- About ZQuest Classic
- Downloads and Version Information
- How to Load a Custom Quest
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Credits
ZQuest Classic (ZC) is a game engine which allows you to create your own adventure games that are similar to 2D entries in the Legend of Zelda series, from the NES Legend of Zelda all the way up to the Game Boy Zelda titles. It has also been used to create games which are very different from Zelda, including platformers, simple arcade games, Metroid-like games, Castlevania-like games, and more. It includes a map editor with a system of combos that allow you to do many powerful things with only the use of a GUI. It also includes a powerful scripting language which allows you to extend the engine's core feature set.
The ZQuest Editor (zeditor.exe) allows you to create .qst files, "custom quests", which are then played in the ZQuest Player (zplayer.exe).
You may find more information about ZQuest Classic on the official ZQuest Classic website.
ZQuest Classic is a fork of a project by Armageddon Games, Zelda Classic.
DOWNLOADS AND VERSION INFORMATION# ↑
"This is where the magic begins". You can always find the latest release, and previous releases of ZQuest Classic, in the release section of the ZQuest Classic site.
CURRENT RELEASE
2.55.14
The current version of ZQuest Classic. It contains many new features and fixes compared to 2.53, which are documented extensively on the website. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux (there is a flatpak available for Linux). There is also an experimental web version requiring no downloads available from the link below.
Download: Windows, macOS, Linux
Release date: May 01, 2026
PRE-RELEASE VERSIONS
3.0
There may be new features, but there also may be bugs, features may be incomplete, and everything here is subject to change. Use caution if you use this version. If you make quests in this version, backing them up frequently is highly recommended. Join the ZC Development Discord for updates on these releases.
Download: Windows, macOS, Linux
Release date: nightly
Older releases - ZQuest Classic
Older versions of ZQuest Classic can be found on the releases page.
Older releases - Zelda Classic
These releases are deprecated, potentially buggy, and there's no guarantees that they will even work on modern versions of Windows. Unless you have a historical interest in these versions or are extremely curious, you probably won't need these. See the FAQ for notes on backwards compatibility. This list only includes builds of Zelda Classic that were released publicly; for a full changelog including information on many private betas, check the Development History section of ZC.com. Also see the Download Archive section of ZC.com for links to these versions and many more minor versions.
- 2.53 -- released April 17, 2019.
- 2.50.2 -- released October 22, 2015. This link contains the Windows, macOS, and Linux versions.
- 2.10 -- released January 5, 2005. This was the last release with a working DOS build.
- 1.92 beta 184 -- released April 22, 2003. Zelda Classic only, no ZQuest; meant to be paired with the previous build, 183.
- 1.92 beta 183 -- released January 23, 2003. This was the most frequently-used release for many years, even well after the release of 2.10. (DOS build)
- 1.90 -- released April 3, 2001. First release headed by a developer other than Phantom Menace. This is a DOS executable, so you'll need a DOS emulator like DOSBox to run it.
- 1.84 -- released July 21, 2000. Like 1.90, the only build that exists is for DOS; it won't run on Windows without emulation.
- 1.00 -- released December 29, 1999. The linked build is for DOS; a Windows build was released much later for historical curiosity.
There is now a guide on how to play a quest in the ZQuest Classic documentation. The process has been significantly streamlined compared to prior versions of ZC (pre-2.55).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS # ↑
- Who made ZQuest Classic?
- I want to learn ZScript. Where's the best place to start?
- How do you make ZC or ZQ open in a window?
- I've discovered a bug in the program! Can you guys help in any way?
- I really want to play a custom quest, but it's for 1.92. I should be able to play it in 2.55 because it's a newer version, right?
- Why aren't cheat hotkeys working?
- I'm using the same password for my custom quest that I use on the forums. That's fine, right?
- The program is going so fast that I can't do anything! What do I do!?
- It says 'Paused' in the lower-left, and everything is frozen. How do I unpause?
- Help! On Windows 10, none of my progress or settings are getting saved! What gives!?
- How do I install multiple versions of ZC on my computer?
- What are quest keys and how do I use them?
ZQuest Classic is currently developed and maintained by a number of contributors, who you can find at the ZQuest Classic GitHub. The current main developers are connorclark, Emily, Deedee, and Moosh.
ZQuest Classic was originally forked from Zelda Classic, which was created by the people over at Armageddon Games (AGN). Specifically, the project was started by Phantom Menace and War Lord. Its lead developers have been Phantom Menace, Dark Nation, DarkDragon, Gleeok, and ZoriaRPG. Many, many other people have contributed to Zelda Classic over the years -- you can find a complete list over at ZC.com.
How do you make ZC or ZQ open in a window? # ↑
You can use the bundled ZC Launcher to open a windowed version of the program. Just set the Screen Mode to Window. You'll also probably benefit from setting the Screen Resolution to 640x480 or higher.
I want to learn ZScript. Where's the best place to start? # ↑
There are a series of tutorials by Saffith (basic, intermediate, advanced) -- they are fairly out-of-date, having been written over 10 years ago for a much older version of ZQuest Classic, but the general concepts are still useful. You will probably want to supplement this tutorial with more modern documentation, such as the Official Documentation @ ZQuestClassic.com.
If you know other programming languages, most of the concepts should carry over. This is particularly true if you know C, since ZScript is syntactically very similar to C.
Beyond that, the best way to learn ZScript is experience through practice. You may ask questions in the #zc-scripting channel on the Discord or in Scripting Discussion here on the forums.
I've discovered a bug in the program! Can you guys help in any way? # ↑
Yes, actually. Your best bet is to post a thread on the Official ZC Development Discord server. You may also post feature requests there. In either case, be sure to specify the version you're using, and make sure you're using an actively supported version -- you should only be reporting bugs in 2.55 or 3.0.
You're also free to go on and post about it in ZC Bug Reports. There's also an equivalent ZC Feature Requests forum.
I really want to play a custom quest, but it's for 1.92. I should be able to play it in 2.55 because it's a newer version, right? # ↑
These days, the answer is almost always yes. Although there may be some odd cases here and there, in general compatibility with older quests is better in 2.55 than it ever has been. If you do run into a problem, that's a bug -- you can post about it on the Official ZC Development Discord.
Why aren't cheat hotkeys working? # ↑
2.53 introduced the concept of cheat modifier keys. By default, walk through walls is now LCTRL+LSHIFT+F11 instead of just F11, LSHIFT+LCTRL+* to replenish health instead of just *, etc.
If you want to change this, open the menu and go to Settings -> Controls -> Cheat Modifier Keys.... If you'd rather not use this feature at all, just hit the Clear button on each key. Now you can use cheats by simply hitting the corresponding keys.
I'm using the same password for my custom quest that I use on the forums. That's fine, right? # ↑
No. ZC's password algorithm is not secure, particularly in older versions, and now that the program is open source the algorithms for password decryption are public, anyway. People have historically had accounts hacked by using the same password for their quest that they use for the forums. If your forums password is the same as one of your quests, change your forums password now. Besides, you generally shouldn't be re-using passwords if you can help it, anyway. For forum accounts, you may want to use a password manager like KeePass.
The program is going so fast that I can't do anything! What do I do!? # ↑
Press F1 or go into the menu and toggle Settings -> Cap FPS.
It says 'Paused' in the lower-left, and everything is frozen. How do I unpause? # ↑
F3 and F4 both pause the game; F3 will unpause the game, while F4 will advance a single frame when pressed.
Help! On Windows 10, none of my progress or settings are getting saved! What gives!? # ↑
Make sure ZC is in a folder writable by non-Administrator accounts. This means that you shouldn't be using Program Files to house ZC. Something like C:\ZC\ might do. If all else fails, move it to somewhere in your Users folder, i.e. C:\Users\CoolDude\ZC\. Alternatively, you can try running ZC as administrator -- right-click it and select Run as administrator.
How do I install multiple versions of ZQuest Classic on my computer? # ↑
Simply keep each version in a separate folder. As long as no two versions exist in the same directory, they should remain separate and both completely usable.
What are quest keys and how do I use them? # ↑
Quest keys are small text files that allow you to open a quest without a password in the ZQuest Editor or activate all cheats of a quest by default in ZC (regardless of whether a cheat code has been entered). To generate this file when saving, go to Quest -> Header and check "Save Key File." Don't give away your key file if you wouldn't give away your quest's password - it contains your quest's password in plaintext.
CREDITS # ↑
This document is essentially a compendium of the efforts of many, many other people over the years. It was based off of an older thread by Mitchfork, who wrote and compiled a fair amount of what you see here. Portions of the writing you see here were also written by HappyPuppet and ShadowTiger. It's very probable that there's information here that was provided by people who are right now uncredited -- apologies if I forgot about anybody.
Edited by Rambly, 04 May 2026 - 06:36 PM.
