diff --git a/source/src/clientgame.cpp b/source/src/clientgame.cpp
index 9579aacd..b87aebd4 100644
--- a/source/src/clientgame.cpp
+++ b/source/src/clientgame.cpp
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ COMMAND(mode, ARG_1INT);
 
 bool intermission = false;
 bool autoteambalance = false;
+int arenaintermission = 0;
 
 playerent *player1 = newplayerent();          // our client
 vector<playerent *> players;                        // other clients
@@ -275,6 +276,35 @@ void moveotherplayers()
     }
 }
 
+void checkarenaintermission()
+{
+    static int lastcnt = -1;
+    static string s, t;
+    if(!m_arena || intermission) arenaintermission = 0;
+    if(!arenaintermission) return;
+    int cnt = (lastmillis - arenaintermission) / 200;
+    if(cnt != lastcnt)
+    {
+        switch(cnt)
+        {
+            case 0:
+                s_strcpy(s, "5");
+                hudonlyf(s);
+                break;
+            case 25:
+                hudeditf("fight!");
+                break;
+            default:
+                if(cnt % 5) strcpy(t, ".");
+                else s_sprintf(t)("%d", 5 - cnt / 5);
+                s_strcat(s, t);
+                hudeditf(s);
+                break;
+        }
+        lastcnt = cnt;
+    }
+}
+
 struct scriptsleep { int wait; char *cmd; };
 vector<scriptsleep> sleeps;
 
@@ -315,6 +345,7 @@ void updateworld(int curtime, int lastmillis)        // main game update loop
     movebounceents();
     moveotherplayers();
     gets2c();
+    checkarenaintermission();
 
     // Added by Rick: let bots think
     if(m_botmode) BotManager.Think();
@@ -429,13 +460,13 @@ bool tryrespawn()
         {
             player1->attacking = false;
             player1->lastteamchange = 0;
-            if(m_arena) { hudoutf2("waiting for new round to start..."); return false; }
+            if(m_arena) { /* hudonlyf("waiting for new round to start..."); */return false; }
             respawnself();
 		    player1->weaponswitch(player1->primweap);
             player1->lastaction -= weapon::weaponchangetime/2;
             return true;
         }
-        else hudoutf2("wait %3.1f seconds to respawn", (respawnmillis-lastmillis)/(float)1000);
+        else hudonlyf("wait %3.1f seconds to respawn", (respawnmillis-lastmillis)/(float)1000);
     }
     return false;
 }
diff --git a/source/src/clients2c.cpp b/source/src/clients2c.cpp
index 350f1405..33de92d9 100644
--- a/source/src/clients2c.cpp
+++ b/source/src/clients2c.cpp
@@ -324,6 +324,7 @@ void parsemessages(int cn, playerent *d, ucharbuf &p)
             player1->state = CS_ALIVE;
             findplayerstart(player1, false, arenaspawn);
             if(player1->skin!=player1->nextskin) setskin(player1, player1->nextskin);
+            arenaintermission = 0;
             if(m_arena)
             {
                 conoutf("new round starting... fight!");
@@ -585,11 +586,12 @@ void parsemessages(int cn, playerent *d, ucharbuf &p)
             int acn = getint(p);
             playerent *alive = acn<0 ? NULL : (acn==getclientnum() ? player1 : getclient(acn));
             conoutf("arena round is over! next round in 5 seconds...");
-            if(m_botmode && acn==-2) conoutf("the bots have won the round!");
-            else if(!alive) conoutf("everyone died!");
-            else if(m_teammode) conoutf("team %s has won the round!", alive->team);
-            else if(alive==player1) conoutf("you are the survivor!");
-            else conoutf("%s is the survivor!", colorname(alive));
+            if(m_botmode && acn==-2) hudoutf("the bots have won the round!");
+            else if(!alive) hudoutf("everyone died!");
+            else if(m_teammode) hudoutf("team %s has won the round!", alive->team);
+            else if(alive==player1) hudoutf("you are the survivor!");
+            else hudoutf("%s is the survivor!", colorname(alive));
+            arenaintermission = lastmillis;
             break;
         }
 
diff --git a/source/src/cube.h b/source/src/cube.h
index b0f21110..81a53acc 100644
--- a/source/src/cube.h
+++ b/source/src/cube.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ extern int farplane;
 extern bool minimap, reflecting, refracting;
 extern int stenciling, stencilshadow;
 extern bool intermission;
+extern int arenaintermission;
 extern int maxclients;
 extern hashtable<char *, enet_uint32> mapinfo;
 extern int hwtexsize;
diff --git a/source/src/protos.h b/source/src/protos.h
index a7e6e74a..ad5f1149 100644
--- a/source/src/protos.h
+++ b/source/src/protos.h
@@ -459,7 +459,8 @@ extern void pruneundos(int maxremain = 0);
 extern void gl_drawhud(int w, int h, int curfps, int nquads, int curvert, bool underwater);
 extern void loadingscreen(const char *fmt = NULL, ...);
 extern void hudoutf(const char *s, ...);
-extern void hudoutf2(const char *s, ...);
+extern void hudonlyf(const char *s, ...);
+extern void hudeditf(const char *s, ...);
 extern void show_out_of_renderloop_progress(float bar1, const char *text1, float bar2 = 0, const char *text2 = NULL);
 extern void updatedmgindicator(vec &attack);
 
diff --git a/source/src/renderhud.cpp b/source/src/renderhud.cpp
index 9ba54ac8..3588c5e6 100644
--- a/source/src/renderhud.cpp
+++ b/source/src/renderhud.cpp
@@ -262,12 +262,18 @@ void drawradarent(float x, float y, float yaw, int col, int row, float iconsize,
 struct hudmessages : consolebuffer
 {
     void addline(const char *sf) { consolebuffer::addline(sf, false, lastmillis); }
+    void editlastline(const char *sf)
+    {
+        if(!conlines.length()) return;
+        conlines[0].millis = lastmillis;
+        s_strcpy(conlines[0].cref, sf);
+    }
     void render()
     {
         if(!conlines.length()) return;
         glLoadIdentity();
 		glOrtho(0, VIRTW*0.8f, VIRTH*0.8f, 0, -1, 1);
-        int dispmillis = 3000;
+        int dispmillis = arenaintermission ? 6000 : 3000;
         loopi(min(conlines.length(), 3)) if(lastmillis-conlines[i].millis<dispmillis)
         {
             cline &c = conlines[i];
@@ -289,7 +295,7 @@ void hudoutf(const char *s, ...)
     conoutf(s);
 }
 
-void hudoutf2(const char *s, ...)
+void hudonlyf(const char *s, ...)
 {
     s_sprintfdv(sf, s);
     string sp;
@@ -298,6 +304,15 @@ void hudoutf2(const char *s, ...)
     hudmsgs.addline(s);
 }
 
+void hudeditf(const char *s, ...)
+{
+    s_sprintfdv(sf, s);
+    string sp;
+    filtertext(sp, sf);
+    s = sf;
+    hudmsgs.editlastline(s);
+}
+
 bool insideradar(const vec &centerpos, float radius, const vec &o)
 {
     if(showmap) return !o.reject(centerpos, radius);