Unreal Tournament 99 GOTY
Hacker ApprovedRanked 6 of 24 first-person shooters by recommenders
People recommend it for fast, skill-based multiplayer, capture the flag and easy modding; the common caveat is that Quake movement feels better and Epic let the series lapse.
People recommend it for fast, skill-based multiplayer, capture the flag and easy modding; the common caveat is that Quake movement feels better and Epic let the series lapse.
38 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 33
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 87%
Recommended in 10 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 33 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 6.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 10 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Competitive multiplayer and capture the flag
“Unreal was great single player and fun for multiplayer but there's no comparison in terms of the way the game played competitively”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “John Carmack on the mistakes around Quake that ruined id software” “no company, including Epic, has made a competitive FPS + CTF game as solid as UT, UT2003, or UT2004 since that era”
Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “Epic Games to cut more than 1k jobs as Fortnite usage falls” “Personally I think Unreal Tournament perfected the genre when it comes to multiplayer.”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “John Carmack on the mistakes around Quake that ruined id software” - Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “John Carmack on the mistakes around Quake that ruined id software”
- Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back”
Nostalgia and fond memories
“The Unreal Tournament was the coolest thing I've ever seen.”
Comment from 19 Apr 2026 in “The seven programming ur-languages” “So many sounds that will forever live in my head.”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back” “UT99 was the first real FPS experience I had”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back” - Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back”
- Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back”
Easy to mod
“The entire extensibility story in Unreal series has been amazing from the get go.”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back” “UT was by far the easier game to mod”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “John Carmack on the mistakes around Quake that ruined id software” Creative game modes
“Very new fresh ideas like capture the flag back then was really cool.”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “John Carmack on the mistakes around Quake that ruined id software” “UT had more creativity in game modes”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “John Carmack on the mistakes around Quake that ruined id software”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Epic let the series die
“which also disabled the server browser after 22 years of running intact”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Epic Games to cut more than 1k jobs as Fortnite usage falls” “has sadly died a death, partially due to Epic Games negligence”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Unreal Tournament 2004 is back” “They will kill you like they did unreal tournament.”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Epic Games announces Lore version control system”
Other first-person shooters people recommend
The four most recommended other first-person shooters, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quake | 118 | 29 | 80% | 12 | 28 yrs8 owners | Approved |
| Doom by id Software | 102 | 24 | 81% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Unreal Tournament 2004 | 51 | 12 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Quake III Arena | 49 | 3 | 94% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Unreal Tournament 99 GOTYThis page | 33 | 5 | 87% | 10 | — | Approved |
What people said
34 of the 39 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Unreal Tournament with the Strangelove mod and no extras (e.g., just the puny Yellow Jacket gun) was some quality flying.”
“I'd add Unreal Tournament to the list of "Games worth trying"”
“That was fun until the lab monitor got spooked”
“quake 3, unreal tournament 99 and Deus ex alone justified the voodoo card purchase”
“Single player maybe, but that's nothing compared to the likes of UT or Quake.”
“Unreal Tournament and Quake looked freakin' amazing!”
“I was grateful for Unreal Tournament and Q3A”
“had very lasting user base long after their release”
“It rewards predicting the enemy a lot and a lot of mechanical skill”
“There is no denying that movement and gameplay is much more enjoyable in Quake compared to UT.”
“UT was by far the easier game to mod”
“UT had more creativity in game modes”
“Personally I think Unreal Tournament perfected the genre when it comes to multiplayer.”
“Unreal was great single player and fun for multiplayer but there's no comparison in terms of the way the game played competitively”
“Very new fresh ideas like capture the flag back then was really cool.”
“They will kill you like they did unreal tournament.”
“I am not a fan of racing nor CS (prefer UT)”
“Epic Games handled discontinuation of Unreal series well and responsibly”
“The Unreal Tournament was the coolest thing I've ever seen.”
“which also disabled the server browser after 22 years of running intact”
“no company, including Epic, has made a competitive FPS + CTF game as solid as UT, UT2003, or UT2004 since that era”
“UT99 was a peak in gaming”
“So many sounds that will forever live in my head.”
“they were genuinely all great”
“The entire extensibility story in Unreal series has been amazing from the get go.”
“Pure, unadulterated adrenaline”
“UT99 was the first real FPS experience I had”
“UT99 will always be my favorite shooter”
“So many great memories playing CTF at lan parties.”
“has sadly died a death, partially due to Epic Games negligence”
“I'm still playing ut99 GOTY with my son”
“I loved playing 1v1 on Quake 2/3 and UT, also team deathmatch”
“But I could see a lot rendering wrong and a lot of stutters.”
“the game was phenomenal and a great fit for its time”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.