Escape from Tarkov, the popular first-person shooter and extraction game, will finally be officially released on November 15, 2023, debuting with its own page on Steam. This transition marks a significant milestone, after several years in early access, offering new players features such as achievements, friends list integration, and the Steam overlay system.
A launch that will be a bit outlandish
However, the arrival on Steam will not be a walk in the park for those who already own the game, as they will need to purchase it again to access these new features. Battlestate Games has confirmed that players will need to link their existing account with the Steam version to enjoy the improvements, although they will play on the same servers as users of the original version.
Among the new features that will be integrated, the synchronization of the friends list and the tracking of playtime stand out, which will be available exclusively for those who purchase the game through Steam. This also poses a dilemma for veteran players who have invested thousands of hours in the title. Those with high-end editions will only need to buy the standard edition on Steam to start benefiting from these extras, but the inability to leave reviews in the store without repurchasing the game has generated discontent.
New users will be delighted with the imminent availability of the game on one of the largest digital distribution platforms for PC. However, it has been mentioned that the Steam version will not support Steam Deck, Steam Workshop, or family sharing, which has raised criticism among the community. This monetization approach has been controversial, but the Steam release is expected to attract a large number of players on November 15.
