How to Download and Play Escape from Tarkov

Escape from Tarkov is an up-and-coming first-person survival shooter. As the title indicates, your goal in the game is to escape from the location (Tarkov city) with your loot. To put it more simply, don’t die! When you die, your character drops everything, save for items stored inside special containers. You can escape safely by finding an extraction point. Escape from Tarkov items range from weapons and ammunition to currency and collectibles. You can use them yourself, or trade them out for other things.

With the game’s introduction out of the way, here’s how you can start playing the Escape from Tarkov game.

Buying the Game

The official way to buy the Battlestate game is from EscapeFromTarkov.com. Click on the ‘Pre-order’ option and choose your edition. Pre-ordering will also make you eligible to enter and play the beta. Along the way, you can register to get your profile. This will be your ticket to the forums as well. You’ll receive a confirmation that you purchased the game. However, this change might not be reflected on your profile immediately. Just be patient, and wait for the install option to appear.

Of course, other sites will offer keys or codes for the game. You can activate those on this page.

Installing the Game

Make sure your PC fits the requirements set by the game:

OS: 64-bit Windows 7/8/10

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo, i3 [2.4 GHz], AMD Athlon, Phenom II [2.6 GHz] or equivalent

RAM: at least 6 GB

GPU: DX11 compatible with 1GB memory

Sound: DirectX compatible

Must have a stable permanent connection to the Internet

Disk Space: at least 8 GB free

If your PC has slightly lower specs, that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t run the game. Possible effects of doing so include lower graphics quality, choppy framerates, graphical glitches, and the occasional lag. There’s also the likelihood of overheating your GPU/CPU. However, if your PC is closer to a potato, it won’t be able to run the game.

When you get the option to install, the game’s launcher will open. It will handle downloading the PC game and such. Download Escape from Tarkov and wait until it finishes.

Some Warnings

The installation option may take a long time to appear. Some say they got theirs within 10 minutes, others took hours. Be patient and submit one ticket about it if it takes too long. Spamming them with tickets will not help and may even delay finding a solution to your problem. The delay may be influenced by location and time. Expect long waits during sales and similar events.

Buying a code is risky. There are free trial codes that are only active for about two weeks once activated. It’s a two-fold problem because it’s supposed to be free and it will only work for a limited time. Codes for the game do exist, reserved for pre-ordering for a friend. Be careful, especially when buying them from strangers.

If for some reason you lose your hard drive data, don’t worry, your items and progress are saved server-side. All you have to do is to re-download the game. Do so by downloading the client from the site.

Now that you know how to install the game, it’s time to enjoy Escape from Tarkov trading, shooting, and surviving. Be prepared, cautious, and may you be successful in your raids!