MachineGames has given Quake owners 19 new levels for free with Dawn of the Machine, but the release comes with an unusual PC storefront split. Players who own the enhanced Quake through GOG or the Epic Games Store cannot access the new episode yet, while the update is already available on Steam and several console and Microsoft platforms.
Quake’s free episode has a PC storefront catch
Dawn of the Machine is a substantial addition to the modern version of Quake. The new episode includes 19 levels alongside new weapon and enemy variants, a soundtrack, achievements, and additional archival material tied to the series.
It is also being treated as free content for existing owners rather than a separate paid expansion.
The catch is where that content has landed.
Bethesda's 30th Anniversary Update confirms that Dawn of the Machine is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Microsoft PC Store, Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 through backwards compatibility, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
GOG and Epic are the two notable omissions on PC.
That matters because Quake itself is available through the Epic Games Store, and players who already bought the game there might reasonably expect a free episode announced as part of the same release to arrive alongside the other PC version.
It has not.
Where Dawn of the Machine is available
The current platform split is fairly straightforward:
| Platform | Dawn of the Machine |
|---|---|
| Steam | Available |
| Microsoft PC Store | Available |
| PC Game Pass | Available |
| Xbox One | Available |
| Xbox Series X|S | Available |
| PlayStation 4 | Available |
| PlayStation 5 | Available |
| Nintendo Switch | Available |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Available via backwards compatibility |
| Epic Games Store | Not currently available |
| GOG | Not currently available |
The distinction is important because this is not a case of Dawn of the Machine being a paid DLC package that some stores simply do not sell. The episode is free for existing owners on supported versions of Quake.
For Steam players, the update is tied to the existing game. Bethesda's Quake release documentation has also established the enhanced version as the modern version of the game, with its campaigns and expansions delivered through the updated client rather than as a collection of unrelated standalone purchases.
That makes the GOG and Epic situation more noticeable. The game exists on both storefronts, but the newest official episode is temporarily absent from those builds.
Bethesda is working on the GOG and Epic versions
There is an important distinction between not available yet and not coming.
The current official information does not give GOG or Epic owners a release date for Dawn of the Machine. It also does not say that either version has been cancelled.
During the QuakeCon 2026 anniversary panel, MachineGames said the other PC storefront versions are being worked on, but players were not given a firm date for when the episode will arrive.
That leaves the reason for the delay unclear.
There is no official explanation saying that GOG caused the delay, that Epic's storefront approval process is responsible, or that DRM or another technical issue is holding the release back. Those theories have appeared in player discussions, but there is not enough evidence to present any of them as fact.
For now, the only solid takeaway is that the versions are not ready for release.
That is probably the better story anyway. A surprise Quake episode arriving with 19 new levels is good news. Finding out that the copy sitting in a player's GOG or Epic library cannot access it is the kind of platform detail that can get buried underneath the announcement.
Existing owners do not need to buy the episode separately
For players on supported versions, Dawn of the Machine is part of the updated Quake experience rather than a separate purchase.
That is worth spelling out because the episode's absence from GOG and Epic can make it look as though players are missing a store listing or need to purchase another version of Quake.
They do not.
The issue is platform availability, not ownership of a separate DLC product.
Quake's current Steam listing identifies id Software, Nightdive Studios, and MachineGames as the developers, with Bethesda Softworks as publisher, and continues to present the enhanced game as the main modern version of the classic shooter.
The Epic Games Store likewise still lists Quake as a Bethesda-published title developed by id Software, Nightdive Studios, and MachineGames. Its current store page does not provide access to Dawn of the Machine yet.
For GOG and Epic owners, then, there is nothing to purchase or manually track down inside the game right now. They are simply waiting for their version to receive the update.
That is a slightly awkward footnote to what is otherwise a generous update for a game that has already received several rounds of post-release support.
Dawn of the Machine is clearly substantial enough to be news on its own. But the storefront split gives the launch another wrinkle, particularly for PC players who deliberately chose a non-Steam version of Quake.
Until Bethesda provides a release date for GOG and Epic, those players are stuck watching the other versions get the new episode first.