Is Escape from Tarkov coming to Xbox and PS5? The hardcore extraction shooter has made waves over the past few years as a PC exclusive, but for FPS fans on console, Tarkov Xbox and Tarkov PS5 versions are high on their wishlists.
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. Here’s everything we know about possible console ports for EFT.
Is Escape from Tarkov coming to Xbox and PS5?
Battlestate Games has said that an Escape From Tarkov console port for PlayStation and Xbox is “planned”, but this was several years ago and very little has been heard about it since.
In an interview in 2020, Battlestate’s top dog 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, it’s apparently a “lot of hassle” for publishers. 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 Battlestate has said that it wants to get Tarkov on consoles, there are likely problems with porting the game as it is to Xbox and PlayStation. 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.
Given how long it’s been since we’ve heard anything about a console port, we’d be inclined to believe that it has been shelved.
Tarkov continues to sustain a large and healthy fanbase over on PC, and Battlestate has continued to deliver new content and even spin-off modes like Escape from Tarkov Arena, which brings its hardcore gameplay into Call of Duty-like PvP matches.
While it’s not entirely out of the question that we’ll one day see Escape From Tarkov on PlayStation and Xbox, right now it feels like Battlestate is fully focused on improving and innovating on the PC version right now.
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 PS5 and Xbox
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.
Alternatively, Call of Duty may have something more accessible for general shooter fans. While it’s sadly retired its free-to-play Warzone DMZ mode, the extraction-based bones of that mode are now found in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies. Yes, this does mean you’ll have to buy the game – unless you’re an Xbox player, in which case we’d recommend holding out until COD games are added to Xbox Game Pass following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Finally, as a bit of a curveball pick, we’d recommend Hell Let Loose. It’s set in World War 2, and there are no extraction-based elements, so we understand that it’s not inherently Tarkov-y. However, for hardcore FPS experiences, it’s one of the best around. With super realistic gameplay that requires intense communication, teamwork, and strategy, it needs similar levels of commitment and skill to master, just like EFT.
It’s also one of the best Xbox Game Pass games around, so if you’re subscribed, you’ll be able to play it for free right now.
It’s worth noting too that there are a few big upcoming extraction shooters that will be coming to console.
For example, Destiny 2 developer Bungie is currently cooking up Marathon. With Bungie’s track record of creating best-in-class shooters, the Marathon release date can’t come soon enough.
The studio behind another excellent FPS game, The Finals, is also making an extraction shooter called Arc Raiders. While Arc Raiders was initially meant to be the first game Embark Studios released, it was pushed back in favor of The Finals. That means it’s had a long time in the oven, so we’ve got high hopes for that one when it eventually remerges.
And one final extraction shooter to have on your radar is Exoborne, which plans to throw massive weather events like tornados into matches for some extra danger. Exoborne comes from the team at Sharkmob that built Bloodhunt, one of the best battle royale games of recent years. At GDC 2024, we spoke to Sharkmob about how it intends to separate Exoborne from the all the other extraction shooters we’ve mentioned in this guide.
That’s everything we currently know about a possible Escape from Tarkov Xbox and PS5 release, as well as some excellent alternatives that you can play right now or get excited for in the future. If none of those take your fancy, check out our comprehensive lists of the best Xbox games and best PS5 games so you can enjoy something else while you wait.