Escape from Tarkov, arguably one of the most hardcore extraction shooters out there, is finally making its way to Steam. The game has previously lived in perpetual beta status, but now the highly anticipated 1.0 release is expected this November. You can’t buy it on Steam just yet, though the listing is up and you can wishlist it. But, as some are learning, if you have already been a long-time Tarkov player and are hoping to consolidate your game library under Valve’s launcher or make use of Steam’s social features, you won’t just be able to download the game on Steam and connect your Battlestate Games account. You’ll have to pay for the game a second time.
Like with many things involving Tarkov, this is all a little confusing, if not intimidating. So let’s break it down.
The Steam page for EFT went public today, with a release date of “coming soon.” Meanwhile, a FAQ on EFT’s official website lists some potentially disappointing news for some: “To play Escape from Tarkov through Steam, you will need to link a Battlestate Games account to your Steam account.” This is hardly unique to EFT’s arrival on Steam, as other games, such as Final Fantasy XIV and, more recently, Star Wars Outlaws, that have previously launched elsewhere and later come out on Steam typically have not supported a “cross-buy” situation. Still, this news has left a sour taste for many, with fans chiming in on social media to suggest the game is likely to get review bombed upon release and that it just feels silly, greedy even.
The same FAQ page states that if you previously purchased any of the more expensive versions of the game, a newly purchased Steam copy “will automatically use the higher edition of the two when launching the game” once you’ve linked your accounts. So, technically speaking, if playing on Steam is a must, and you’ve purchased a more expensive version of EFT in the past, you should only buy the base edition on Steam when it goes live.
The Steam FAQ page also contains some other potentially upsetting information: There are currently no plans for EFT to support the Steam Deck and Family Sharing is a no-go. Plus, the system requirements, as seen on the Steam page, are pretty steep. Recommended specs include 64GB (!!) of RAM and a 4070.
Escape from Tarkov’s main extraction mode will finally emerge from beta status on November 15, 2025, after nearly a decade in development. But it’s not the only mode that EFT has on offer.
As an extraction shooter, Tarkov features PvP elements that see both bots and players on a live multiplayer map, though the main game loop is all about getting in, looting, surviving, and extracting. Two years ago, however, BSG released EFT: Arena as a standalone solution for those who wanted to experience the tactical shooter in a competitive environment. Though Arena uses the same EFT account to share rank and stats, and is available for purchase individually on the Epic Games Store right now, this mode does not have a Steam listing.
So while needing to buy the game a second time if you desperately need to play might be a bummer, it’s worth noting that you can just add non-Steam games to the Steam launcher. That said, given that you’ll still need a BSG account and your previous purchases of the more expensive editions will carry over, some are wondering why BSG can’t just allow the base version to carry over with a download of the launcher through Steam.
