Is Escape from Tarkov coming to Xbox and PS5? The extremely competitive FPS extraction game has made waves for the past few years as a PC exclusive, but for those of you on a console, you may feel like you’re missing out on something big.
We’ve been waiting for a while to see if Escape from Tarkov could make it as one of the best FPS games on both current-gen consoles. In fact, if you’re like us, you’re already eying up the best Xbox controllers and best PS5 controllers, ready to take on other players online.
Is Escape from Tarkov coming to Xbox and PS5?
An Escape from Tarkov port or adaptation is being looked into and planned by Battlestate Games, as confirmed by game director Nikita Buyanov. However, since then, there’s been no additional information, meaning that an Xbox or PS5 release for Escape from Tarkov is likely in the early stages of production.
In an interview in 2020, Nikita Buyanov confirmed that “Of course [a console version] is planned”, and that Battlestate Games is actively looking for a publisher for the game. However, due to the various QoL and features, it’s a “lot of hassle” for publishers, but not the developer itself. Keep in mind that the video from ‘Yaro P‘ is a translation from Russian to English, so word-for-word quotes may not be entirely accurate.
While it is somewhat confirmed during the interview, there are likely problems with porting the game as it is to consoles. Escape from Tarkov would be difficult to play with a controller in its current state, due to the hardcore military-sim gameplay. There are numerous key binds required, which would make it difficult to slim down to the few buttons that a controller offers.
However, the team is obviously not afraid of exploring spin-offs instead of direct ports. The upcoming Escape from Tarkov Arena is bringing EFT’s hardcore gameplay into Call of Duty-like matches, heavily focusing on the PvP aspects of the game. It’s possible that, after finishing the development of Arena, the team could focus on an Escape from Tarkov console edition, not too dissimilar to what the PC survival game Rust did with its console port.
Will Escape from Tarkov come to Xbox Game Pass?
There’s currently no plan to bring Escape from Tarkov to Xbox Game Pass, with no console version available and no developer comments suggesting the current game will arrive on Game Pass for PC. However, it’s always possible for the developer Battlestate Games to work a deal out with Xbox.
Getting Escape from Tarkov on PC Game Pass may be a difficult task, however. While other games from EA or Riot are available to launch via the Game Pass app, before loading into their respective launchers, Escape from Tarkov currently uses its own launcher to install and play. However, we imagine with some development work that it could happen.
Games like Escape from Tarkov on console
While you wait for a possible Escape from Tarkov release on Xbox and PS5, there are plenty of games or game modes capable of scratching that itch.
First up is Hunt: Showdown, which is developed by Crytek, the team behind the first Far Cry game and the popular Crysis series. Hunt has been receiving updates for years and is an extraction shooter with lots of style and old-fashioned weaponry, as you hunt down various monsters for bounties and try to avoid (or kill) other bounty hunters. The game is still competitive, but more casual-friendly than Escape from Tarkov.
Next, you’ve got Call of Duty Warzone’s DMZ mode. This is a free-to-play game, based on one of the best battle royale games, and follows the exciting and adrenaline-pumping formula of extraction shooters. It uses the existing Warzone maps as the locations, and just like other games in the genre, you’ll have to grab gear, complete missions, and extract while bots and other players try to defeat you.
If you want a good headstart in DMZ, we recommend checking out the current Warzone meta, which will give you some good guns to bring or look out for when you drop into DMZ.
Finally, the last game we recommend is Vigor, one of the best free shooting games available. It offers realistic gunplay and recoil, being the closest to Escape from Tarkov on consoles. You know the deal: you enter with loot, find new gear, survive against other players, and then hopefully extract your new weapons and loot out.
That’s everything we currently know about a possible Escape from Tarkov Xbox and PS5 release, and some games like EFT for console too. For now, we’d recommend playing some of the games above, or checking out the best Xbox games and best PS5 games so you can enjoy something else while you wait.