It was announced in July that Xbox would be laying off swathes of its staff at studios like id Software, notably leaving id Software’s VFX team with “one single artist with no lead or producer,” and it now seems as though the fallout for Microsoft’s mass layoffs have continued. As detailed in a Steam update, id Software has confirmed that Quake Champions Point Release 1.31 will be its last planned content update, and the game will officially be transitioning to a paid game, instead of the free-to-play model it was previously sold under.
The changes are summarized as follows:Quake Champions has moved to a paid ownership model available on Steam. Now, anyone who has Quake Champions in their Steam library can select any of the Champions, weapon skins, and cosmetic options without additional in-game purchases. As part of this update, the Microsoft Store version has been retired, and the game is now available only through Steam. Player skill stats will continue to reflect gameplay progress, so you can keep focusing on your Champion progression and enjoying the cosmetic features included with the game.
As of September 23, Quake Champions will only be available through Steam at a cost of $9.99—although regional pricing obviously applies. The update notes also specify that most of the in-game cosmetics will be freely available to all players after the change, and all microtransactions and in-app purchases have been removed from the game. A news post by Bethesda also specifies that any gamers who bought the premium Platinum in-game currency within 60 days before the announcement will receive a full refund.Major Product Changes
Removed Microtransactions & In-App Purchasing Removed Battle PassRemoved Weekly / Event ChallengesRemoved the StoreRemoved Platinum and Shard CurrenciesRemoved Loot BoxesRemoved Daily Login RewardsRemoved Champion Progression (the shard reward path)Most Vanity Content is now Available to All UsersThird-party entitlements, such as AMD Ruby Nyx, Twitch Rocket Launcher, NVIDIA Pulsar Railgun, and merit-based rewards like QuakeCon Belts and Golden Crowns, are hidden from the Customization list unless you already own themGolden Crowns can still be earned as ranked rewards for reaching Elite Rank and are hidden until unlockedAll other items are unlocked and available for all users to equipAll items are equipped through CustomizationUI Reorganization
Customization is now located on the top navigation of the Main MenuProfile customization (profiles, nameplates. Podiums) are now found inside the main Customization section next to Outfits and WeaponsCritical Fixes Fixed several crash conditions that could occur during map loadingFixed an anti-cheat false positive, surfaced as an Error 103 messageThe full update notes, including a host of new content additions, new features, and weapons and systems reworks, are available on Steam.
Players who previously played Quake Champions via the Microsoft Store version of the game will need to link their Bethesda and Steam accounts to be able to access the game on Steam going forward. Players have until October 7, 2026, to link their accounts, and the process is explained in an FAQ section on the Bethesda site.