Quake Champions is moving away from free-to-play with patch 1.31, which Bethesda Softworks and id Software indicate is likely to be the game’s final update. The official patch notes say that no further content updates are planned as the arena shooter enters a “new chapter”.
The game entered early access in 2017 before reaching its full 1.0 release in 2022. It adopted a free-to-play model in 2018, allowing players to download and play without buying the base game. That arrangement is now ending.
Quake Champions becomes a paid Steam game
From the transition onwards, Quake Champions will be sold exclusively through Steam for $9.99. Players who have already played it on Steam will receive the paid version at no extra cost.
Players who accessed the game through the Microsoft Store must link their Bethesda.net and Steam accounts to receive access to the new version. Bethesda says that linking service will remain available only until October 7.
The change also removes the game’s commercial systems. Battle passes, microtransactions and all in-app purchases have been taken out, while every champion, 30 seasons of previous content and most vanity items have been unlocked for everyone.
What patch 1.31 changes
Patch 1.31 includes a range of general fixes intended to improve stability before ongoing support ends. It also adds a callvote feature, letting players vote to remove cheaters or abusive players during a match. Each match allows a maximum of three such votes.
The number of data centres has been reduced to bring players together in fewer locations and improve matchmaking times. The consolidation is also likely to reduce Bethesda’s operating costs, although it means fewer data centres will support the game.
What is happening at id Software?
id Software is owned by ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Microsoft acquired ZeniMax in 2021, and the group now operates within Microsoft’s Xbox division.
Xbox has faced several rounds of redundancies, studio closures and cancelled projects in recent months. After Xbox announced in July that it would cut 3,200 jobs during the fiscal year, reports said id Software had been reduced by roughly half, with many programmers among those affected.
The reported cuts drew particular attention because of id Software’s long-standing importance to game technology, including its id Tech engine. Xbox carried out further redundancies this week, with Halo Studios among the main areas affected. Xbox is also a priority target of boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns.
What the change means for players
For existing Steam players, the move provides a permanent paid version without another purchase and opens much of the game’s released content. New players will need to pay the $9.99 price, while Microsoft Store players face the additional account-linking requirement before the October 7 deadline.
With paid access replacing the free-to-play structure and no further content updates planned, Quake Champions is shifting from a live-service model towards a fixed version of its arena-shooter experience. Readers following the wider arcade and gaming news landscape can also explore RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide or browse arcade machines for competitive gaming setups.
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