Story perspectives

Quake Champions Moves to Paid-Only Steam Model

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 10:58 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

id Software is moving Quake Champions to a paid-only model on Steam.
Former free-to-play players receive the paid app at no extra cost.
The Microsoft Store version retired on September 23, 2026.
Linking Bethesda.net to Steam gives former Microsoft players free access within 48 hours.
Purchasers of Platinum currency within the last 60 days receive full refunds.

History

Historical Context

Blizzard Entertainment’s 2004 launch of World of Warcraft introduced a mandatory subscription, driving the game to 12 million subscribers by October 2010 and capturing 62 percent of the MMORPG market in 2008. That success set a template that id Software now follows, moving Quake Champions on Steam from free-to-play to a paid-only model, echoing the earlier revenue-first approach.

1 of 2

Story summary

id Software is moving Quake Champions to a paid-only model on Steam.
Former free-to-play players receive the paid app at no extra cost.
The Microsoft Store version retired on September 23, 2026.
Linking Bethesda.net to Steam gives former Microsoft players free access within 48 hours.
Purchasers of Platinum currency within the last 60 days receive full refunds.

1 / 2