Escape from Tarkov, arguably one of the vital hardcore extraction shooters on the market, is lastly making its solution to Steam. The sport has beforehand lived in perpetual beta standing, however now the extremely anticipated 1.0 launch is predicted this November. You may’t purchase it on Steam simply but, although the itemizing is up and you’ll wishlist it. However, as some are studying, when you’ve got already been a long-time Tarkov participant and are hoping to consolidate your sport library underneath Valve’s launcher or make use of Steam’s social options, you received’t simply be capable to obtain the sport on Steam and join your Battlestate Video games account. You’ll should pay for the sport a second time.
Like with many issues involving Tarkov, that is all a bit of complicated, if not intimidating. So let’s break it down.
The Steam page for EFT went public right this moment, with a launch date of “coming soon.” In the meantime, a FAQ on EFT’s official web site lists some potentially disappointing news for some: “To play Escape from Tarkov through Steam, you will need to link a Battlestate Games account to your Steam account.” That is hardly distinctive to EFT’s arrival on Steam, as different video games, akin to Closing Fantasy XIV and, extra not too long ago, Star Wars Outlaws, which have beforehand launched elsewhere and later come out on Steam usually haven’t supported a “cross-buy” scenario. Nonetheless, this information has left a bitter style for a lot of, with fans chiming in on social media to counsel the sport is prone to get evaluate bombed upon launch and that it simply feels foolish, grasping even.
The identical FAQ web page states that when you beforehand bought any of the more expensive versions of the sport, a newly bought Steam copy “will automatically use the higher edition of the two when launching the game” when you’ve linked your accounts. So, technically talking, if taking part in on Steam is a should, and also you’ve bought a dearer model of EFT previously, you need to solely purchase the bottom version on Steam when it goes stay.
The Steam FAQ web page additionally comprises another doubtlessly upsetting data: There are at present no plans for EFT to assist the Steam Deck and Household Sharing is a no-go. Plus, the system necessities, as seen on the Steam web page, are fairly steep. Really useful specs embrace 64GB (!!) of RAM and a 4070.
Escape from Tarkov’s major extraction mode will lastly emerge from beta standing on November 15, 2025, after almost a decade in growth. But it surely’s not the one mode that EFT has on supply.
As an extraction shooter, Tarkov options PvP parts that see each bots and gamers on a stay multiplayer map, although the principle sport loop is all about getting in, looting, surviving, and extracting. Two years in the past, nonetheless, BSG launched EFT: Area as a standalone answer for individuals who needed to expertise the tactical shooter in a aggressive surroundings. Although Area makes use of the identical EFT account to share rank and stats, and is obtainable for buy individually on the Epic Video games Retailer proper now, this mode doesn’t have a Steam itemizing.
So whereas needing to purchase the sport a second time when you desperately must play may be a bummer, it’s value noting that you just can simply add non-Steam video games to the Steam launcher. That mentioned, given that you just’ll nonetheless want a BSG account and your earlier purchases of the dearer editions will carry over, some are wondering why BSG can’t simply enable the bottom model to hold over with a obtain of the launcher by means of Steam.
