When I first tried Escape From Tarkov back in 2018, I was immediately drawn to its complex, brutally challenging design. Like PUBG for battle royales, this early prototype of what would become known as an extraction shooter offered countless unique mechanics, even if it was often broken during its Early Access phase. Now, years later, with the 1.0 release, it’s remarkable how much has evolved while still remaining as infuriating as ever. The game’s hands-off approach forces newcomers to struggle against its punishing systems for hours before earning a single victory — a relentless difficulty I’ve always loved. Yet some issues persist, such as bugs, technical hiccups, and rampant cheating, leaving parts of the game frustratingly unresolved. Even after over 120 hours with the full release, the hyper-realistic combat and endless loot chase remain compelling, though it feels like this pioneering title may have been overtaken by the very genre it inspired.
Escape From Tarkov isn’t just the original extraction shooter; it’s also the one that sticks most faithfully to the unforgiving principles that define the genre. You’re thrown into a deadly environment populated by lethal AI and merciless players, with almost no guidance. Progression systems are mostly unexplained, maps don’t show your location or extraction points, and it’s easy to spend hours just learning how to handle weapons and ammo properly before you can even survive in the field.
In many ways, I really admire how unapologetically Tarkov demands mastery. Its meticulously crafted design and the sense of discovery gained through countless lessons learned the hard way can be incredibly satisfying. Yet, there are moments where it’s maddening — the UI and menus, for example, often feel deliberately obtuse, as if designed to frustrate you. Whether the reward of finally feeling confident enough to bring your best gear into a proper extraction is worth it depends largely on your tolerance for difficulty and your desire to master systems the game refuses to explain.
I find myself torn between admiration and frustration. I love figuring out armor protection levels versus ammo penetration, even though it’s often a convoluted process that explains why I could die instantly in one raid yet survive multiple hits in another. The lack of handholding here feels refreshing compared to the constant tutorials in modern games. However, spending ten hours memorizing maps to avoid aimlessly wandering for exits or vaguely described objectives was less enjoyable. Many players turn to online resources to navigate these challenges, which makes it puzzling why such tools aren’t built directly into the game.
Tarkov will probably keep me playing for hundreds more hours despite everything that irritates me about it.
So, despite all of Tarkov’s frustrations, what’s kept me playing for over 100 hours — and will likely keep me coming back for hundreds more — is the game’s incredible depth and tension. Once you push through the layers of complexity and obscurity, you uncover a top-tier extraction shooter that’s hard to put down. Combat is a nerve-wracking dance of listening for footsteps, leaning from cover, and taking precise shots where a single bullet can end another player’s run or kill a marauding NPC. Running with a flashlight blazing practically guarantees every enemy on the map will converge on you, and successfully extracting with loot always brings a satisfying sense of relief.
NPC factions, including bosses, inject unpredictability and excitement into raids. Your best-laid strategies can fall apart when you encounter a dangerous opponent — from a deranged sledgehammer-wielding psycho to a coward surrounded by heavily armed guards. Other surprises, like robed cultists prowling the woods with poisoned daggers, can be genuinely terrifying on first encounter. Discovering these threats organically, whether you get obliterated or emerge victorious to claim their loot, kept me exploring maps, even when navigating them was often a massive challenge.
Verdict
Escape From Tarkov is the extraction shooter that started it all, and its intricate, ever-changing systems are a joy to learn and master — provided you’re willing to do so without any handholding. I genuinely appreciate this uncompromising challenge, but just as many aspects of the game are frustrating, awkward, or outright broken. This includes its poor performance, frequent bugs, terrible UI, and the persistent issue of cheaters. Beneath all that lies a tense, realistic FPS with one of the most compelling progression loops ever created, offering hundreds of hours of rewarding gameplay.
However, even if the technical issues don’t completely overshadow its potential, the absurd pay-to-win elements that undermine much of Tarkov’s challenge are a major drawback. There’s still plenty of enjoyment for players willing to push past these problems, but with more polished extraction shooters available since its 2018 debut, Escape From Tarkov’s 1.0 release is harder to recommend in 2025.
