Review: Is Quake Champions Worth Playing?

Game Overview.

Archaic.

Despite being barely five years old, Quake Champions feels like a game from the late 1990s; however, this is most likely intentional, as Quake fans value speed and skill over all else, even at the cost of engaging mechanics and quality-of-life enhancements.

While I am sure even the most diehard Quake fan appreciates the nicer visuals that Quake Champions brings to the table, making it into a fully modern shooter is impossible without removing much of what makes it a Quake title, and the developers have opted to cater almost exclusively to their target demographic at the expense of everybody else.

Because of this, it becomes very difficult to recommend Quake Champions to new players, as without nostalgia being a primary motivator, there is little reason to play Quake Champions with so many better games currently available.

Crossovers.

BJ Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein) and Doomguy (Doom) appear in Quake Champions, popular characters owned by Bethesda Softworks, part of the Xbox Game Studios family.

Controls.

While most of Quake Champions’ keybinds are exactly what you would expect from a modern FPS, replacing the traditional reload function (R) with a weapon-switch function is jarring. I would often instinctively go to reload only to find myself holding a weapon that I disliked or that was unsuitable for the current engagement, such as a long-ranged weapon in a close-ranged encounter or vice versa.

While this is not a deal breaker, it is certainly nonstandard game design and something that feels alien in a time when most first-person shooters use similar keybinds to improve the new-user experience and level the playing field, if only by a small margin.

Skill Gap.

Quake is an iconic franchise, and as such, some players of Quake Champions have been playing some iteration of the game since the 1990s, meaning their reflexes (though dulled with age) are far superior to that of the average gamer.

Because of this, new players are likely to die hundreds of times before they can top the leaderboard in most lobbies due to a lack of skill-based matchmaking that puts top-tier competitive players into lobbies with total novices.

While it is 100% possible for a new player to “git gud,” it is not possible to do so without a massive time commitment, something that honestly seems like a waste when you consider that Quake Champions is barely clinging to life, despite its inclusion in PC Game Pass.

PC Game Pass.

While Quake Champions is free-to-play, access to its full roster of champions is not, and free players are forced to play with a limited roster, purchase the champions pack, or grind to unlock additional heroes—something that PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers do not have to endure, with all champions being unlocked automatically for no additional fee.

While the roster is still small and has not grown in the last several years, having access to all available champions does make Quake Champions more enjoyable and opens the game up to a wider demographic, with each champion being better suited for a different playstyle.

Quake Champions FAQ

Quake Champions is a free-to-play first person shooter game developed by Bethesda Softworks and published by id Software, it released on 22 August 2017, and is available exclusively on PC.

Are The Developers Active?

Quake Champions receives minor updates several times a year, but it is not being actively developed at this time.

Is There Group Finding/Matchmaking Support?

Quake Champions offers the following matchmaking options:

• ☑ Region-Based Matchmaking
• ☑ Solo Matchmaking
• ☑ Group Matchmaking

Are There In-Game Microtransactions?

The Quake Champions in-game store sells:

• ☑ Cosmetic Items
• ☑ Cosmetic Item Bundles
• ☑ Premium Currency Bundles
• ☑ Premium Battlepass

What Peripherals Are Supported?

Quake Champions supports the following peripherals:

• ☑ PC - Mouse and Keyboard

Is There Any Mature Content?

Quake Champions is rated PEGI 18+ and contains:

• ☑ Gore
• ☑ Violence

Final Verdict.

While it is worth a play for long-time fans of the Quake franchise, I cannot recommend Quake Champions to the average gamer, who will be little more than target practice for veteran players who have likely played little else but some iteration of Quake since the 1990s.

Is Quake Champions Worth Playing?

We found Quake Champions to be a good game, meaning it is likely to be enjoyable for most players, despite having a few areas that could be improved upon.