Why "Escape from tarkov" is still popular

Diversity of the gaming industry impresses with its versatility at first glance. Computer games seem to have everything and even more. No doubt, it is hard to appeal to the fact as virtual worlds are truly unique and different due to the complexity of their own rules.

However, even these unstable constants have their own peculiarities. Some genres and tricks on the games have already become monumental and it makes developers follow the established canons, sending authentic projects to the assembly line.

Speaking about gaming series, Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty come to our minds, while as for genres – shooters, MOBA, survival games and battle royales that gained their popularity at the beginning of the twenties. It seems that there is no room for experiments or that a work formula is simple as one, two, three. But what if we mix all the mentioned genres into one? We will get Escape from Tarkov.

Escape from Tarkov is a unique product of game development that steals minds but does not absorb everyone. However, these features are enough to call the game popular.

What makes it unique? Let’s try to find the answer to the question.

What is Escape From Tarkov

Looking at the cover of the game, Escape From Tarkov is an online multiplayer role first-person shooter. It was developed by Battlestate Games who were also in charge of releasing the project.

The plot of Escape From Tarkov takes placed in a fictional town of Tarkov that became the center of defense enterprises and technologies that caught interest of different subjects in the world of Tarkov. As in any other respecting themselves games, Tarkov has a plot that is given partially but the creators do not place emphasis on it.

The quests that open up the local lore can be taken from merchants, and those who want to understand how the world is built here, you can pick a special mode. The plot is not the reason for the popularity of the multiplayer first-person shooter but its versatility counts as a reason.

Versatility of Escape from Tarkov

The thing that fascinates us in Escape from Tarkov is its versatility. This is what Escape from Tarkov is dealing with perfectly well.

Being a game on the edges of so many genres, Tarkov appeals to players with different preferences. There are a lot of features to choose from.

Escape from Tarkov is about its scale: a multiplayer game is the foundation of Tarkov. It is about playing the role – elements of RPG are not secondary in this matter.

Role and multiplayer features automatically form a MMOG. Escape from Tarkov functions by the canons of the genre: gaming auctions, loot and other typical traits.

No doubt, Tarkov is about tactics and shooting. The outline of FPS games is seen here with an unaided eye and the realism of their realizations can fall into a separate point that bring EFT popularity among gamers.

Realism and hardcore

In the gaming industry there is a “cult” of players that prioritize the realism of everything happening on the screen. They need make-believe worlds with their own rules and physics laws. Fans of realism want the real ballistics of shooting and mechanics of tiredness and frostbite.

As a result, Escape from Tarkov became an outlet for such players. While developing, apparently Battlestate Games got inspired by the series of the game called Arma and other “realism simulators”.

In Escape from Tarkov you can feel shooting and the weapon you fire from. You can feel the described real ballistics and weapon behavior after a shot that even PUBG can be jealous of.

All these aspects make Tarkov uneasy to master. Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore game.

Escape from Tarkov challenges a player

Realism and hardcore are very similar things in computer games. These tend to be identical terms.

Welcoming the players in the realism atmosphere, you label the game as hardcore willingly or unwillingly. Apparently, Battlestate Games wanted to make Escape From Tarkov a niche game initially but their approach caught the interest of hundreds of thousands users.

Only in 2021 Tarkov stormed the charts on Steam taking top place there: at the end of the previous year the adventures of the survivors in the severe conditions of Tarkov were watched by 476 thousand users. Hardcore games do not appeal to players so massively, however, Tarkov is not only about difficulty and overcoming. It is also about gambling.

Raid mechanics and a chance to lose everything in Escape from Tarkov

In Escape from Tarkov, there is a system of raids it consists of, basically. At first it does not seem outstanding in any way.

Players have to reach a specific zone from the ones that exist in the game. It can be the Tarkov Instruments Factory, the Bakery, the Salut sewing factory, Information Satellite Systems JSC, Granit-M chemical plant No. 16 or any other zone and get out of it.

At the same time the raid gives us a chance to meet other players with absolutely different levels of skills and equipment and even take part in shooting with NPCs who keep valuable items that you can save and that are usually the goal of any raid. Sounds easy, but in Escape from Tarkov raids give us a maximum experience that is characterized by the phrase “all or nothing”.

If you die during the raid, the players risks losing not only the treasure they earned in a road but literally everything they kept in the rucksack. This outcome makes us prepare for each raid more thoroughly and increases the level of adrenaline in the blood every time a raid starts.

Developer community and in-game economics

A good and popular game is often about the community it is created by. There are lots of examples like in EVE Online, Albion and, of course, Escape from Tarkov itself. The work with the community has been done since the game was released and it is not the end, we can notice it in detail.

One of such tiny details is the distribution model of Tarkov. The game is sold on the official site of the developers and only there. Another feature is “constant beta”.

The authors of Escape from Tarkov from Battlestate Games say directly that if you buy the game, you buy a “constant beta”. They do not lie: Tarkov at the end of 2022 despite the start of the alpha-testing in 2016 and the closed beta in 2017.

The “limbo” status does not stop the developers from updating the game all the time and adding new portions of content. However, players entertain themselves on their own.

For instance, they entertain themselves by trading. In Tarkov it is developed very well and thoroughly. The economics of the game is dynamic, which is proved by the presence of several places for selling items stolen in the raid or from an enemy’s corpse.

There is classical trading in Tarkov with NPCs and a flea market. The latter is definitely a kind of art.

The Tarkov flea market allocates reputation points to the players, the number of deals soars, and to achieve success, you will need only nimble hands and flexible mind. Trading in Escape from Tarkov can make a player a star and strengthens the community globally.

Is it worth buying Escape from Tarkov?

If you need a short answer, yes, it is. If you want to go into details, you can come across a few pitfalls: it is hard to master, it needs investing a lot of time if you want to succeed, it is hardcore and not newbie-friendly. However, it does not make it difficult, it is the other way around.

Tarkov is a truly popular game but it will not achieve giant scale as Escape from Tarkov simply does not need it.