Escape From Tarkov is Finally Crawling onto Steam, and It's Going to Be a Bloodbath
The world's most notoriously punishing and controversial shooter is about to expose itself to the harsh, unforgiving light of Steam reviews. This should be fun.
After years of existing in its own isolated, brutal ecosystem, Escape From Tarkov is finally preparing to breach the mainstream. In a recent tease, Battlestate Games' development lead Nikita Buyanov gave the community its first glimpse of the game's long-awaited, often-promised Steam page. For a game that has cultivated a dedicated, if completely masochistic, fanbase through its own launcher, this is a massive move. It signals the game is finally ready to leave its seemingly endless beta phase and step into the big leagues with its 1.0 launch.
The November Surprise
While the page isn't live for us mortals just yet, the sneak peek suggests that Escape From Tarkov will hit Steam on November 11, a date that's expected to coincide with the game's full 1.0 release. The teaser image shows the basics: Battlestate Games is self-publishing, and it's filed under the comically understated "Action" genre. The media on the page is likely placeholder, but the message is clear: the launch is imminent.
This tease comes as the developers are making a push at PAX this weekend, letting attendees get their hands on the game's final map, Terminal, and a near-final build of the 1.0 version. The hype machine is officially spinning up for its final approach.
So, Do I Have to Buy This Thing Again?
Of course, the announcement has immediately sparked a wave of anxiety among the game's veteran players. For years, the only way to get your teeth kicked in by Tarkov was to buy it directly from the Battlestate Games launcher, a process that often included a delightful side of extra fees.
The big question on everyone's mind is whether their existing accounts will grant them a Steam key, or if they'll have to shell out cash all over again just for the convenience of having the game in their main library. Nikita has promised that more information is coming soon, but for a player base that has invested thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars into their accounts, "soon" isn't quite good enough.
Welcome to the Review-Bomb Gauntlet
Let's be brutally honest here. A Steam release means subjecting your game to the harsh, unforgiving democracy of the user review system. And as one wise soul on Reddit pointed out, "there’s no way this isn’t coming out to an overwhelmingly negative rating right?".
For all its genre-defining tension and unparalleled gunplay, the public conversation around Tarkov for years has been dominated by two things: a seemingly insurmountable cheater problem and a netcode that often feels like it's held together with duct tape and wishful thinking. The game's brutal learning curve and penchant for kicking you in the teeth will be a shock to the system for players used to more forgiving shooters.
The launch on Steam is a massive gamble. Will a new wave of players be captivated by its hardcore, unforgiving loop, or will they be immediately repelled by the jank, the desync, and the feeling of getting headshot by a cheater from across the map? The first few days of Steam reviews are going to be a bigger, more vicious warzone than any raid on Customs. Good luck, Battlestate. You're going to need it.