Quake Champions Guide

Quake Champions on Steam

Checked September 24, 2026

VERIFIED · Price checked2026-09-24

Quake Champions became a paid app on Steam on 23 September 2026, the same day the 1.31 Point Release shipped. Steam's store API reports is_free = false and a price of $9.99 USD with no discount active; both values were re-checked on 24 September 2026 and neither had moved. Bethesda's own FAQ states the change in one line: “We're transitioning Quake Champions from a free-to-play model game to a paid title on Steam only.”

Price checked Steam store API: is_free = false, final = 999, no discount

Verified 24 September 2026 against the Steam store API, the Steam News 1.31 announcement and Bethesda's 1.31 FAQ.

What it costs

ItemValueSource (level)
Current price$9.99 USD, no active discountSteam store API (A), checked 2026-09-24
Lowest price on record$4.99 USDSteamDB price history (B), checked 2026-09-24
PlatformWindows only — platforms.windows = true, macOS and Linux falseSteam store API (A)
Store pagestore.steampowered.com/app/611500/Steam (A)
Steam Family SharingNot eligible — the app is excluded from Family SharingSteamDB (B)

Regional prices on record

RegionPriceRegionPrice
United States$9.99Japan¥1210
European Union9,99 €BrazilR$ 49,90
United Kingdom£8.99CIS$6.99
China¥54Kazakhstan3999 ₸
Turkey$6.99——

Regional values come from the SteamDB price history table (level B) and move independently of the US price. Treat the store's own currency block as authoritative on the day you buy.

Is it Steam-only?

Yes. Quake Champions has only ever shipped on Windows, and Bethesda's 1.31 FAQ describes it as a paid title on Steam only. Two consequences follow:

  • The Microsoft Store edition was retired on 23 September 2026. Existing Microsoft Store players move their account across through Bethesda.net linking rather than buying again on that storefront.
  • No console release has shipped, and the official FAQ attributes that to the game being distributed through Steam. Do not expect a PlayStation or Xbox version to appear: 1.31 is the final version, so a port would be a new product, not an update.

If you already played it

The paid switch does not charge existing players again.

  • If Quake Champions was already in your Steam library before 23 September 2026, the paid build is in the same library entry at no cost.
  • In-game level, stats and cosmetics carry over with the account, because progression was never reset as part of the migration.
  • Microsoft Store players keep their account through Bethesda.net linking to Steam.
  • Bethesda.net account linking is still required to play online, on both new and migrated accounts. The Steam store listing carries a third-party account notice for exactly this reason.

What the single purchase unlocks

One payment now covers the whole final build instead of gating content behind progress or a rotating pass.

ContentCountSource (level)
Champions16, all unlocked for every playerSteam store API + 1.31 announcement (A)
Maps27Steam store API (A)
Champion outfits97Steam store API (A)
Champion vanities201Steam store API (A)
Weapon vanities107Steam store API (A)
Profile icons491Steam store API (A)
Nameplates139Steam store API (A)
Podiums12Steam store API (A)

Bethesda's announcement says the update arrives “along with 30 Seasons worth of content to enjoy”, meaning the content produced during the game's service era is simply included rather than sold back as a pass. A small set of third-party entitlements, such as the AMD Ruby Nyx skin, stays hidden unless you already owned it — see the skins page.

Why the Steam tags are misleading

Steam's community tag list on app 611500 still carries Free to Play (tag id 113) and Early Access (tag id 493). Both are out of date. The game has not been free since 23 September 2026, and it left early access on 18 August 2022 with its full release.

This site therefore never uses store tags as evidence of how Quake Champions is sold or where it sits in development. The price block on the store page and the first-party announcement are the parts to trust. If you see the Free to Play tag quoted as fact somewhere else, that page has not been checked since the switch.

Refunds

Quake Champions is governed by the same platform terms as any other Steam purchase. In practice that means a refund can normally be requested within 14 days of purchase and with fewer than two hours played, and Valve decides each request case by case. This guide is not Valve and cannot promise an outcome — the refund policy page is the authority, and it is linked below.

If you are unsure whether the game is worth the price, work through is Quake Champions worth it in 2026 before buying rather than buying to test it.

What would change this page

  • A new first-party announcement about pricing, storefronts or the paid model. Bethesda's 1.31 wording is “No additional content updates are planned at this time”, so a pricing change would be commercial, not a content backlog clearing.
  • A material change in the Steam store API values we quote (is_free, price_overview.final, platforms).
  • A reversal of the Microsoft Store retirement, which would put a second storefront back into the picture.

The short answer

Quake Champions costs $9.99 USD on Steam as of 24 September 2026, is Windows-only, and charges returning players nothing. The store's Free to Play and Early Access tags are stale relics of earlier eras. Everything else on this site — the roster, the maps, item timers and player numbers — describes the same final 1.31 build you get for that one payment.

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