This page is for players who already own Quake Champions and want to know what to do next. It covers the modes in the final 1.31 build, the mechanics that separate a beginner from a competent player, and the order worth learning them in. If you have not bought the game yet, start with what it costs on Steam instead.
What kind of game it is
Quake Champions is a fast arena first-person shooter. You move quickly, you control the map's items rather than a loadout, and fights are decided by positioning, aim and timing more than by gear. The 1.31 build keeps that formula intact and adds nothing that changes it: this is the same arena game, finished.
The modes
| Mode | Format | Notes | Source (level) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deathmatch | Free-for-all | The baseline arena mode | Steam store API (A) |
| Team Deathmatch | Team | Two teams, shared item control | Steam store API (A) |
| Duel | 1v1 | The competitive format; uses the small map variants | Steam store API + 1.31 notes (A) |
| Clan Arena | Team, no item pickups | Everyone starts fully stacked | Steam store API (A) |
| Capture the Flag | Team | Objective mode with flags | Steam store API (A) |
| Sacrifice | Team objective | Listed as a newer team mode | Steam store API (A) |
| Unholy Trinity | Solo | Listed as a newer solo mode; uses the small map variants | Steam store API + 1.31 notes (A) |
| Instagib | FFA-style | One-shot kills; grouped with the large map variants in 1.31 | 1.31 patch notes (A) |
| Slipgate | Team | Available against bots in practice | Fandom wiki (C) |
The 1.31 notes also confirm the map-side split: FFA, TDM and Instagib run the large variant of Tower of Koth, while Duel, 2v2 and Unholy Trinity run the small one. That is a useful signal about which modes the developers considered to need tighter spaces.
What a new player should queue first
- Practice against bots. It is the lowest-pressure way to learn the maps, the weapon set and the movement without holding a team back. See the bots page for what practice, custom games and Humans vs Bots each offer.
- Deathmatch. No teammates to disappoint and constant fights, which is the fastest way to build aim and map familiarity.
- Team Deathmatch. Once you can hold your own in a duel, TDM teaches item timing as a team and how to read a fight you should not take.
- Clan Arena. Because everyone starts fully stacked, it removes item control from the equation and isolates pure fighting — good for measuring your aim, bad for learning the map.
- Duel. Leave it until last. It is the most punishing mode in the game and rewards players who already know every timer.
Custom games are worth using early and often: they let you pick the mode, map, Champion and bot difficulty, which makes them the fastest way to rehearse a specific map. They do require an online connection, so they are not offline play.
The mechanics worth learning, in order
- Strafe jumping. Chaining strafe input with mouse turns to exceed the normal speed cap. It is the single highest-return skill in the game and the basis of every other movement technique.
- Rocket jumping. Using splash damage to launch yourself upward or across a gap, at the cost of health. It opens map routes that are otherwise closed.
- Item timing. Knowing when Mega Health, Heavy Armor and the power-ups return, and being there first. Item control wins more fights than raw aim at every level below the top.
- Map control. Holding the item rooms and denying them to the opponent. This is what Duel is actually about.
- Weapon selection, not weapon preference. Switching to the right tool for a range and situation matters more than mastering one gun; the weapons page lists the set.
- Stack management. Knowing your health-plus-armor total and whether it lets you take the next fight is the difference between aggressive and reckless.
What the final build gives you to work with
- All 16 Champions unlocked, so you can pick by feel immediately rather than by what you have earned. See the characters page.
- Adaptive FPS Stabilizer, a fixed FPS Limiter and Threaded Input in 1.31, which give a smoother frame time on the hardware this game targets. See the settings page.
- Weapon accuracy UI, added in 1.31, so you can see which weapons you are actually landing shots with.
- Bolder enemy and ally outlines, also added in 1.31, and a useful crutch while learning to read a busy arena.
- Improved bots, which are more useful practice partners than in any previous version.
Online play still required
Quake Champions has no offline mode. Custom games with bots still need a connection, and every mode runs on live servers. Practically, that means your session quality depends on the server you land on; 1.31 merged some datacentres and directs players to read Playlist Queue Stats rather than trust raw ping.
For the state of those servers and the size of the population you will meet in them, read player count and is Quake Champions dead.
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