Quake Champions Ends Free-to-Play and Becomes a $10 Steam Game

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Store links: Quake Champions on Steam

Quake Champions is now a paid Steam game

Quake Champions ends free to play with update 1.31, shifting Bethesda and id Software’s arena shooter from a free-to-play service into a paid Steam-only release. In its September 23, 2026 FAQ, id Software says it is “transitioning Quake Champions from a free-to-play model game to a paid title on Steam only,” while also confirming that Quake Champions on the Microsoft Store has been retired.

For new players, the Quake Champions paid version is now listed at $9.99, according to reporting from Shacknews, DualShockers, VGTimes, and TweakTown, all of which point to the current Steam release. Existing players are treated differently. Bethesda’s FAQ says anyone who played Quake Champions before the September 2026 update is eligible to keep playing the paid app version at no additional cost, provided they access it through Steam.

That creates the tension at the center of this change. The game is cleaner to buy and simpler to understand than it was as a live-service free-to-play shooter, but it also loses the zero-cost entry point that helped players sample a demanding, speed-heavy arena FPS. For a Quake Champions arena shooter audience that already cares about player pools, matchmaking health, and long-term support, the new $10 wall is a major change even if the package behind it is now less cluttered.

Existing players keep access, but Microsoft Store users must move

Bethesda’s official FAQ lays out the cleanest path for Steam players. If Quake Champions was played on Steam before September 23, 2026, it remains available from that Steam library without an extra purchase. Bethesda says those players have already been automatically upgraded to the paid version for free.

Microsoft Store players have a more time-sensitive route. The Microsoft Store version has been retired, so access now runs through Steam. Bethesda says players who used the Microsoft Store version before September 23 and already had the same Bethesda.net account linked to Steam should automatically receive access to Quake Champions on Steam, with up to 48 hours required for the grant to appear.

For Microsoft Store players who did not already have Steam linked, Bethesda says they need to create or use a Steam account, sign into the Bethesda.net account used to play Quake Champions, and link the accounts through Bethesda’s linked accounts page. Bethesda states that this automated account-linking service is available from September 23 through October 7, 2026. After that window, or if the entitlement does not arrive within 48 hours, Bethesda Customer Support may review access requests case by case.

Bethesda also says players keep their ranking when using the same Bethesda.net account as before. Shacknews reports that Bethesda representatives said stats, progression, and other play records should remain intact as well. That is the practical win for veterans: the migration may be annoying if you were on Microsoft’s storefront, but the official plan is built around preserving the account that matters.

The $10 version removes the old free-to-play economy

The Quake Champions update is a full rollback of the monetization layer that defined the game’s free-to-play years. Bethesda’s FAQ and the 1.31 release notes, as reproduced by Shacknews and VGTimes, say microtransactions and in-app purchasing have been removed. The Battle Pass, Weekly and Event Challenges, the Store, Platinum and Shard currencies, loot boxes, daily login rewards, and Champion Progression reward path are gone.

In exchange, Bethesda says anyone with Quake Champions in their Steam library can select Champions, weapon skins, and other customization content from the updated customization setup. Shacknews reports that all Champions are unlocked and that all locked content is unlocked for existing players, while Bethesda’s notes describe “most vanity content” as available to all users.

There are exceptions. Bethesda’s release notes, via Shacknews, say third-party entitlements such as AMD Ruby Nyx, the Twitch Rocket Launcher, and the Nvidia Pulsar Railgun remain hidden from the customization list unless already owned. Merit-based rewards such as QuakeCon Belts and Golden Crowns also remain restricted, with Golden Crowns still earnable as ranked rewards for reaching Elite Rank.

Players who recently spent money on the removed currency are covered by a refund window. Bethesda’s FAQ says it is granting full refunds to all players who purchased Platinum virtual currency within the last 60 days. Shacknews adds that Japan is treated differently under local law, stretching that window to six months. That distinction matters because the paid conversion does not simply stop future purchases. It also unwinds a piece of the recent economy for players who bought into it shortly before the change.

For competitive players, the unlocks matter as much as the price

The obvious headline is Quake Champions $10, but the sharper competitive change is loadout and roster access. Quake Champions is built around arena fundamentals: speed, timing, weapons, item control, positioning, and matchups. DualShockers describes the game as a fast-paced arena shooter built around Quake’s rocket jumping, speed, and competition, with 16 champions and a large map pool. In that context, removing locked Champions from the economy changes the new-player ramp.

Under the paid model, a newcomer buys once and gets the roster rather than sorting through free rotation logic, currency, or store friction. For a shooter where champion abilities influence how a player approaches fights, that is cleaner. It also means returning players can test matchups, practice weapons, and customize without a service layer pushing them toward challenges or currency loops.

There is a tradeoff. Free-to-play removes the first barrier to queueing up. A $9.99 price is low, but it is still a filter, especially for a high-skill arena shooter competing against free tactical shooters, hero shooters, and battle royales. Bethesda’s update makes Quake Champions a better defined product for players who already know they want Quake. It may be a harder sell to the curious player who would have downloaded it on impulse, bounced off the movement, then maybe returned after watching a strong duel or team mode clip.

For arena shooter fans, that is the real stakes of the Quake Champions paid version. The update strips away distractions that never fit cleanly with Quake’s skill-first identity, but the health of any multiplayer arena depends on available opponents. A cleaner game with fewer newcomers can still face pressure if matchmaking thins out.

The update also adds tools, but the future content picture is limited

Update 1.31 is not only a store conversion. VGTimes reports that the patch adds a callvote system that lets players kick cheaters or abusive players and raises the profile level cap to 999. DualShockers reports that the patch notes also add three new weapons and quality-of-life updates. Those are meaningful additions for players who still queue regularly, especially the callvote option in a competitive FPS where disruptive players can poison a match quickly.

The larger support picture is less aggressive. DualShockers reports that no additional content updates are planned and that the paid version contains existing Quake Champions content, described as 30 seasons’ worth. ValoSettings similarly frames the change as Bethesda ending seasonal updates while unlocking all Champions and almost every cosmetic item. Bethesda’s provided FAQ excerpt confirms the transition to a paid Steam application and points players to the complete Steam release notes, but it does not include a broader franchise roadmap.

Shacknews says it asked Bethesda whether the change says anything about the future of Quake Champions or the Quake franchise, and Bethesda did not comment beyond the update. That silence should be treated as silence, not as a hint. What is confirmed is the product change: paid ownership on Steam, Microsoft Store retirement, removed monetization systems, content unlocks, refunds, and account migration. Anything beyond that, including whether this is maintenance mode, a preservation move, or a setup for something else, remains unannounced in the provided source material.

A live-service rollback built for preservation, with a population risk

This is an unusual move because most multiplayer service games either stay free-to-play, relaunch into a bigger sequel, or disappear when the business case fades. Quake Champions is doing something stranger: it is shedding much of the live-service framework and becoming a low-priced paid arena shooter.

That helps solve one long-running genre mismatch. Arena shooters reward mastery, repetition, and mechanical honesty. Battle passes, daily logins, loot boxes, and rotating store pressure can sit awkwardly on top of a game whose core appeal is shaving milliseconds off routes, reading spawns, and winning fights through aim and timing. Removing those systems makes Quake Champions easier to explain to the exact player most likely to care: pay once, get the Champions, get most cosmetics, play the arena FPS.

The risk is reach. The Microsoft Store retirement narrows availability to Steam, and the new price removes free sampling for new players. A $9.99 tag is reasonable compared with most paid PC releases, but arena shooters live on population density. Fast queues, fair skill matching, and enough opponents across regions are part of the product, even when the gunplay itself remains intact.

For lapsed Quake players, this update is a strong reason to check the library before spending anything. If you played before September 23, Bethesda says you should have access for free through Steam, with Microsoft Store players routed through Bethesda.net linking. For new players, the buying question is simple: if you want a stripped-down Quake Champions arena shooter without battle passes or microtransactions, the $10 version is now the only official entry point. If you were hoping for a revived seasonal roadmap, Bethesda has not announced one in the material provided, and multiple outlets report the live-service cadence has ended.