In an unusual move, developer id Software’s free-to-play shooter Quake Champions is transitioning into a paid product, eight years after its original release. As part of the same move, the Microsoft studio is killing off the Microsoft Store version, meaning it’s now only available on Steam.
Quake Champions’ new paid version costs £8.99/$9.99 and includes content from the 30 seasons released over the years. What’s more, all Champions – the game’s hero characters – are unlocked for everyone to use, and most cosmetic items are available for all to equip too. Unfortunately, this transition also marks the end of ongoing development. “No additional content updates are planned at this time,” id Software confirmed on Steam.
Quake Champions’ new – and final – chapter kicks off with patch 1.31, and sees the removal of battle passes, the in-game store, paid currencies, loot boxes, login rewards, and all microtransactions. It also reorganises the UI to remove various free-to-play tabs and sections, with character customisation now more prominent on the main menu.
If you purchased Platinum within 60 days before 23rd September, you’ll receive a refund. Additionally, anyone who’s played Quake Champions previously on Steam will receive this updated, fully-featured version for free. The transition from the Microsoft Store “Xbox on PC” version is a little trickier, however. If you played before 23rd September and your Bethesda and Steam accounts are linked, you’ll be given a Steam copy of Quake Champions within 48 hours, Bethesda confirmed. If your accounts weren’t linked – or you didn’t have a Steam account – you’ll need to create one, sign into your Bethesda account, and link the two on this page. Your Steam copy should then arrive within 48 hours, but this can only be done until 7th October, so you have less than two weeks to do so.
Initially released in paid early access in 2017, Quake Champions was seen as something of a live-service experiment by id Software. It went free-to-play in 2018 and got its full release in 2022, following numerous updates which added new characters, weapons, and so many vanity items inspired by id Software’s history.
Quake Champions never quite made the splash id expected it to. On Steam, the game peaked at 17,476 concurrent players (via SteamDB) when it first released. Lately, however, it’s been hovering around 600 daily players. It also never came to consoles, which limited its potential audience further.
