Escape from Tarkov, popularly known for its unforgiving and brutal true-to-life survival gunplay, has garnered many questions lately. One of these questions is, “Is escape from Tarkov dead?” Anybody with the dimmest idea of what FPS video games are has inevitably heard of Escape from Tarkov. Battlestate Games first released the notorious title in mid-2016, and it quickly earned itself quite a reputation.
Perhaps the single most hardcore game on the market, playing Tarkov feels like being put in a torture chamber. Repeatedly. Yet, many love it. In our Escape from Tarkov review, we’ll tell you about the game’s health and whether you should be worried this game will be going under any time soon.
@ Escape from Tarkov
Escape from Tarkov has consistently grown since its beta launch in July 2017. 2020 it peaked at 200,000 concurrent players and had 475,000 concurrent Twitch viewers in 2021. Fast forward to December 2024, the game boasts 105,558 players online in a single hour and an active monthly player base of 2,025,850. These figures and a $50 million revenue in 2020 clearly illustrate the game’s significant impact. For an in-depth look at these player statistics, head to our Escape from Tarkov player count guide.
Read Also: Escape from Tarkov Gameplay Guide
Battlestate Games, the developer behind Escape from Tarkov, has made remarkable strides, amassing nearly half a million followers on Twitch and fostering a 5 million-strong following for the game’s category. This substantial growth in Twitch followers highlights the game’s appeal in the streaming community and reflects Battlestate Games’ commitment to engaging with its players through regular updates and active social media presence, which explains why is Escape From Tarkov popular.
So, when did Escape from Tarkov get so popular? It attracted a lot of attention initially, but in late 2019, the game’s viewership on Twitch skyrocketed. That happened thanks to a big new update release and significant marketing efforts. Developers also ran a Twitch Drops promotion, allowing players to get in-game rewards for watching the stream.
In the midst of all this, a dev from Battlestate Games took out a real gun, aimed it at his head and pulled the trigger, simulating suicide. Yes, this happened on camera, during a livestream, in real life (not in-game!). No wonder Twitch suspended the channel.
Luckily, top Tarkov streamers still pull in substantial viewership, so the game remained popular on the platform regardless.
@ Escape from Tarkov
Escape from Tarkov hosts over 50 servers worldwide and offers a reliable and accessible gaming experience for its global player base. Most of the player base battles out on the European and North American servers. The game’s intricate mechanics and tough gameplay, while sometimes controversial, add to its uniqueness and depth, continuing to draw players back into its world.
Although Escape from Tarkov can’t compete with esports juggernauts like Dota 2 or CS2, the game has developed its own competitive community, largely driven by its players and popular streamers. With the announcement of ‘Tarkov: Arena,’ there’s much potential for the game to solidify its presence in esports. For more on Battleground Games’ attitude towards uniting players across different gaming platforms, check out Escape from Tarkov crossplay.
The answer is a resounding and loud no. Escape from Tarkov is still in a great place regarding its player base, dedicated Twitch following, growing network of servers, and emerging steps toward a more established place in esports. Its challenging gameplay, continuous development, and player-driven events mark it as a standout title in the online gaming world, consistently attracting and engaging players from around the globe.
Read Next: Escape from Tarkov Settings Guide
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wrong bsg does noting about the hacking problem dont buy this crap game coming from a guy with over 10000 hours in the game it is only getting worse
This is where the budget goes, paying press to publish BS articles about a game dead by cheaters
this is wrong not even 2 players in raid anymore and if there is the is a over a 5% chance he is a hacker i have been around the game since 2016 and have over 17000 hours in tarkov and i will not be coming back it is dead