Some of them did a better job than the others, though, and choosing a favorite among them was surprisingly easier than a similar choice in other categories. Are you curious to know which one caught our fancy in this very competitive corner of the gaming world? Let’s begin with the nominees and work our way up from there.

Let’s jump right in! The nominees for the best shooter of 2025 are:

1. Escape From Tarkov

There’s so much to like about this one. It does a brilliant job of making you feel like you’re a battle-hardened mercenary, while its movement systems and excellent weapon variety make it a very viable option for those of you who like playing multiplayer online. Its premise does a great job at providing context for your actions, while the visuals can make things quite immersive indeed.

As far as shooters go, Escape From Tarkov is definitely up there with the best ones of 2025.

2. Arc Raiders

Innovative, intense, and very interesting Arc Raiders’ spin on the extraction shooter formula has given its players a chance to create some truly memorable experience. Its post-apocalyptic world is one in which you can’t really trust anybody but when you find someone you can, it’s a beautiful moment with the potential for some spectacular ambushes on other Raiders.

It’s all so fast-paced and dripping with agency for its players that this gameplay loop is one that’s going to keep us diving back for more every time we get the chance.

3. Battlefield 6

Battlefield 6 had a lot riding on its shoulders after the debacle that was Battlefield 2042. The game has managed to live up to the hype, however, despite a poor response to its single player campaign. Its visuals are outstanding while the Kinesthetic movement system does wonders for its gameplay.

The Portal is so much better this time around, while its weapons, destructible environments, and a general feel of polish being a part of the experience make this one worth owning.

4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

As a version of STALKER 2 that came complete with all of the game’s updates over the past year along with some great touches from GSC that made use of the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers, the PS5 version of the game is the one to beat.

It’s very immersive while the improved and patched A-Life system and the newly added improvements to stealth make exploring The Zone on your PS5 an experience in which you’re always at risk even as you hunt down your enemies with skill and precision. The story is great and the world is one in which there is a lot of potential for unscripted chaos.

5. DOOM: The Dark Ages

The Slayer returned for a third instalment that channels everything that makes the first-person shooter genre so exhilarating. However, id Software’s switched-up gameplay loop coupled with a setting that explored the early days of the Slayer’s battles against enemy forces made this one a brutal romp through incredibly rendered environments.

Of course, those environments were peppered with deadly enemies and cool weapons for the Slayer to take on, and the entire experience is a blast from start to finish. You can’t go wrong with a DOOM: The Dark Ages title if you’re in the market for a new shooter.

6. Sniper Elite: Resistance

Rebellion’s return to the Sniper Elite franchise has been a largely entertaining trip, and watching Harry Hawker take on the Wunderwaffe was a delight. Of course, the gameplay mechanics were a huge part of that happiness, with a lot of freedom being given to players in determining their approach to a target.

The X-ray kill cam, and a lot of solid optional content makes this a great choice for those of you who like to shoot from a distance.

7. The Outer Worlds 2

This follow up to its 2019 predecessor is an RPG that’s going to have you grinning to yourself on many occasions even as you power through some intense battles and navigate a complex world with nuanced interactions between its factions and your character. The Outer Worlds 2 is full of memorable moments that’s balanced out by a story with some serious stakes..

With a lot of potential for build creation and excellent replay value, this is a game that can suck up a massive chunk of your life if you decide to take it on.

8. Escape From Duckov

Team Soda’s unique spin on an extraction shooter balances adorable characters with nail-biting action in this one. The top-down presentation works well to give weight to its mechanics while the visuals and story lend it a pace that’s quite satisfying.

As a single-player extraction shooter, Escape from Duckov stands out from the crowd, with a gameplay loop that seems deceptively simple until a firefight breaks out. It’s definitely worth a shot (pun intended).

9. Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition

Although the main campaign was a little too short for our liking, this tension-filled trek through a Xenomorph-infested facility was quite thrilling. The Xenos are brutal and relentless, coming at you from every possible angle while you’re left scrambling to find a good position and launch your counterattack.

The story on offer is quite riveting too, and it can be very rewarding to hunt down all of the lore drops you find in the well-rendered world. If only the next chapter of the story could get here faster.

10. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been a great game, making us burn the midnight oil more often than usual thanks to how addictive its gameplay loop can be. Its combat mechanics are top shelf while your psychic powers can be the road to some very creative ways to cause mayhem.

This one is a great addition to the Switch 2 lineup, and ticks all the right boxes that make up a solid shooter.

11. Metal Eden

If you’re a fan of shooters that require you to move fast and shoot faster, look no further than Metal Eden. With a lot of excellent mobility options at your disposal in the field, along with great weapons and a very well-implemented bullet time mechanic, Aska is capable of taking on the android antagonists who stand between her and the Cores.

Its gameplay and level design are somewhat let down by a lack of balancing and weapon progression systems but it’s still an excellent shooter nonetheless.

12. Borderlands 4

The Vault Hunters have returned, and with style. This is an action RPG that doesn’t take itself too seriously unless it’s an aspect of the experience that really counts. As such, its story and gameplay are excellent, while the franchise’s unique art style continues to hold its own among current-gen productions.

With an open world that hides a lot of fun things to do, and the franchise’s signature style guiding you along, you’re going to want to keep an eye on the clock as you play this one unless you’re planning to lose track of time.

13. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition

Sneakybox’s remaster of Demetrian Titus’ 2011 adventure continues to be a brilliant Warhammer 40k game. While it can be a little over-the-top in certain moments of its story, the combination of melee and ranged combat works very well with the weapon variety on offer and the narrative framing of the Ultramarines.

This is a quintessential Warhammer experience and is one that’s worth diving into even after all these years.

14. Ready or Not (PS5/Xbox Series X | S)

We’re going to tell you that this one came quite close to being the victor of this 2025’s best shooter. Its gameplay loop is filled with a sort of tension that comes from a presentation that’s done exceedingly well. It’s straightforward and easy to grasp while its moment to moment unpredictability make it a challenge to master.

Even the best of players might find themselves in the midst of a chaotic shootout, a single mistake costing them a lot of careful planning and tactical infiltration. Ready or Not is a masterpiece but it might not be everybody’s cup of tea thanks to its sensitive content.

15. Gears of War: Reloaded

Markus Fenix’s PS5 debut was all sorts of awesome. With a visual overhaul of the original experience working well with a story that continues to be as exciting as was back in the day, Gears of War continues to be a franchise that does the shooter genre justice.

From the nostalgia factor alone, to the mechanics and weapons you can wield, Gears of War: Reloaded is a great shooter, and its multiplayer scene continues to thrive thanks to the franchise’s immense popularity.

Well, we’ve put our cards on the table. And now comes the challenge of selecting a winner. While it hasn’t been easy and competition has been intense.

The winner of the best shooter of 2025 is…

Arc Raiders

This is a title that’s so unique and full of potential for community-driven chaos that it simply races ahead of its competition, bringing a very unique experience to the extraction-shooter space while its gameplay loop lends itself very well to unpredictability and tension between its world’s inhabitants. Lose yourself in this one, and you’re going to find that your fellow Raiders are your best friends and worst enemies all at once.

It’s been awesome trying out all of 2025’s greatest shooters. Here’s to many more excellent ones in 2026!

If that’s appealing to you, you’re probably as much of a sucker for punishment as we are, and are going to love the ones that are on this list. Each one of them is going to test you in its own way, but the journey is certainly worth it as they are experiences you’d not want to miss.

Let’s dive in, and let the battles begin.

1. Bionic Bay

If you’re raising your eyebrows at the thought of a 2D platformer being among the hardest games of the year, allow us to warn you that this one comes with a lot of moments where you’re going to be feeling despair at the seemingly impossible challenge in front of you. That’s a sentiment that never fully leaves you as you try to navigate the complex pathways to your character’s ultimate escape that serves as the narrative framing for this adventure.

It takes a determined player to get to the end of this one, and if that’s you, strap in for a hell of a good time.

2. Elden Ring: Nightreign

Although I’d personally recommend you bring a couple of friends along to Limveld, playing with complete strangers might just be a natural part of the challenge on offer in this roguelike debut from FromSoftware. From planning the perfect route and being as efficient as possible when you take on the many threats you’re going to find along the way, this one is a rush through risky lands that can get quite addictive.

Of course, the bosses at the end of each run are going to be absolute walls that require multiple runs before you can even begin to formulate a strategy to take them down that can work with different combinations of weapons. We could go on, but you get the point.

3. Haste

While its premise, gameplay loop, and control scheme are deceptively simple, Haste is so unpredictable and reliant on precision for the best rewards that it becomes quite challenging to play it the way it wants you to. For a game that’s about running as fast as you can before you try to stick a perfect landing to preserve your momentum, it sure brings a myriad of ways to bring you to a sudden halt.

But if you’re the type to keep getting back up and trying again, you’re going to have a lot of fun (and digital concussions) with this one.

4. Escape From Tarkov

No matter the mode you pick on this extraction shooter, things are going to be challenging as you begin to trade damage with enemies and pick up a few injuries along the way. That’s thanks to the game’s emphasis on being a realistic tactical shooter, requiring you to be very cognizant of your presence in the world, and ever on the lookout for signs of life from your enemies, too.

Things can get tense with this one, especially against players who know what they’re doing with it. Approach it with caution and pay attention to its mechanics, as they could mean the difference between life and death.

5. Wuchang Fallen Feathers

This fantasy, based on the end of the Ming Dynasty, is a great example of a game that encourages you to try different approaches to insurmountable challenges until you find one that works. Its combat mechanics are sublime, with each of its weapon types coming with distinct mechanics that make them very special.

Its enemies and bosses are all excellent adversaries, while some of its harder enemies had us grinding our teeth in frustration at the errors they forced us to make. For a visually stunning world teeming with difficult fights to pick, this one is a no-brainer.

6. AI Limit

Life as a Blader isn’t easy, and Arissa is no stranger to the challenges that come her way in this sci-fi ARPG. But she’s only as good as the player guiding her actions, and the combat loop on offer makes things quite challenging to stay on top of. This game’s Soulslike trappings are proudly on display, and its enemy types make it quite hard to predict potential attacks and form strategies.

The result is an experience that needs you to think on your feet, and comes off all the more rewarding as a result.

7. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Henry’s adventure in this sequel can get quite challenging if you don’t make good use of its excellent combat mechanics. While you can make things easy for yourself by exploring as much as you can, things are designed to remain a challenge throughout the experience in this title.

Its Hardcore mode takes the realism it presents to a whole other level, removing a lot of important assists that you might otherwise rely on. You’re going to want to master the basics of this game’s combat system and practice as much as you can to make the most of it.

8. Hollow Knight Silksong

As a worthy sequel to the original game, this one’s expanded size and scope make both exploration and combat work very well together to present a gameplay loop that constantly has you on the back foot if you’re prone to making errors in combat. Hornet’s improved agility and new moveset are a valuable addition to a game that brings a very troublesome rogues’ gallery to its levels.

You’re going to want to be precise and attack with intent if you want to survive this one’s toughest battles. To hesitate is to die, and this game does not let you forget that.

9. Blue Prince

This one is a great test of your wits for those among you who prefer that kind of a challenge. Finding the hidden 46th room in a mansion whose layout is ever-changing is going to have you thinking about potential solutions even while you’re at work. It’s maddeningly simple and yet quite hard to nail down.

When considered alongside a gameplay loop that’s designed to keep you bamboozled, this is a game that can send you in circles before you find that a solution was right in front of you all along.

10. The First Berserker: Khazan

For an exhilarating combat system backed up by a great story and some very unique visuals, Khazan’s battle is going to hit all the right notes and then some. The combat system gives you all the tools you need to face down any threats standing in your way, but makes each of those threats so memorable and challenging that you can’t help but get up and try again when they take you down.

This one’s so good that giving up on it isn’t an option, as you’re going to find out when you dive in.

11. DOOM: The Dark Ages

The Slayer might be feared by the forces of Hell, but he’s only as good as the one who wields his mighty arsenal of weapons. This prequel can get overwhelming if you don’t take full advantage of its new mechanics, and even that might not save you on its harder difficulties.

This is a game that needs you to be quite tactical as you take on enemies, planning a bloody path through their ranks with the brutal efficiency that only Earth’s mightiest defender can wield against the forces that threaten his world. The Slayer’s latest adventure is a deadly one, but it’s totally worth it if you’re up for the challenge.

12. Warriors: Abyss

Although the massive roster and a great combat system are the main draws of this one, it can get quite difficult to take on the armies it throws at you in the heat of battle. You’re going to have to master your moves to get the most out of your build, and the game’s enemies are no pushovers, ready to slice and dice you into oblivion if you allow the momentum of a battle to slip away.

While the story could have been better, it does manage to give you a reason to take on as many enemies as you like with almost reckless abandon, provided you earn your mastery through practice and perfection.

13. Ninja Gaiden 4

The new Ninja Gaiden does very well to preserve the franchise’s trademark challenge, with both Ryu and Yakumo having their abilities pushed to their limits over the course of the story. Taking on enemies with its combat system might be familiar if you’re a returning veteran, but it can get a tad challenging to master for a newcomer.

Either way, this is a game where you need to use all of the skills you learn in order to stay on top of everything it throws at you. Oh, and of course, you have to do it all with style. Otherwise, what’s the point?

14. Hell Is Us

While this game’s combat might not be too much of a challenge, it’s in how the game’s very design is aimed at making it all as opaque as possible that gets you. Hell is Us can get quite complicated if you’re not paying attention, with so much of its content hidden away behind a veil of obscurity that seems to cover its world.

Uncovering it all is going to require the best of your sleuthing skills, and of course, a bit of talent with your blades whenever the need arises. Even that might not be enough to see all it has to offer in a single playthrough. Approach this one with a suitable notepad in hand.

15. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Joe Musashi’s fight against the ENE is a great action-platformer that can have you retrying portions of it more often than you’d like to admit. While you do enjoy Musashi’s agility and a solid arsenal of skills and tools to make fights easier as the adventure goes on, its enemies ensure that you’re always kept on your toes and that no victory feels cheap.

It’s a deadly dance of attacks and dodges that can have you spending hours just enjoying its balance between simplicity and depth.

And that’s a wrap on the hardest games of 2025 that caught our attention. We can only wonder what the year ahead has in store for us, but no matter what, know that we’re going to be there for it all alongside you!

It doesn’t specify how many have bought the game through Steam alone, but it also doesn’t factor in sales for the closed beta, which is impressive. Battlestate also shared some interesting statistics, such as players racking up 135 million hours, the equivalent of over 15,400 years, which translates to more than 200 million Customs raids (assuming they all lasted to the end).

However, only 500 PMCs managed to actually escape from Tarkov – which is indeed the name of the game – and unlocked an ending. Check out our thoughts on the game, and don’t worry – even more content is in the works, including DLC that expands on the Scav play-style and console versions.

One of the most important things to remember about Escape From Tarkov is the fact that it is very much in the simulationist camp of gaming. The shooter wants to simulate as much as it possibly can while still being fun to play. This means that every aspect of gameplay, from using guns to looting containers or bodies, and even just managing your inventory, has an extra layer of interaction that might come across as tedium to some. However, this is very much integral to the experience that it’s trying to present. You’re not a super-soldier that’s taking on entire platoons on your own; you’re simply trying to scavenge for crafting materials, food, water, bandages and guns, just to survive.

"A number of different gameplay systems tie in to how the gunplay feels as well."

Since it is a first-person shooter, the gunplay is a great place to start. You’re not going to get crosshairs that help you line-up shots without aiming down sights. And even then, you’re going to have to deal with a host of things, from recoil, to simply your own arms swaying ever-so-slightly. Each gun feels distinctly different, and the fact that different ammo is needed for different kinds of weaponry is more than just additional inventory management; munitions’ calibre plays a major role in how a gun feels to use, with larger calibre bullets doing more damage, but also adding more recoil with each shot.

A number of different gameplay systems tie in to how the gunplay feels as well. Durability, for instance, is a major consideration. Maintaining your gun is important, after all, and the lower its durability gets, the higher the chances of minor malfunctions like jams. These, in turn, can even lead to larger malfunctions. Rather than being yet more busywork, the durability and weapon malfunctions add quite a bit to the tension of a typical gun fight. That low-durability AK that you picked up off the floor might be great once it’s repaired, and it might even be an upgrade right now, but using it as soon as possible also means that you’ll have to quickly check for any malfunctions that need fixing. After all, you never want to hear an empty “click” when you pull the trigger while taking on three scavengers by yourself.

"Rather than being yet more busywork, the durability and weapon malfunctions add quite a bit to the tension of a typical gun fight."

Escape From Tarkov also has some elements of survival, inspired by titles like Rust, where hunger, thirst, and even your own health is an important factor. All of these systems can also tie in to the gunplay, since going hungry or thirsty for too long will start to affect your vision, making aiming more difficult. Even the player damage model is quite in-depth, with each limb having its own health. Taking too much damage on your legs or hands will have tangible effects on gameplay too, slowing you down by a considerable amount and increasing your weapon sway while you’re aiming-down-sights.

Just about every one of these mechanics are explained through a tutorial mission that the game throws you into the moment you start it up for the first time. However, this definitely needs some more fine-tuning and tweaking, as it can often feel just about as obtuse as the overall game itself. While it is happy to let you know that you can loot containers by pressing F, it doesn’t really do anything to show you what a container might look like. Similarly, picking up a gun might prompt a tutorial on weapon durability, but actually fixing your new gun’s issues is a different matter entirely. As someone new to the game as a whole, my first run through the tutorial ended with disaster, since I also wasn’t shown where I could go aside from a vague “make your way to an extraction point” objective; I also wasn’t given access to a map to try and get my bearings. Generally speaking, the onboarding experience for new players is terrible, and Battlestate Games will definitely want to bring in some improvements.

"Generally speaking, the onboarding experience for new players is terrible."

All of these core mechanics tie into the central gameplay conceit of Tarkov – the raids. The central narrative of Escape From Tarkov revolves around the player, working for either United Security or Battle Encounter Assault Regiment, trying to figure out a way to escape from the titular city. To achieve this, players set off on raids into Tarkov with the main goal being to reach the other end. Along the way, players will get their hands on loot that can take the form of new equipment, weapons, food, water, or even just valuables that can be sold for some cash. An added wrinkle to these raids is the fact that the map is also populated with AI-controlled scavengers, as well as other players with similar goals. Dying before you can get to the extraction point means that you lose everything you brought with you on the raid.

The tension from this pseudo-permadeath mechanic where even setting up a starting loadout means you’re risking valuable equipment that could be lost thanks to an errant gunshot is at the heart of Escape From Tarkov. The fact that you can lose just about everything, combined with the survival-styled mechanics and the simulationist approach to gunplay also lends the extraction shooter a horror-like vibe. Sure, you aren’t going to have to fight off zombies or anything. But the slow and deliberate pace of gameplay where you have to constantly be on the lookout for enemy soldiers while also trying to bandage up a bleeding wound and managing your inventory at the same time feels like Tarkov at its absolute best. And while the risks associated with losing everything might sound harsh, bouncing back isn’t too difficult since you can buy a few starter weapons and slowly sneak your way through a raid to build your resources back up.

"The tension from this pseudo-permadeath mechanic where even setting up a starting loadout means you’re risking valuable equipment that could be lost thanks to an errant gunshot is at the heart of Escape From Tarkov."

Tarkov itself is a fantastic map full of interesting potential arenas for combat. It’s a dense place filled with buildings – ruined or otherwise – all over the place. Along with this, even the streets don’t offer much in the way of reprieve since they’re also loaded up with long-abandoned vehicles. While this means that close-quarters combat is quite common, there are also a few spots that offer opportunities for longer-ranged fights, especially if you manage to get into one of the taller skyscrapers. Generally speaking, the map has been designed in a great way where a few players with sniper rifles don’t end up just instantly killing everything they see. Rather, there are quite a few opportunities for flanking, or even digging in for prolonged fights.

The regular enemies you fight aren’t really anything to write home about; they don’t really get more interesting than “guys in military gear”, and tend to offer little in the way of challenge unless you start getting vastly outnumbered. This is when even some of the basic tactics that these AI enemies are capable of start feeling a lot more dangerous, since they will happily flush you out with any grenades that they might have, and even use flanking maneuvers.

PvP is where Escape From Tarkov started losing me, personally. Since there are other players in the map, you’ll constantly be on the lookout to either take them out before they can spot you, or to at least hide and make sure that you don’t get seen. Since the shooter has been out for almost 7 years, the player base is already quite experienced with the intricacies of its gunplay. This means that new players are at a severe disadvantage right from the get go. Add on top the ever-present problem of cheaters and what was turning out to be a fun-but-stressful experience into a borderline rage-inducing one. The title does ship with its own PvE mode, but that’s locked behind an additional purchase. To players who might not be entirely into taking on other players in high-stakes games like this, the best way to experience Escape From Tarkov turns out to be a community-made mod called Single-Player Tarkov.

"Since the shooter has been out for almost 7 years, the player base is already quite experienced with the intricacies of its gunplay."

As its name might imply, Single-Player Tarkov – or SPT – takes away PvP from the gameplay equation. Rather, it simulates other players with some competent AI, making them slightly smarter than the typical NPC enemies you are bound to have encountered throughout the game. It wouldn’t really exist without the core game itself, since it essentially builds on the foundations that have already been laid down by developer Battlestate Games, but if you’re having trouble getting Tarkov, then it might be worth a look.

Aside from the core extraction shooter mode, Escape From Tarkov also has a side game dubbed EFT: Arena. As its name might imply, the game mode aims to offer a more fast-paced experience for players that might not enjoy the “raid” aspects of Escape From Tarkov, and would instead prefer to get right into the PvP. While it does make use of the same core gameplay elements as the base game, EFT: Arena definitely feels like it still needs some more time in the oven. It offers little in the way of interesting gameplay moments or elements, and even its maps – carved out from the overall Tarkov map – tend to feel bland without the larger background of the city available to explore. Arena is, ultimately, not quite why you would even want to pick up Escape From Tarkov to begin with, and serves as little more than a way to warm up before you set off on some actual raids.

When it comes to technical performance, Escape From Tarkov offers something of a middle ground. While I wasn’t able to go over the 100 FPS that I’m typically used to in shooters, the base game itself ran quite well on my system – an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, 32 GB of DDR5-6000 RAM and an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU – and while I did get a few stutters here and there, things sorted themselves out after around few minutes of gameplay. That’s not to say that there are no technical problems; there is a massive discrepancy between the minimum hardware requirements and what the studio recommends. This means that many players – myself included – can’t exactly max out the graphics settings and still get stable frame rates.

"Escape From Tarkov is an excellent game that feels like it might be let down due to the fact that it revolves around online PvPvE gameplay against other players."

Along with this, there were quite a few problems when it came to its servers. Like many players since the 1.0 launch, I also faced quite a few issues with matchmaking, which on one occasion went on for as long as around 40 minutes before I gave up on that session. The visuals are great as well, and really sells you on the devastation that the city of Tarkov has faced. The biggest things holding the title back, for the time being at least, are its server issues.

Escape From Tarkov is an excellent game that feels like it might be let down due to the fact that it revolves around online PvPvE gameplay against other players. Sure, the PvP can feel great at times, but I do believe that, until the server issues and presence of hackers and cheaters gets sorted out, it remains a major downside of the shooter. This, along with the fact that the tutorial is quite confusing on its own means that Escape From Tarkov can be an incredibly difficult game to get into, especially for players new to the genre. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any redeeming factors; the core gameplay and minute-to-minute tension is essentially unmatched compared to anything in the market right now. While there are plenty of great extraction shooters out there, Escape From Tarkov offers an incredibly unique experience thanks to how well all of its mechanics work in tandem to create a tense but rewarding gameplay experience.

This game was reviewed on PC.

“Servers get full really fast so we[‘re] adding more and more servers worldwide to cut matching times more,” wrote Buyanov on X. “We are also fixing all of the incoming bugs, and as I said, we will continue to improve and fix the game for the next months.”

Along with this, Buyanov also thanked players for the interest and support they have shown in Escape From Tarkov, while also acknowledging that the extraction shooter still has legacy bugs from its alpha days that have still made it through to the 1.0 release.

“The release was rough for sure, sorry for that. But we are willing to continue fighting for everything good against bad. We will continue to provide to you, actual fans of the game, things that you will enjoy. We need to finally crack this performance problems, outdated stuff and legacy bugs which [are] left. Yes, a lot of things were fixed in release version, but it’s not enough.”

The studio itself has also posted an official statement on Steam, confirming that it is indeed working on technical updates that will fix a few core issues with Escape From Tarkov. The update will target issues when downloading Escape From Tarkov and EFT: Arena through Steam and the studio’s own BSG launcher, instances of error 228 when interacting with traders, and issues with incorrect lighting when interacting with traders.

In the meantime, the studio has asked players making use of Nvidia Smooth Motion to disable the setting, since players have been experiencing issues with starting Escape From Tarkov up with the setting enabled. A compensatory reward has also been promised to players in the “near future” – a Bear Classic and USEC Night Patrol set. Players that already own these items will get the equivalent amount of in-game credits.

“We understand that this might not be the complete list of the issues that players are facing and the problems that are not included in the list will also be addressed with the upcoming patches,” wrote the developer.

Escape From Tarkov’s 1.0 release was also met with the title’s official release on Steam. However, reception has been quite critical, with many players complaining about the myriad of technical issues plaguing the PvPvE extraction shooter. At the time of writing the user reviews for the title on Steam are currently sitting at an aggregate of “Mixed”, with only 46 percent of the English user reviews being positive.

Buyanov has also previously stated that the studio might be looking at bringing Escape From Tarkov to consoles. While details haven’t yet been confirmed, the developer is likely looking at efficient ways to translate the shooter’s more complex UI/UX to become more controller-friendly.

The negative reviews have cited several issues with Escape From Tarkov, including technical issues like servers not being able to handle the number of players, as well as cheaters having made their way into the full release. While one such review praises the title for the unique style of gameplay it presents, the review also points to several issues still present in the full release of the game.

“The thin veneer of spit polish they’ve been putting on the game for the last 5 years to ready it for a ‘1.0’ release isn’t going to stop players from being unpaid beta testers, nor cover the vast technical debt and inadequacy that makes the game so frustrating to play,” wrote one reviewer on Steam. “Hackers, server issues, bugs that appear and dissapear with patches, the game is held together with bailing wire.“

Other problems pointed out by several reviews revolve around the fact that matchmaking seemingly taking too much time. One reviewer noted that they could have overlooked these launch issues, but the fact that it took them between 20 and 40 minutes to find a match was a major problem.

“This is a broken piece of code,” they wrote. “I could overlook a bad launch, server issues, poor optimization, and bugs. But matchmaking takes 20–40 minutes for both Scav and PMC.”

When it comes to raw player numbers, Escape From Tarkov on Steam isn’t quite reaching the same heights as ARC Raiders. However, it is worth noting that Steam isn’t the only way to play Escape From Tarkov. The title has been available to purchase on the developer’s on website since its initial alpha launch, and has ultimately amassed a massive player base without even having touched Steam. According to SteamDB, the all-time peak concurrent player count sits at 47,800, with 38,511 players in the game at the time of publishing.

While developer Battlestate Games might be working hard on fixing some of these launch-day issues, game director Nikita Buyanov noted in an interview that the studio is also looking at the idea of bringing Escape From Tarkov to consoles as well.

“Yes, we are considering the possibility of porting the game to consoles,” said Buyanov. “I think when we start working on it, we will implement full controller support. It’s a very serious and interesting game design challenge – to create comfortable controls while accounting for all of Tarkov’s unique mechanics.”

With Escape From Tarkov now finally having hit 1.0 and coming to a larger audience thanks to its release on Steam, here is everything you need to know about the extraction shooter before you decide to jump in. Also check out our thoughts on what the studio must do to reward its long-time player base with its 1.0 release.

Thus, the Raiders plundered the new map in search of new resources and weapons while coming face to face with new ARC enemies (including the towering Matriarch). Yesterday, November 16th, it peaked at 481,966 concurrent Steam players – a new record. Battlefield 6, its closest competitor, reached 299,135 concurrent players (and that’s with its free battle royale mode included).

Meanwhile, another extraction shooter, Escape from Tarkov, peaked at nearly 48,000 players yesterday. Login issues were the main culprit, but tying a third-party launcher to the Steam version, which counts towards one’s playtime even if they’re not in-game, didn’t go down well either. As a result, it has a “Mostly Negative” rating on Steam with only 31 percent of the currently 17,907 user reviews voicing their approval.

Speaking to WCCF Tech, Buyanov said, “Yes, we are considering the possibility of porting the game to consoles. I think when we start working on it, we will implement full controller support. It’s a very serious and interesting game design challenge – to create comfortable controls while accounting for all of Tarkov’s unique mechanics.”

Tarkov doesn’t currently offer native controller support on PC. If Battlestate were to develop the same for consoles, it remains to be seen if it would implement it for PC players. Considering the high system requirements with a whopping 64 GB of RAM recommended to play the extraction shooter, it also has quite a road ahead when it comes to optimization.

Escape from Tarkov launched yesterday on Steam and already has a “Mostly Negative” rating. Out of the currently 15,954 user reviews, only 29 percent recommend the title. Login issues have been one of the biggest issues, and some have pointed out that the third-party launcher counts towards playtime, reducing the window for refund.

Launching on November 15th, Version 1.0 will add the finishing touches to the release and even mark the game’s arrival on Steam. What can you expect, and how does this massive update cap off years of support? Let’s dive into all of it.

The Innovator

So by now, you know the basic gameplay loop of an extraction shooter, and Escape from Tarkov is no different. You get into one of the many maps (more coming at launch, which we’ll get to in a minute), collect resources, fight off enemies (and other players) and then try to leave. Failure to do so means everything on your person, save for a few items stored in safety slots, is gone.

What Sets Tarkov Apart

However, Tarkov offers a bit more on top of this. Each body part on your character takes separate degrees of damage, resulting in debilitating side effects. Fractured your legs? Enjoy 45 percent reduced movement speed, no sprinting and lower jumping height. You can even suffer negative ailments like bleeding, muscle pain, concussions and more, which require treatment. There’s also a flea market for buying and selling items to other players and even a PvE-only mode for those who don’t care for PvP.

Realism and New Weapons

The other major component of Tarkov is the realistic gunplay, where bullet drop, penetration and even ricochets need to be accounted for. There are over 100 weapons (excluding melee tools), and Version 1.0 is adding even more, including the Colt M16A1 assault rifle, the DS Arms RPD light machine gun, the Škorpion Vzor 82 SMG, and many more.

New Attachments

Of course, you can also customize guns to your liking with different ammo types and attachments. The sheer amount of options is pretty nuts and – you guessed it – there’s going to be even more at launch, including new handguards and optics.

Maps and Terminal

From the Lighthouse and its neighboring homes to the theme park that is the Labyrinth and the origin point that is Ground Zero, Tarkov has a pretty extensive range of maps. The beta offers 11 in total, with a twelfth, Terminal, to be added in 1.0. Since these are all areas within Tarkov, is there any chance of seeing them connected into one giant map? Battlestate Games is planning for the same, but it won’t be ready for the full release, unfortunately.

Campaign

Believe it or not, Tarkov has a story, and while beta players have been busy with side quests all these years, the full campaign will be coming to Version 1.0. For now, all that’s known is that you’re on a mission to, well, escape from Tarkov and that means scrounging about the environments, fighting off Scavs, and collecting enough resources without dying. Maybe you’ll survive. Maybe not, and surprisingly, that factors into the…

Multiple Endings

Escaping from Tarkov may be the core objective, but it’s by no means the only conclusion to your journey. Four endings exist, and it’s confirmed that the so-called “best ending” will be very difficult to achieve. Battlestate estimates that about 20 percent of players will reach it, making us wonder if it has something to do with the amount of playtime required, if not the inherent skill of the person in question. By that measure, what does a “bad ending” look like? Going back to beta? I digress.

Potential Seasonal and Permanent Characters

Wipes in extraction shooters can be a touchy subject, especially when it comes to leveling the playing field. And while Tarkov is no stranger to the same, the development team has talked about potentially introducing seasonal and permanent characters. The former is subject to wipes, resetting to zero with each new season, while the latter continues progressing. It wouldn’t be all that different from, say, Path of Exile, and may even serve as a nice way to introduce items and mechanics exclusive to that season as an incentive to play.

“A Few New Tricks” for the Cheating Problem

Cheating has been an ongoing problem for years, to the point where PvE is now viewed as a haven. The developer has teased “a few new tricks up our sleeve” for the game’s release to deal with the issue in an interview with PCGamesN, but also acknowledged that it’s a “never-ending race.” Keep that in mind if competitive integrity, even in the world of ganking and betrayals, is important.

Repurchasing (and Reinstalling) to Play on Steam

So you’ve supported the game through its many ups and downs through the many years of beta testing, and are excited to play on Steam. Well, bad news – you need to buy it again. Linking your Battlestate account will carry over any progress made, including Achievements, but prepare to pony up the cash. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll need to reinstall the game to play on Steam.

Pre-order and Beta Rewards

Those purchasing any version of the game will receive two clothing sets, a PMC dogtag, a shooting target, mannequin poses, and other rewards. But if you picked up Unheard and EOD Editions, you’ll receive a Battle-Worn Gamma Container, a Hideout Style called “Forgotten”, and the Ace of Spades shooting target. Unheard Edition owners get even more rewards – again, all cosmetic.

System Requirements

Throughout the years, you might have heard that the performance isn’t quite…ideal. In terms of recommendations for 1.0, Steam lists Windows 10 64-bit, an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or similar, 16 GB of RAM, and a GTX 1660 or similar at the very minimum. The recommended requirements? You might want to sit down for this one. First is Windows 11 64-bit – so far, so blah. Next is a Core i7-14700F or better, 64 – yes, 64 GB of RAM and an RTX 4070 or better.

First DLC Focuses on the Scav Life

While 1.0 marks a huge milestone, it’s by no means the stopping point. Tarkov will be expanded even further with DLC – paid or free is currently unknown – with the first focusing on Scav Life. Some more lore and content tied to the faction, perhaps, with a new way to experience Scavenger Raids? Anything is possible, so the wait is on for more details.

Years of Post-Launch Support Confirmed

But it doesn’t – and potentially can’t – stop there as Battlestate has about five years of post-launch content planned. If you’ve followed Tarkov for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard about content that’s been planned but still subject to change, be it new locations, modes or features. It’s all quite nebulous, and the amount that could make it to 1.0 or sometime thereafter as post-launch content is unknown. Nevertheless, the development team is adamant about sticking with the game for the long term, rather than working on a sequel.

Console Releases

Oh, and for those who can’t be bothered to deal with its obscenely high PC requirements, Escape from Tarkov is also coming to consoles. When? That’s the million-dollar question – besides whether it will offer cross-platform and cross-progression – and Battlestate Games didn’t offer much beyond confirmation of development. So while the wait ends for one era with the release of 1.0, another begins.

According to Sides, the biggest problem with the label of “extraction shooter” is how seemingly vague it is. He spoke about how the label can be used for a wide variety of games, from Helldivers 2 to Escape From Tarkov, since it is more of a description of gameplay mechanics than what genres typically signify.

“The problem is, Helldivers 2 can be called an extraction shooter, but it’s not,” said Sides. “The genre name is so bad. I hate the genre name of extraction shooter. When I was working on Marathon, I was working with marketing, dying to be like, ‘Can we please create a different genre name,’ because extraction shooter is so dumb. It’s the only genre where its name is a mechanic.”

He also spoke about his belief that the genre is still slowly figuring itself out with the release of games. Continuing to use Helldivers 2 as an example, he questions whether the extraction shooter label fits the co-op shooter since players also have to extract at the end of the mission. He also brings up major examples from the genre, including Escape From Tarkov, Arena Breakout, and even the recently-released ARC Raiders.

“So, you call Helldivers 2, is that an extraction shooter because you extract? No, it’s not like Tarkov at all,” he said. “So, the terminology of the genre is already terrible; it really makes it hard to compare these games. It’s why Arena Breakout and Tarkov, you can kind of look at those because they’re both extraction shooters and they kind of fit the same mold. Comparing ARC Raiders to Tarkov just doesn’t really fit. Comparing Arc Raiders to maybe like Rust could fit, and then, Rust, is that an extraction? Because it’s survival.”

“It’s just… it’s a problem. I cannot stand the name of it. So I think that when you say the extraction genre, it should hit your spot. I think it’s really the fact that the genre doesn’t even know what it is. You, as a player, how do you know what you’re going to get? And I think that’s one of the real issues with the genre itself.”

Generally speaking, whether or not a game belongs to the extraction shooter genre typically involves a number of factors. Games in the genre tend to have players set up their loadouts before heading into missions where they can find more gear or crafting materials, which they can then “extract” with them back to their home base. What sets the genre apart is the fact that players can lose everything they’re carrying if they die while on a mission, including the things they brought with them.

This means that, while games like ARC Raiders and Escape From Tarkov, and even Marathon fit quite neatly into the genre label, titles like Helldivers 2 or Deep Rock Galactic wouldn’t really qualify, since deaths in the game don’t involve losing even the things a player enters missions with.

Marathon is a new extraction shooter by Bungie that is slated to come to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The title doesn’t yet have a release date, however.