Quake Champions Ends Eight Years as Free-to-Play, Becomes Paid Game

Quake Champions transitioned from free-to-play to a paid game on September 23, 2026 with the release of version 1.31. The arena shooter, which maintained its free-to-play model for eight years following its 2018 launch, is now a paid application on Steam priced at $9.99 for new players.

The change represents a significant shift in Bethesda's approach to the title. All players who accessed Quake Champions before the September 23 cutoff can continue playing without additional cost, regardless of their prior activity level. New players must purchase the game to access it.

Version 1.31 eliminates the entire monetisation system that defined Quake Champions as a live service. Removed features include the battle pass, weekly and event challenges, daily login rewards, platinum and shard currencies, loot boxes, and champion progression tied to cosmetic rewards. The update instead provides players with 30 seasons of accumulated content immediately available.

All champions are now unlocked for every player. Most vanity cosmetics are similarly available to all users, with limited exceptions for third-party entitlements like AMD Ruby Nyx and Nvidia Pulsar Railgun, which remain locked unless previously owned. QuakeCon belts and golden crowns are hidden until earned through ranked play at Elite Rank.

The UI has been reorganised with customisation moved to the top navigation of the main menu. Profile customisation, including podiums and nameplates, now appears alongside outfit and weapon options.

New content in 1.31 includes QuakeCon 2026 weapon variants for the starting machinegun, shotgun, and nailgun. Two additional weapon shaders, the MOONSTRIKER Rocket Launcher and ERADICATOR Railgun, ship alongside five new team arena clan profile icons and Ithagnal's Hell Magic podium.

A new callvote system allows players to initiate votes to remove cheaters or abusive players. Right-clicking on a player in the in-game social menu starts a vote that requires at least four players in the match. Each player can call three votes per match, with results determined by F1 (yes) and F2 (no) binds.

Progression now extends to level 999, with players earning 24-hour haste bonus XP every 10 levels. Player profile levels are now visible on the in-game scoreboard to help identify newer accounts.

The patch addresses numerous technical issues, including crash conditions during map loading, an anti-cheat false positive error, and framerate limiter precision. Quality-of-life improvements include weapon accuracy displays on the HUD, enemy and ally outline bold options, and reliability fixes for sound event transmission over the network. Bot AI has been enhanced with improved dodging patterns, health management, and the ability to recognise and evade incoming rockets.

The in-game guide is now delivered via local web files, removing regional blocking that previously prevented access to learning resources in some areas.