diff --git a/source/blood/src/blood.cpp b/source/blood/src/blood.cpp
index 26f8cbfa6..b3bbc453d 100644
--- a/source/blood/src/blood.cpp
+++ b/source/blood/src/blood.cpp
@@ -720,10 +720,10 @@ void GameInterface::app_init()
     loaddefinitionsfile(BLOODWIDESCREENDEF);
 
     const char* defsfile = G_DefFile();
-    uint32_t stime = timerGetTicks();
+    uint32_t stime = I_msTime();
     if (!loaddefinitionsfile(defsfile))
     {
-        uint32_t etime = timerGetTicks();
+        uint32_t etime = I_msTime();
         Printf(PRINT_NONOTIFY, "Definitions file \"%s\" loaded in %d ms.\n", defsfile, etime - stime);
     }
     powerupInit();
diff --git a/source/build/include/common.h b/source/build/include/common.h
index 53beadf2a..4528d05a3 100644
--- a/source/build/include/common.h
+++ b/source/build/include/common.h
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ int32_t getatoken(scriptfile *sf, const tokenlist *tl, int32_t ntokens);
 void COMMON_clearbackground(int32_t numcols, int32_t numrows);
 
 // timer defs for profiling function chunks the simple way
-#define EDUKE32_TMRDEF int32_t t[20], ti=0; const char *tmrstr=__func__; fprintf(stderr,"%s\n",tmrstr); t[ti++]=timerGetTicks();
-#define EDUKE32_TMRTIC t[ti++]=timerGetTicks()
+#define EDUKE32_TMRDEF int32_t t[20], ti=0; const char *tmrstr=__func__; fprintf(stderr,"%s\n",tmrstr); t[ti++]=I_msTime();
+#define EDUKE32_TMRTIC t[ti++]=I_msTime()
 #define EDUKE32_TMRPRN do { int ii=0; fprintf(stderr,"%s: ",tmrstr); for (ii=1; ii<ti; ii++) fprintf(stderr,"%d ", t[ii]-t[ii-1]); fprintf(stderr,"\n"); } while (0)
 
 #endif
diff --git a/source/build/include/timer.h b/source/build/include/timer.h
index e0e0dbff8..b2ea3f0c3 100644
--- a/source/build/include/timer.h
+++ b/source/build/include/timer.h
@@ -8,6 +8,4 @@
 // for compatibility
 #define timerUninit()
 
-uint32_t timerGetTicks(void);
-
 #endif // timer_h__
diff --git a/source/build/src/animvpx.cpp b/source/build/src/animvpx.cpp
index 0fcb12894..7d675a448 100644
--- a/source/build/src/animvpx.cpp
+++ b/source/build/src/animvpx.cpp
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ int32_t animvpx_nextpic(animvpx_codec_ctx *codec, uint8_t **picptr)
     if (codec->initstate <= 0)  // not inited or error
         return 1;
 
-    t[0] = timerGetTicks();
+    t[0] = I_msTime();
 
     if (codec->decstate == 0)  // first time / begin
     {
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ read_ivf_frame:
         return 5;
     }
 
-    t[1] = timerGetTicks();
+    t[1] = I_msTime();
 
     uint8_t *const dstpic = codec->pic;
 
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ read_ivf_frame:
             dstpic[((wy1 + x + 1) << 2) + 2] = v;
         }
     }
-    t[2] = timerGetTicks();
+    t[2] = I_msTime();
 
     codec->sumtimes[0] += t[1]-t[0];
     codec->sumtimes[1] += t[2]-t[1];
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ void animvpx_restore_glstate(void)
 
 int32_t animvpx_render_frame(animvpx_codec_ctx *codec, double animvpx_aspect)
 {
-    int32_t t = timerGetTicks();
+    int32_t t = I_msTime();
 
     if (codec->initstate <= 0)  // not inited or error
         return 1;
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ int32_t animvpx_render_frame(animvpx_codec_ctx *codec, double animvpx_aspect)
     DrawTexture(twod, vpxtex[which], screen->GetWidth() / 2 - int(x), screen->GetHeight()/2 - int(y), DTA_DestWidth, 2*int(x), DTA_DestHeight, 2*int(y), 
         DTA_Masked, false, DTA_KeepRatio, true, DTA_LegacyRenderStyle, STYLE_Normal, TAG_DONE);
 
-    t = timerGetTicks()-t;
+    t = I_msTime()-t;
     codec->sumtimes[2] += t;
     codec->maxtimes[2] = max(codec->maxtimes[2], t);
     codec->numframes++;
diff --git a/source/build/src/engine.cpp b/source/build/src/engine.cpp
index 098ce0ecd..42ce85175 100644
--- a/source/build/src/engine.cpp
+++ b/source/build/src/engine.cpp
@@ -2726,7 +2726,7 @@ void videoNextPage(void)
 	videoShowFrame(0);
 
     omdtims = mdtims;
-    mdtims = timerGetTicks();
+    mdtims = I_msTime();
 
     for (native_t i = 0; i < MAXSPRITES + MAXUNIQHUDID; ++i)
         if ((mdpause && spriteext[i].mdanimtims) || (spriteext[i].flags & SPREXT_NOMDANIM))
diff --git a/source/build/src/timer.cpp b/source/build/src/timer.cpp
index 2bc5a91bf..d1033e99f 100644
--- a/source/build/src/timer.cpp
+++ b/source/build/src/timer.cpp
@@ -14,5 +14,3 @@ EDUKE32_STATIC_ASSERT((steady_clock::period::den/steady_clock::period::num) >= 1
 
 static time_point<steady_clock> timerlastsample;
 static int timerticspersec;
-
-uint32_t timerGetTicks(void)    { return duration_cast<milliseconds>(steady_clock::now().time_since_epoch()).count(); }
diff --git a/source/exhumed/src/exhumed.cpp b/source/exhumed/src/exhumed.cpp
index 7d884a302..8402c6318 100644
--- a/source/exhumed/src/exhumed.cpp
+++ b/source/exhumed/src/exhumed.cpp
@@ -624,10 +624,10 @@ void GameInterface::app_init()
     InstallEngine();
 
     const char* defsfile = G_DefFile();
-    uint32_t stime = timerGetTicks();
+    uint32_t stime = I_msTime();
     if (!loaddefinitionsfile(defsfile))
     {
-        uint32_t etime = timerGetTicks();
+        uint32_t etime = I_msTime();
         Printf("Definitions file \"%s\" loaded in %d ms.\n", defsfile, etime - stime);
     }