Quake Champions has more than one date that can fairly be called a release date, which is why search results disagree with each other. This page gives the dates in order, each with the platform state it describes. Verified 24 September 2026.
The timeline
| Date | Event | Platform status | Source (level) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 August 2017 | Early access begins | Windows, invitation and paid early-access era | Wikipedia (C) |
| 10 August 2018 | Free-access era begins | Windows; the game becomes a free download | Wikipedia (C) |
| 18 August 2022 | Full release | Windows, still free to download, sold as a live product | Steam store API (A) |
| 23 September 2026 | 1.31 Point Release — final version | Windows; paid app on Steam only | Steam News + Bethesda FAQ (A) |
| 23 September 2026 | Microsoft Store edition retired | Windows, Steam only from here on | Bethesda 1.31 FAQ (A) |
Why there are two “release dates”
Steam's release_date field for app 611500 reads 18 August 2022. That is the game's full release: the point at which it left early access and stopped being described as an in-development product.
22 August 2017 is a different event — the start of early access. The game was publicly playable from that date, which is why many sources list 2017 as the release year.
Both are correct answers to different questions:
- “When could people first play it?” — 2017.
- “When did Steam mark it as released?” — 2022.
A note on the 2017 date: some sources record 23 August rather than 22 August. The earlier research that fed this site flagged the conflict and the resolution adopted here is the 22 August 2017 date carried by the community-maintained record, with source level C rather than A. Treat the day as firm to within a day until a first-party archive settles it.
The eras in order
2017 — early access. Quake Champions arrived as a Windows-only, in-development arena shooter, sold into an early-access programme.
2018–2022 — free-access era. From 10 August 2018 the game could be downloaded at no cost, and this is the period that produced the all-time concurrent peak of 17,332 in June 2018. Content arrived across numbered seasons during these years.
August 2022 — full release. Steam records 18 August 2022 as the release date. The game was still a free download at this point; “full release” described its development status, not its price.
23 September 2026 — final version. The 1.31 Point Release moved the game to a paid app on Steam only, unlocked all 16 Champions for everyone, and ended the content pipeline, with Bethesda stating that no additional content updates are planned. The Microsoft Store edition was retired the same day. Full details are on the update page.
Platform status at each date
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| Windows (Steam) | Available since 2017; paid since 23 September 2026 |
| Microsoft Store | Available for part of the game's life; retired 23 September 2026 |
| Consoles | Never released. The game is distributed through Steam only |
| macOS / Linux | Never supported — the store API reports Windows only |
If you are looking for a console release date, there is none, and there will not be one: 1.31 is the final version, so a console port would be a new product rather than a future update.
What this page deliberately leaves out
- What each patch changed. This page answers “when”. The content of the final patch is on update.
- App-level database fields. Build numbers, DLC counts and tags belong to the SteamDB page.
- Price history. Regional pricing and the current $9.99 value are on the Steam page.
Related dates worth knowing
- All-time player peak: June 2018, during the free-access era — see player count.
- Early access to full release: just over five years, from August 2017 to August 2022.
- Full release to final version: just over four years, from August 2022 to September 2026, after which the game stopped receiving content.
For the buying decision today, start at the Steam page or is it worth it in 2026.
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