Quantum Break PC getting Steam and retail release, new $40 price today

The PC release of Quantum Break is coming to both retail and, more notably, Steam on Sept. 14, after five months of PC exclusivity on Microsoft’s Windows Store and Windows 10. It’s also getting a price cut on PC to match the upcoming release; you can find it on the Windows Store today for $39.99, down from its launch pricing of $59.99. The Xbox One release remains $59.99.

"Quantum Break will be made available to more gamers across a number of operating systems when it hits Steam next month," the announcement reads. "This digital download will include all of the latest updates, a list of which can be found on the game’s official site." Here are the latest patch notes from developer Remedy Entertainment. Remedy clarified in a tweet that these new releases will run on Windows 7 and up.

The PC release of Quantum Break wasn’t expected when it was announced in February of this year, along with a plan to give it away for free with pre-orders of the Xbox One game. That plan was an early indication of Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, which launches alongside ReCore this September, in which compatible games will work on either Xbox One or Windows 10 PCs with a single purchase, either through the Xbox or Windows Stores.

The absence of a Steam release for a PC game was notable; with few exceptions (EA’s Origin platform, for example) Steam is the place to sell PC games and Microsoft had been selling other Microsoft Studios-published games like Ori and the Blind Forest successfully. "Quantum Break on Windows 10 is a Windows Store exclusive," Xbox head of marketing Aaron Greenberg said shortly after the PC release was announced.

"I don't think Valve's hurt by not having our first-party games in their store right now," Xbox head Phil Spencer said at E3 this year, relayed here by GameSpot. "They're doing incredibly well. We will ship games on Steam again."

The game’s retail release is being handled by Nordic Games — who worked on the retail PC release of Remedy’s Alan Wake back in 2012 — and includes a Steam key to authenticate the physical discs. Here’s what comes in the $39.99 Quantum Break: Timeless Collector’s Edition:

• Premium packaging
• 5 Game Discs (one-time Steam key redemption required)
• Making of Blu-Ray
• Making of Book
• 1 Soundtrack CD (Audio-CD)
• 2 Posters
• Quickstart Guide

We’ve reached out to Microsoft for clarification on whether this Steam and retail release are eligible for Xbox Play Anywhere functionality, and whether a Steam account is required to play the retail release.