Escape From Tarkov Review – A Little Human Compassion

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It’s fascinating to consider where Escape From Tarkov stands in 2025. The game has been in development for about eight years, evolving from an alpha to its full release, and has significantly influenced modern gaming. While The Division‘s Dark Zone in 2016 hinted at this style of gameplay, Escape From Tarkov really brought the extraction shooter genre to life and made it popular. The many advancements in extraction shooters since its 2017 alpha might make it seem like the game has been surpassed, but with the full release finally available, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

A key thing to understand about Escape From Tarkov is that it prioritizes realism. The game aims to simulate many aspects of survival, while still remaining enjoyable. This means everything – from handling weapons and searching for loot, to managing your inventory – is more detailed and interactive, which some players might find slow-paced. However, this complexity is central to the game’s design. You’re not an invincible hero; you’re a scavenger trying to find essential supplies like food, water, medical items, and weapons just to stay alive.

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

As a first-person shooter, the core of the game is its shooting mechanics. You won’t have a stable aiming point without looking down the sights, and even then, you’ll need to manage things like weapon recoil and slight arm movement. Each gun handles uniquely, and the different types of ammo add to this. The size of the bullets matters – bigger bullets deal more damage but also create more recoil, changing how each weapon feels to fire.

The way guns feel in the game is connected to several other systems. For example, keeping your weapons in good condition is crucial. As a gun’s durability decreases, it’s more likely to jam or malfunction, potentially leading to bigger problems. But these malfunctions aren’t just annoying tasks – they actually increase the suspense during combat. That damaged AK you found might be powerful once fixed, or even useful now, but using it right away means you need to constantly check for issues. You definitely don’t want a gun to fail when you’re facing multiple enemies alone.

Instead of just adding more things to do, features like weapon wear and occasional malfunctions actually make gunfights much more intense and exciting.

Like games such as Rust, Escape From Tarkov includes survival elements, meaning you need to manage hunger, thirst, and your overall health. These needs directly impact combat – being hungry or thirsty will blur your vision and make aiming harder. The game also features a detailed damage system; injuries to your arms or legs will noticeably affect how you move and shoot, slowing you down and making your aim unsteady.

The game attempts to teach you its mechanics through a starting tutorial, but it needs a lot of work. It often feels as confusing as the game itself. For example, it tells you how to loot, but doesn’t show you what you can loot. It might explain weapon durability when you pick up a gun, but doesn’t teach you how to repair it. My first attempt at the tutorial was a failure; I was only given a vague direction to head towards an extraction point and wasn’t provided with a map. Overall, the game does a poor job of introducing new players to the experience, and the developers should focus on making it much better.

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

The heart of Escape From Tarkov lies in its raids. Players take on the role of operatives for either United Security or Battle Encounter Assault Regiment, all trying to escape the city of Tarkov. Each raid involves entering the city and attempting to reach an extraction point. Along the way, players collect loot – things like weapons, equipment, supplies, and valuable items they can sell. But raids aren’t easy; the maps are filled with both AI-controlled enemies and other players competing for the same resources. And if you die before escaping, you’ll lose everything you brought with you.

Honestly, the thing that really gets me about Escape From Tarkov is the constant stress. Even picking what gear to bring at the start feels risky, because you could lose it all to a single bullet! Losing everything is a huge part of it, and combined with the realistic gunplay and needing to survive, it honestly feels like a horror game sometimes. There aren’t any zombies, but that slow, careful pace – checking every corner for enemies while you’re patching yourself up and trying to manage your inventory – that’s when Tarkov feels amazing. It sounds brutal losing all your stuff, but it’s actually pretty easy to bounce back. You can grab some basic weapons and slowly work your way through a raid, rebuilding your stash little by little.

The core of what makes Escape From Tarkov so intense is the risk of losing all your gear. Even preparing for a raid means potentially losing valuable equipment if you get caught in a firefight, creating a constant sense of danger.

The Tarkov map is excellent, offering many engaging combat areas. It’s packed with buildings, both intact and destroyed, and even the streets are cluttered with abandoned vehicles. While most fights happen up close, there are also chances for longer-range battles, particularly from the taller buildings. The map is well-designed to prevent snipers from dominating; instead, it encourages tactical maneuvering, flanking, and drawn-out engagements.

The standard enemies aren’t very remarkable – they’re mostly just soldiers and don’t offer much of a challenge unless there are a lot of them. When you’re outnumbered, their simple tactics, like throwing grenades or trying to come at you from the sides, can become surprisingly dangerous.

I personally started to lose interest in Escape From Tarkov because of the player-versus-player (PvP) combat. With other players on the map, you’re constantly worried about spotting them before they spot you, or trying to avoid them altogether. Because the game has been around for almost seven years, most players are very skilled at shooting, which puts newcomers at a significant disadvantage. Combine that with cheaters, and what could be a challenging but fun experience quickly becomes incredibly frustrating. While the game does have a single-player mode, you have to pay extra to unlock it. For players who aren’t keen on high-stakes PvP, the best way to enjoy Escape From Tarkov is likely through a fan-made mod called Single-Player Tarkov.

Because this game has been available for nearly seven years, most players are already very familiar with how the shooting mechanics work.

Single-Player Tarkov, often called SPT, removes player-versus-player combat. Instead, it uses intelligent AI to simulate other players, making the enemies more challenging than regular ones. It relies on the original Tarkov game’s mechanics, but it’s a good option if you’re having trouble accessing or playing the full game.

Beyond the main raid-based gameplay, Escape From Tarkov includes a separate mode called EFT: Arena. This mode is designed for players who prefer quick, direct player-versus-player combat and aren’t as interested in the slower, more methodical “raid” experience of the core game. While it uses similar mechanics, EFT: Arena still feels unfinished. It lacks engaging gameplay moments and its maps, which are sections of the main Tarkov map, feel empty and uninspired without the full city to explore. Ultimately, Arena isn’t a compelling reason to play Escape From Tarkov and is best used as a practice mode before tackling real raids.

Escape From Tarkov’s performance is somewhere in the middle. On my system – a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB of DDR5-6000 RAM, and a Radeon RX 7800 XT – I didn’t quite hit my usual 100+ FPS in shooters, but the game generally ran smoothly. I experienced a few stutters at first, but they disappeared after a few minutes of playing. However, the game’s hardware requirements are a bit misleading; the recommended specs are much higher than the minimum, meaning many players, including me, have to lower the graphics settings to maintain a stable frame rate.

Escape From Tarkov is a great game, but its focus on online battles with both other players and the environment could be a drawback for some.

The game also had a lot of server problems. Like many players since its release, I struggled with finding matches, with one attempt taking nearly 40 minutes before I quit. Visually, the game is excellent and effectively portrays the ruined city of Tarkov. Right now, the biggest issues preventing it from reaching its full potential are these server problems.

Escape From Tarkov is a fantastic game, but its focus on online PvPvE – player versus player and environment – can be a drawback. While the player-versus-player combat can be satisfying, server problems and cheaters currently hold it back. Combined with a confusing tutorial, this makes it a challenging game to learn, especially for newcomers. Despite these issues, Escape From Tarkov offers a uniquely tense and rewarding experience, with gameplay that’s hard to match. It stands out from other extraction shooters because its mechanics work together seamlessly to create a truly immersive and gripping experience.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-11-24 21:16