Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore extraction shooter for PC from Battlestate Games. You enter a raid with your own gear, fight other players and AI Scavs, grab loot and finish tasks. You win a raid by reaching an extraction point alive before the timer runs out, so you keep everything you carry.
What is Escape from Tarkov?
Escape from Tarkov is a realistic first-person shooter made and published by Battlestate Games. After years in early access it reached version 1.0 on November 15, 2025, and it is sold as a paid game on PC through Steam and Battlestate's own site. It is not free to play, and it is not on consoles.
You play a PMC operator in a fictional, war-torn city, trying to survive, trade and build up your stash. Each raid drops you onto a map with other players and AI-controlled Scavs. The game is known for slow, deliberate fights, injuries such as bleeding that you must treat, and the fact that you can lose your gear on every raid.
| Fact | Detail (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Developer and publisher | Battlestate Games |
| Version 1.0 release | November 15, 2025 |
| Platform | PC (Steam and the official site) |
| Price model | Paid game; the PvE Zone is a separate add-on on Steam |
| Genre | Extraction shooter (PvPvE) |
| Current season | Kord Breach, the first season, live since August 3, 2026 (patch 1.1.0.0) |
Patch 1.1.0.0 brought Seasons. Seasonal characters are separate profiles that start fresh, and each season runs roughly four to six months. Your normal PvP Zone and PvE Zone characters are not wiped by a new season. You can read more about the game and our services on our Escape from Tarkov boosting page.
What is the objective of Escape from Tarkov?
Over the long run, the goal is to grow your PMC. You level up, unlock better trader deals, finish trader tasks (often called quests), build your hideout and collect gear. Many dedicated players chase the Kappa container, the reward for completing a long chain of tasks.
Inside a single raid, the objective is simpler: go in, do what you came for and get out alive. That might be finishing a task, finding valuable loot or hunting other players. What you bring back can be sold, used or stored. If you die, you lose what you carried in, apart from the items in your secure container.
How do you win a raid in Escape from Tarkov?
There is no scoreboard and no winning team. A raid is a success when you extract: reach an open exit on that map and finish the extraction countdown before the raid timer ends. Raid timers differ by map and usually sit somewhere between half an hour and an hour. Some exits are always open, while others need a key, money or another condition first.
| Mode | Team size | How you win |
|---|---|---|
| PMC raid (PvP Zone) | Solo or with a group | Extract alive with your loot before the timer ends |
| PMC raid (PvE Zone) | Solo or co-op against AI | Same goal, but every enemy is AI |
| Season raid (Kord Breach) | Solo or with a group, on a seasonal character | Extract alive; season progress and rewards build on top |
| Scav raid | Solo | Extract with free loot; no gear of your own is at risk |
If the timer runs out you are listed as missing in action and lose your gear, just as if you had been killed. In the seasonal PvP mode, insurance is switched off, so lost gear does not come back. That makes a careful extraction more valuable than any number of kills.
How does ranked or progression work?
Tarkov has no ranked ladder. Progress is your PMC level, trader loyalty levels, finished tasks and your hideout. Seasons add a free battle pass, filled by collecting documents in raids and through the Kord Breach task line. Each season also has fixed global modifiers, plus optional personal modifiers where harder settings earn points to spend on easier ones.
For a full walkthrough of XP, tasks and Kappa, read our Tarkov leveling, tasks and Kappa guide, and browse every post on our Escape from Tarkov guides hub.
Beginner tips to win more raids
- Learn one map first. Knowing the exits and spawns on a single map keeps you alive far more than better gear.
- Check your exits at the start. Open the map screen and note which extracts are available to you this raid.
- Bring gear you can afford to lose. Cheap, effective kits keep you raiding instead of rebuilding.
- Use your Scav runs. They are free raids, so they are a low-risk way to learn maps and earn money.
- Protect your best items. The secure container keeps what is inside even if you die.
- Heal properly. Stop bleeds and fix fractures before moving on, since an untreated injury often decides the next fight.
- Plan raids around tasks. Stacking several tasks on one map speeds up your progress.
- Leave on time. A full bag is worth nothing if you are still looting when the timer ends.
Tarkov sits in the extraction genre alongside other games we cover. If you are comparing them, see our beginner guides to ARC Raiders and Marathon, or look at every game explained in one place.
How can Boosting Games help with Escape from Tarkov?
Boosting Games offers fixed-price Escape from Tarkov services, all listed in the Escape from Tarkov services collection. The prices below are starting prices as of October 2026, and the exact price for the option you pick shows before checkout.
| Service | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Escape from Tarkov Raid Carry (Sherpa Hours) | Hours of raiding alongside an experienced player | From $15 |
| Escape from Tarkov Character Leveling | We raise your PMC level | From $29 |
| Escape from Tarkov Task Completion | We finish the trader tasks you choose | From $35 |
| Escape from Tarkov Kappa Progress | Progress on the task chain toward the Kappa container | From $69 |
Honest risk note: Like most publishers, Battlestate Games does not allow account sharing in its terms, and paid boosting is against the rules in many games. Tarkov also uses kernel-level anti-cheat. Piloted orders, where a booster logs into your account, carry the most risk. Raid carries where you play alongside a pro carry less, and coaching carries none. Read our account safety notice before you order. We never sell accounts, currency, items, cheats or mods.
Get help with Escape from Tarkov
Pick a service and option, see the exact price before you pay, or ask Boost Up AI which one fits your goal.
See Escape from Tarkov servicesAsk Boost Up AINew to ordering? Our how it works page walks through every step, from picking a service to the final screenshots.
Related reading: Tarkov Leveling Guide: XP, Tasks and Kappa in the Seasons Era (2026), What Is ARC Raiders? How to Win, What Is Marathon? How to Win.
Escape from Tarkov FAQ
Is Escape from Tarkov free to play?
No. Escape from Tarkov is a paid game on PC, sold through Steam and the Battlestate Games site in several editions. On Steam, the PvE Zone is offered as a separate add-on. There is no free-to-play version and no console release as of October 2026, so check the current editions before you buy.
How long is a raid in Escape from Tarkov?
Each map has its own raid timer, and most sit somewhere between about thirty minutes and an hour. You do not have to use the whole timer. Many good raids are short: you finish a task or grab the loot you came for, then head straight for an exit. If the clock runs out before you extract, you lose your gear.
What happens when you die in Tarkov?
You lose the gear and loot you carried into that raid, except for items kept in your secure container. In the PvP Zone and PvE Zone, insured items may come back to you later through traders. In the seasonal PvP mode, insurance is turned off, so lost gear stays lost. That is why careful play pays off.
What is the Kord Breach season?
Kord Breach is the first official season, added with patch 1.1.0.0 on August 3, 2026. It uses separate seasonal characters that start at level 1 and reset when the season ends, while your normal characters stay untouched. It also added a free battle pass, fixed global modifiers, optional personal modifiers and economy changes.
Is Tarkov good for beginners?
It is one of the harder shooters to learn because maps have no markers, deaths cost gear and fights end quickly. Beginners do best by learning one map, using free Scav raids and playing in the PvE Zone if they own it. Expect to lose a lot early. Each raid teaches routes and exits that make the next one easier.
Can I play Escape from Tarkov solo?
Yes. You can raid alone in every mode, and many players do. Playing in a group makes fights easier and lets squadmates help with marked task objectives, but it also makes you louder and easier to spot. Solo play suits slow, careful players who want to loot and extract quietly.
Sources: Steam: Escape from Tarkov, Inven Global: 1.0 launch date, All Things How: Kord Breach changes, OpenCritic: patch 1.1 is live, EFT Ammo: extraction points.