RealCTF is a capture-the-flag modification for Unreal. Capture the Flag. Players compete to capture the other team's flag and return it to their base. Competitive teams must use a great deal of teamplay. Teams must both defend the base from incoming attackers and get into the other team's base, take their flag and return to base unharmed. This requires that the team protect their flag carrier very well from enemies in order to complete their objective.

RealCTF includes three game types: RealDeathMatch, RealTeamGame, and RealCTF. RealDeathMatch and RealTeamGame are similar to regular Unreal Deathmatch and TeamGame types, but with the gameplay improvements of RealCTF including faster weapon switching, artifact powerups (including Haste, Regen, RealDamage, and more), a tractor beam style grapple, and new levels, sounds, models, weapons, and more. This is one of the most eagerly awaited mods for Unreal.

The rules are simple: steal the enemy team's flag and bring it back to your home base. In order to score a capture, your own flag must be in its base. A successful team will therefore concentrate both on attacking the enemy base and defending the home base. To recover your flag from the enemy, you must kill the enemy flag carrier and then touch your flag, which will drop near his carcass. A player carrying the enemy flag gets a shiny skin of his/her team color, and glows with the color of the flag.

For example, if a blue team member steals the red flag, the player will have a shiny blue skin and a red glow. The flag is not visible while carried in this version of RealCTF. The flag base also glows with the color of its flag, so that you can tell where the base is when the flag is missing. A flag which is dropped will be automatically returned to its base after 40 seconds if nobody touches it. If the flag carrier quits the game or is disconnected, the enemy flag is returned to base immediately.