The following is a list of notable machinima-related events in the year 1996. These include the release of id Software's first-person shooter computer game Quake. This game was used to create the first machinima works later that year.
Events
May 31 – id Software released Quake.
Notable machinima releases
October 26 – United Ranger Films released the first known machinima production, Diary of a Camper. October 31 – United Ranger Films released Ranger Gone Bad. November 6 – United Ranger Films released Torn Apart, a short horror film that used custom "RangerCam" technology. December 2 – United Ranger Films released Ranger Gone Bad 2: Assault on Gloom Keep. December 13 – United Ranger Films released Torn Apart 2: Ranger Down!, the first machinima work to feature voices.