Escape from Tarkov was never supposed to be this big. Hardcore and unforgiving, its designers assumed it'd be a niche video game for real masochists. The game entered its extended alpha testing phase at the end of 2016 and is still only available on its own launcher, cutting out the large Steam storefront customers with a barrier to entry that the developers assumed many wouldn't bother crossing.
At the time of writing, almost 150,000 people are playing concurrently. "Niche" isn't a word you'd use to describe it.
Plenty of other games have attempted to ride on Tarkov's success. Delta Force came out last year and included an extraction mode where players spawn in, try to survive against AI and human enemies and escape with as much loot as they can carry, while dealing with thirst, injuries and other setbacks. Bungie's next game, Marathon, will exist within the same genre -- a genre Tarkov arguably created. It's not even finished, and it's already inspiring other developers.
Playing can be stressful. If other players don't get you, the bugs and performance issues of early access will. Yet millions of people grit their teeth and play anyway because it delivers that hardcore experience you can't get anywhere else. It mirrors what happened with PUBG: Battlegrounds, which inspired Fortnite's battle royale mode, which eventually surpassed it in popularity -- everyone wants to be Tarkov's Fortnite.
We sat down with game director Nikita Buyanov to talk about the state of the game and plans for the future.
What are you most proud of?
Hmm, that's a tough one ... If we're talking about game development, then probably the fact that we managed to say something new and essentially create an entirely new subgenre -- the extraction shooter. That all started with Tarkov. We're making a game that we ourselves love to play, first and foremost. And for almost ten years now, we've been able to keep delivering exciting content and stay at the forefront of the industry. That's a big deal -- most games burn out fast, but Tarkov has stood the test of time, growing alongside entire generations of players.
Tell me about the importance of the LATAM launch and pricing.
We want Tarkov to be accessible to everyone around the world who wants to try it. That's why we do research, monitor server loads and ping levels, diversify pricing, and launch new regions. The idea to designate LATAM as a separate region came about a long time ago. The launch went very well -- we're seeing the numbers, the reactions of regular players and local streamers, and I believe this is a good sign that we'll be opening even more access regions in the future.
Can you tell me anything about the new event?
We recently launched The Λabyrinth event, where the new boss, Shadow of Tagilla, takes the role of the Minotaur. It's inspired by the famous ancient Greek myth. For us, events are not just about new quests or parameter changes -- each time, we try to create a new adventure and tell a new story. It becomes part of the canon, weaves into the game's lore, and offers a fresh perspective on game mechanics.
What are the short-term plans for the game?
Right now, our main focus is optimization. We're actively fixing bugs, and our community is helping a lot with that -- especially through Tarkov.community. We see what players are concerned about and do our best to make the game better.
Do you have a long-term plan for when the game will be out of early access?
Absolutely. We're moving toward the game's release according to our internal roadmap. Right now, we're focused on aligning all parts of the game -- polishing the details, removing rough edges, and improving the quality of life. For example, we're currently working on completing the main story quest arc.
What are the advantages of the new game engine?
The new engine simplified many technical aspects of development. It gave us more opportunities for optimization, streamlined engineering processes, and improved production pipelines. It's a step forward in terms of flexibility and convenience, even if not a revolutionary leap.
What other optimisation efforts are you working on?
We're actively optimizing legacy code and existing systems. What worked well ten years ago can often be done better now. We're constantly looking for ways to improve performance. Just since the start of the year, we've already released 17 patches focused on optimization. Some things are no longer possible to change without rewriting half the game, but we're balancing between developing new content and improving the old -- maps, sound, lighting, and overall performance.
One of the things I love about Tarkov is how hardcore it is, but it's quite overwhelming as a new player. Any plans for smoother onboarding?
That was intentional from the beginning. The high entry barrier is the price you pay for the deep satisfaction you get once the game "clicks." I originally designed Tarkov as a niche game with a small player base. When you get something without effort, it doesn't carry the same emotional weight as when you've truly earned it. Still, we've released a series of tutorial videos on our YouTube channel to help new players understand the core mechanics. They provide basic knowledge so players don't feel completely lost. But the rest has to be learned through experience -- by watching guides, asking other players, and trial and error. We also have a cool Sherpa system -- experienced players take newcomers on raids, help them with early quests, and share their knowledge. It's awesome to see people so invested in helping others.
Are there any plans to balance the flashlight meta, which seems quite strong at the moment?
Yes, we've seen the feedback and addressed it in patch 0.16.5.0. Now, the light intensity from multiple flashlights only scales slightly and doesn't provide a major advantage. Though, to be honest, I thought it was kind of funny -- you could build yourself a real spotlight!
If you could go right back to launch and change anything to make your life easier, what would it be?
Honestly, there's a lot I'd change. Back then, we didn't have the experience we do now, and we had no idea Tarkov would become this popular. Looking back, I'd definitely approach our server infrastructure and anti-cheat integration differently. There were features we added that were hard to implement and, in hindsight, unnecessary. For example, I probably wouldn't have added the Flea Market.
Any plans to put the game on Steam?
We're considering different distribution options after the full release. Arena launching on EGS is one step, and yes -- Steam is definitely in our plans.
What are you doing to improve your cheater detection and deal with cheaters?
First, we work closely with the BattleEye anti-cheat system. Last year alone, we banned over 100,000 cheating accounts through it. We also have our own internal tools, though we can't disclose details about how they work. They help us track suspicious behavior. We didn't expect Tarkov to become so popular that people would dig into the code looking for exploits, backdoors, and abuse points. We now set traps in those areas and reinforce our systems. It's a long, complex process, and over time, we've learned and implemented more solutions.
What do you have to say to the players who are experiencing worse performance post-patch?
We're aware of the issue and actively working on fixes and optimizations. My advice to players is -- please submit bug reports. If you want to help us improve our favorite game, leave detailed bug reports. They show us what players are experiencing and help us resolve issues faster and more effectively.