Quake Champions is not free anymore. On September 23, 2026, Bethesda pulled the free-to-play version, retired the Microsoft Store build, and put the game behind a $9.99 Steam paywall. Existing free players keep access if they migrate their Bethesda account to Steam in the two-week window; everyone else is asked to pay for what used to be a client download. Fair or not, it changes the pitch for the “new to arena shooters, want to try the modern one” crowd, and it puts a fresh spotlight on the free and cheaper competition.
These are seven Quake Champions alternatives worth installing this week, ranging from the closest spiritual successor to the classics that keep the genre alive.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Price | Player counts | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diabotical Rogue | Modern Quake III style at a healthy pop count | Free-to-play | Regular full lobbies EU/NA peak | Extraction twist over the classic arena base |
| Xonotic | Purest speed and skill ceiling | Free, GPL | Small but stable community | Physics tuned close to CPMA |
| Splitgate 2 | Portals plus arena for a wider audience | Free-to-play | Highest of the free options | Portal mechanics inside arena maps |
| Warsow | Trick-jumping and momentum play | Free, GPL | Community lobbies | Movement built around wall-jumps and dashes |
| Doom Eternal | Single-player rocket-jump adrenaline | Paid, on sale often | Not multiplayer-focused | Best campaign feel of the family |
| Team Fortress 2 | Class-based arena with a two-decade patch log | Free-to-play | Very high | Approachable route into the movement style |
| Toxikk | Unreal Tournament successor on modern hardware | Free-to-play | Small but active | UT99 handling, modern lighting |
Why people are moving off Quake Champions
The move to paid comes with a real trade. Bethesda unlocks every Champion and cosmetic for players who owned the free version, which is generous, but it removes the “download, hop in, try tonight” flow that carried a lot of Quake Champions’ organic growth.
Match times are longer at off-peak hours. Regional Duel and 2v2 queues in Oceania and Latin America had already stretched to five-plus minutes before the paywall; expect them to lengthen further while the new pricing shakes out.
Netcode complaints have not gone away. Hit registration on the Champion abilities that layer over the classic rockets and lightning gun is still the loudest topic in the subreddit, and the 1.31 point release notes don’t touch it.
The Champion system splits the fan base. Quake III purists have never liked the class-based twist, and the alternatives on this list divide cleanly into “back to Q3 principles” and “keep the classes, change the feel”.
Progression carrots feel thin. With Platinum currency removed and cosmetics unlocked, there is no live-service loop to pull returning players in.
The alternatives
Diabotical Rogue – Best modern Q3-style movement
Diabotical Rogue is the free-to-play evolution of Diabotical, and it’s the closest modern shooter to the “rockets, rails, arena” formula. The 2026 season added a lightweight extraction mode, but the classic FFA and duel modes remain the reason to install it. Movement carries strafe-jump speed cleanly, weapons behave like their Quake ancestors, and the lobbies on EU and NA peak hours stay full.
Where it falls short: No offline bots for warmup outside training. Cosmetics are pushed hard in the shop.
Pricing:
- Free-to-play with cosmetic monetization
- vs Quake Champions: no paywall, no Champion abilities, straight rocket-and-rail arena
Migrating from Quake Champions: Sensitivity math is comparable; import mouse config from Quake settings and re-bind hotkey layout. Muscle memory transfers within a session.
Bottom line: Pick Diabotical Rogue if what you loved about Quake Champions was the base movement and gunplay.
Xonotic – Best for the purest arena feel
Xonotic is a fully free and open-source spiritual descendant of Nexuiz. Physics land close to CPMA, movement is fast, and the weapon roster covers rockets, rails, lightning, and a handful of unique picks. Community-run servers keep 24/7 duels, 4v4 CTF, and instagib lobbies alive across EU, NA, and Russian regions.
Where it falls short: Player counts are enthusiast-scale, not mainstream. Graphics look like the 2010 codebase they came from. Matchmaking is server-browser, not queue-based.
Pricing:
- Free, GPL
- vs Quake Champions: purer arena feel, older presentation, smaller community
Migrating from Quake Champions: Set physics to CPMA style in the config, remap FOV to match, and expect the movement to click within a couple of hours.
Bottom line: Pick Xonotic when the skill ceiling matters more than the polish.
Splitgate 2 – Best free alternative for wider lobbies
Splitgate 2 turns arena FPS into “arena FPS with portals”. It brings the healthiest free-to-play population of any modern game on this list, its shooting model is grounded in Quake and Unreal Tournament principles, and the portal mechanic keeps positioning a first-class part of every fight.
Where it falls short: The portal mechanic changes fights in ways strict Quake fans dislike. The battle-pass grind is real.
Pricing:
- Free-to-play, cosmetic and battle-pass monetization
- vs Quake Champions: bigger population, different tactical vocabulary
Migrating from Quake Champions: Aim training carries over; expect a week of learning where the good portal spots live.
Bottom line: Pick Splitgate 2 when a busy lobby matters more than a strict Quake feel.
Warsow – Best for trick-jumping and momentum
Warsow is the movement-first cousin of the family. Dashes, wall-jumps, and bunny-hopping are core to every duel, and the maps are designed to reward chaining momentum. The game is free, GPL, and lightweight enough to run on almost any office PC.
Where it falls short: Small community outside a couple of European servers. Cel-shaded look is polarising.
Pricing:
- Free, GPL
- vs Quake Champions: deeper movement, thinner population
Migrating from Quake Champions: Set a low sensitivity and expect the first hour to feel alien; the wall-jump is what most people fall for.
Bottom line: Pick Warsow if the movement itself is the reason you love the genre.
Doom Eternal – Best for a single-player itch
Doom Eternal isn’t a multiplayer replacement, and pretending otherwise misses the point. It’s the game to install when the itch is “I want to rocket-jump for two hours after work”. The Slayer’s kit borrows liberally from Quake movement, the campaign holds up as one of the best FPS solo experiences of the last decade, and the Master Levels give the arena-shooter dopamine loop a repeatable form.
Where it falls short: Multiplayer Battlemode was retired. Not the tool for competitive practice.
Pricing:
- Paid, regularly on sale for under $10 on Steam
- vs Quake Champions: no multiplayer, better campaign
Migrating from Quake Champions: Rebind for a mouse and take your rocket-jump muscle memory with you.
Bottom line: Pick Doom Eternal when you want the arena-shooter feeling without needing a live opponent.
Team Fortress 2 – Best low-friction lobby fill
Team Fortress 2 is 18 years old and still one of the two largest free multiplayer shooters on Steam. Classes replace Champions, the rocket launcher and sticky-launcher play like their Quake ancestors, and the community servers cover everything from vanilla to jump maps to arena-only.
Where it falls short: Bot problem still hasn’t been fully solved on official matchmaking. Cosmetic economy is chaotic.
Pricing:
- Free-to-play
- vs Quake Champions: massively larger population, class-based rather than pure arena
Migrating from Quake Champions: Head straight to jump maps or the arena-only community servers; the rest of TF2 is a different game.
Bottom line: Pick TF2 when the priority is a full lobby in 30 seconds.
Toxikk – Best Unreal Tournament successor
Toxikk was built by a small team to be “Unreal Tournament, without the compromises”. It stayed under the radar during launch and is now free-to-play with the full feature set. Movement is close to UT99, weapons behave in UT ways, and bot support is strong enough to warm up alone.
Where it falls short: Small population outside organised events. Graphics look like the mid-2010s.
Pricing:
- Free-to-play (Free version is fully featured, cosmetics for sale)
- vs Quake Champions: UT99 heritage rather than Q3, comparable pace
Migrating from Quake Champions: Play the tutorial to internalise the dodge system, then bot-warm before jumping into DM.
Bottom line: Pick Toxikk if what pulled you to Quake was actually Unreal Tournament in disguise.
How to choose
Pick Diabotical Rogue if you want a straight Q3-style game with a healthy modern population.
Pick Xonotic or Warsow when movement depth is the reason you play.
Pick Splitgate 2 if a busy free lobby matters more than strict Quake purity.
Pick Doom Eternal for the solo rocket-jump itch, not for competitive play.
Pick Team Fortress 2 for the shortest queue times on the list.
Stay on Quake Champions if the $10 is a non-issue, you already have unlocked cosmetics, and the Champion system is what you liked.
FAQ
Is Diabotical Rogue better than Quake Champions?
For anyone who preferred the base Quake III feel to the Champion overlay, yes. Diabotical Rogue’s population is smaller but has fewer queue-time swings and no cosmetic paywall.
Which of these runs on Linux?
All seven have a native or Proton-compatible build. Xonotic, Warsow, and Team Fortress 2 have first-party Linux clients. Diabotical Rogue, Splitgate 2, Doom Eternal, and Toxikk run through Proton with Gold or Platinum ratings on ProtonDB.
Which is the cheapest to try tonight?
Every alternative except Doom Eternal is free. Doom Eternal is regularly on sale on Steam for under $10, cheaper than the new Quake Champions price.
Do any support LAN play?
Xonotic and Warsow both support offline and LAN-only matches with bots. Doom Eternal is single-player. The rest are online-only.
Will my Quake sensitivity settings transfer?
Yes with a converter. Sites like mouse-sensitivity.com convert between Quake, UT, and modern engine sensitivities so muscle memory transfers within an evening of practice.
