It was announced in July that Xbox would be laying off swathes of its staff at studios like id Software, notably leaving id Software's VFX team with "one single artist with no lead or producer," and it now seems as though the fallout for Microsoft's mass layoffs have continued. As detailed in a Steam update, id Software has confirmed that Quake Champions Point Release 1.31 will be its last planned content update, and the game will officially be transitioning to a paid game, instead of the free-to-play model it was previously sold under.

The changes are summarized as follows: Quake Champions has moved to a paid ownership model available on Steam. Now, anyone who has Quake Champions in their Steam library can select any of the Champions, weapon skins, and cosmetic options without additional in-game purchases. As part of this update, the Microsoft Store version has been retired, and the game is now available only through Steam.

As of September 23, Quake Champions will only be available through Steam at a cost of $9.99—although regional pricing obviously applies. The update notes also specify that most of the in-game cosmetics will be freely available to all players after the change, and all microtransactions and in-app purchases have been removed from the game. A news post by Bethesda also specifies that any gamers who bought the premium Platinum in-game currency within 60 days before the announcement will receive a full refund.

Players who previously played Quake Champions via the Microsoft Store version of the game will need to link their Bethesda and Steam accounts to be able to access the game on Steam going forward. Players have until October 7, 2026, to link their accounts, and the process is explained in an FAQ section on the Bethesda site.