After nearly a decade as a free-to-play arena shooter, Quake Champions is ditching the free-to-play model entirely and switching to a premium release on Steam. The game now costs $9.99 USD, and with that price tag comes a clean break from battle passes, loot boxes, premium currencies, and the in-game store.
The change was announced in an official Steam news post detailing the Quake Champions 1.31 point release. Players who previously participated in any of the game’s free events on Steam will be automatically upgraded to the full version. Anyone who purchased premium currencies within the last two months will receive a refund.
The update also introduces a new Callvote system that lets players kick cheaters and abusive users, alongside improvements to network performance. id Software has reduced the number of data centres to keep servers more populated, though that may mean fewer options depending on your region. The full game now includes all 16 Champions, 27 maps, and the complete roster of cosmetics and vanity items that were previously locked behind microtransactions.
The move comes during a turbulent period for id Software’s parent companies. Microsoft is in the midst of cutting 3,200 developer positions across Xbox studios, with id Software losing more than 100 staff in the first wave. ZeniMax has since pivoted to focus on its largest franchises, reportedly scrapping projects centered on Perfect Dark and unannounced new series.
While keeping Quake Champions alive in some form is better than pulling the plug entirely, the team’s post leaves little room for optimism about the game’s future. “No additional content updates are planned at this time,” the announcement states. For a game that spent years building its free-to-play ecosystem, the transition to a one-time purchase feels less like a reinvention and more like a final chapter. At least new players picking it up now will get the complete package without any additional spending required.
Jordan Hayes covers PC gaming news, hardware, and the ever-changing Steam ecosystem for SteamGamer.net. He believes some of gaming’s biggest stories are hiding in patch notes, performance charts, and suspiciously quiet price changes. When he isn’t investigating what developers or GPU manufacturers are doing, he is probably starting another roguelike run he insists will be his last.
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