What is the Escape From Tarkov Arena release date? If you’re a big fan of Escape From Tarkov, the hardcore looter shooter, then you’ve probably been keeping a close eye on Battlestate Games’ PC standalone project, and the Escape From Tarkov Arena release date more specifically.
The competitive FPS, which looks to pull the best bits of Tarkov in with games like Contract Wars, Insurgency Sandstorm, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, has been generating interest online ever since its unexpected reveal in June 2022. And that’s partly because it puts Tarkov’s best feature – its gritty gunplay – in the spotlight. Here’s everything you need to know about the Tarkov Arena.
Escape From Tarkov Arena release date speculation
We expect Escape from Tarkov Arena to release in 2024, with the spin-off being playable at Gamescom 2023, as announced during a recent TarkovTV stream. Since the game hasn’t had beta testing yet, a 2024 window seems fair.
We know this because in an April 2023 stream, Nikita Buyanov, the COO of Battlestate Games, revealed that information around Arenas will be shown off in the next “six to eight months”. He also revealed that we’ll get more information about the game through The Chronicles of Ryzhy lore videos, which suggest we’ll find out more about the creation of Arenas through these Tarkov backstories.
As such, you could definitely see the game release next year, although it depends if Battestate Games are aiming for a full release or a soft launch.
What is Escape From Tarkov Arena?
Escape From Tarkov Arena is a standalone game, separate from Escape From Tarkov. While it is being made by Battlestate Games, it is being made by a team away from the hardcore looter shooter.
In essence, Arena is going to be a competitive FPS, with players taking part in gladiatorial battles across several game modes – both PvP and PvE. It’ll feature the same gear, guns, and characters from the main game, but these will be used in different ways.
Escape From Tarkov Arena trailers
So far there have been three Escape From Tarkov Arena trailers.
The first premiered in June 2022, giving us our first look at the competitive FPS game in action. The gameplay here is played on both the Equator and Air Pit map and shows two teams of five rushing into battle. There are also clear examples of key features like healing, inertia, and shooting over cover.
You can watch that trailer here:
The second was released in April 2023 and shows off gameplay on Sawmill and Bay 5. It also gives us our first look at the presets available in-game that are linked to four classes.
You can watch that trailer in full below.
The third teaser gives us a peek at the Arena tournament held internally by Battlestate. Here we can see Teamfight gameplay, as well as footage from maps Air Pit, Bay 5, Equator, and Sawmill.
Will Escape From Tarkov Arena be free?
No, Escape From Tarkov Arena will not be free unless you own the EoD version of Escape From Tarkov. EoD owners will be able to download Arena as a free DLC. Anyone else – regardless of whether they own the main game or not – will have to buy Arena separately.
At the moment, we do not know the price of the game, but Buyanov has previously said it won’t cost more than the base version of Tarkov. This means it should be $40 or under.
Escape From Tarkov Arena closed beta
Originally Escape From Tarkov Arena closed beta was meant to start in Autumn 2022. However, delays have meant this has been pushed back.
It’s not yet clear when the closed beta testing session will begin, but given we’re not expecting any new information until Autumn 2023, it’s unlikely players will get hands-on until that time.
Escape From Tarkov Arena maps
There are seven Escape From Tarkov maps:
- Equator
- Air Pit
- Bay 5
- Bowl
- Sawmill
- Box
- Resort
Equator is set on the ground floor of a shopping mall and features heavily in the first teaser trailer. Air Pit, which has also made an appearance in the game’s trailers, is based in an airport terminal, and Bay 5 looks like a Shipment-style map, full of containers and small spaces.
Bowl and Sawmill are the most recent maps to be shown off. Sawmill pulls the main part of Woods – one of original Escape From Tarkov maps – into play and Bowl, well that’s anyone’s guess. Bowl wasn’t actually shown off in the recent trailer, although it does make an appearance in the menus. It is likely this map will be set around a stadium – perhaps the one we saw in work-in-progress screenshots in the past.
Escape From Tarkov Arena modes
There are five confirmed Escape From Tarkov Arena modes:
- Teamfight
- Shootout Tournament
- Overrun
- Last Hero
- Duel
Teamfight appears to be the team deathmatch style mode, which pits five players against five. This mode will be available on all of the maps.
Shootout Tournament is the free-for-all map, which will be available in 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 formats. According to the second trailer, it appears this mode can only be played on Equator, Air Pit, Bowl, and Bay 5.
Overrun is a five-player PvE mode which pits you and your squad mates against waves of enemies. Over the course of a game, you’ll be required to not only navigate murderous mobs, but to clear a given objective before evacuating to safety.
Last Hero looks to operate as a free-for-all mode, as players try and individually rack up as many kills against one-another as possible, within a set time limit.
Duel’s description has yet to be revealed. However, we expect it to be some form of 1v1 mode where players can settle disputes the old fashioned way.
Escape From Tarkov Arena classes
At the moment we don’t quite know how gear works in the FPS and how different it’ll be to the main game, but what we do know is there are going to be four Escape From Tarkov Arena classes. These are Assault, CQB, Scout, and Marksman.
Based on the second trailer, players will have the option of buying gear through a selected preset – this has since been confirmed on the Arena website. The gear corresponds with the class you pick, as well as your rank. CQB presets for example are likely based around light armor and sub-machine guns, while marksman presets are going to be based around long-range DMRs and rifles.
Escape From Tarkov Arena ranked
Yes, Escape From Tarkov Arena will have ranked and unranked game modes. Battlestate Games hasn’t yet told us what the ranks will be or how you’ll climb them, but it’s likely that KDR and win rate will be a major factor.
What we do know is that EFT Arena ranked will match you against “opponents of equal skill”, implying that some form of skill-based matchmaking will be incorporated – a major departure from the base game’s own system should it materialize this way.
Escape From Tarkov Arena news
Since we’re still waiting on a proper reveal from Battlestate Games, we’re still pretty light on Escape From Tarkov Arena news, but there are still a few things worth talking about here.
The first is that Arena is going to have a fully-fledged spectator cam, making it a proper competitive title that might spawn an esports following. Escape From Tarkov has been played competitively in the past, but it’s not been easy to follow since most of the players have to track their own stats. With a spectator cam that allows you to see the action as it happens – a bit like the ones we see in Valorant and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – Arena looks set to start its competitive life on the right foot.
Speaking of cameras, Arena will also come with a replay camera, allowing you to watch your matches in style. You’ll be able to assess your own gameplay while finding new positions and angles. It should also help the community and the developers with cheat detection.
We also know that Arena will tie in with the main Tarkov game in some shape or form. There has been talk of currency flitting between both games, but it’s not yet clear how that’ll work. There are some theories that playing games in Arena will give you roubles, which you can then spend in Tarkov buying gear. But we’ll have to wait to find out if that’s the case.
What we do know is that winning games in Arena will increase you character’s “level, skills and weapon mastering” in EFT, and vice-versa.
We also know that there’ll be some base game gear appearing in Arena. Again, we’re light on details at the moment, but Battlestate has said that “weapons, mods, medicine, and other items” from the base game will be available. It’s likely that we’ll also see some camos and patterns, and perhaps some early-game guns for each faction in Arena.
That’s all we know about Escape From Tarkov Arena at the moment, but we’ll keep this guide up to date if we learn more. While you wait, why not brush up on your gun skills by memorizing the Escape From Tarkov maps?