Hands-On Impressions: Escape From Tarkov: Arena Is A Great Entry Point To The Extraction Franchies

mmorpg.com:

I’ll be the first to admit Escape from Tarkov has always seemed a little daunting to get into. I’ve watched from afar as Batlestate Games’ flagship title has heralded the extraction shooter genre ever since it first hit early access, but I’ve really rarely jumped in myself.

Yet, I felt some excitement as I took the mouse and keyboard controls during TwitchCon 2023 here in Las Vegas late last month, as Escape from Tarkov: Arena seemed like a fantastic entry point for me. And I wasn’t wrong — even if it was still a bit hard to wrap my head around at first.

Tarkov: Arena is meant to bring a faster, more accessible Tarkov experience to players, pitting them into smaller arena maps to duke it out for supremacy. A game set within the universe itself, Escape from Tarkov: Arena is much like a Gladiatorial match, where players compete with a crowd of cheering spectators.

During TwitchCon, I was able to try out the Arena Teamfight mode, which sees teams of five players wipe out the other team till one side reaches seven wins. It reminded me of the defuse gameplay in Valorant , only there wasn’t a bomb to deal with — just an enemy team. 

Each round is timed, and if the round timer runs out without a conclusion, Teamfight can revert to control over a map to determine a winner. There is also an NPC clean up crew who can make an appearance with the intent of wiping players out instead. I didn’t encounter this during my gameplay, but the live tournament that Tarkov hosted at TwitchCon did happen to see the NPCs barrelling through the level at one point, with both teams using it to draw the other out into the open.

Escape from Tarkov: Arena should appeal to hardened Tarkov fans who love the extraction shooter's realism and the