maps on ..::LvL because the menu system support for custom maps was added after Q3A was originally released. You can start the map from the console. Check the readme file that came with the map.