Escape from Tarkov’s standalone session-based multiplayer FPS project, Escape from Tarkov: Arena, is now available to preorder via its newly launched website.
There's also tremendous news for anyone who already bought the pricey Escape from Tarkov: Edge of Darkness Limited Edition as you’ll be getting access to Arena at no extra cost. What a win.
Preorders are currently listed as costing €37 (about $40 or £32 in a straight conversion) and will give customers early access to the closed beta for Escape from Tarkov: Arena. They’ll also unlock Ryzhy’s gear preset from the Chronicles of Ryzhy series. You can find the preorder page here.
Arena’s first trailer dropped in June 2022, but in case you were unfamiliar with it, as per the official website: “Players will take part in gladiatorial battles in various arenas of the city of Tarkov, organized by a mysterious group of Arena Masters led by the Host.” Existing Escape from Tarkov players will be able to take on Arena as their main profile character - their level, skills, and weapon mastery will grow in both regular Tarkov and Arena simultaneously.
The website has detailed a number of the new modes which will be available in Arena - some of them we already knew about, but some are totally new additions. Shootout, for example, is a round-robin tournament that can be played alone or as a duo or trio. Meanwhile, Teamfight pits two teams of five against each other for seven rounds. Overrun is a PvE mode that tasks teams of five with clearing a location and getting to the safe zone while defeating waves of enemies, and Last Hero is a multiplayer deathmatch mode. A fifth mode named Duel has also been named, but no details have been given for it at the time of writing.
Despite preorders being live, it’s still not clear when Escape from Tarkov: Arena is going to be released - fans will have to watch this space.
For more games like Escape from Tarkov, be sure to take a look at our roundup of the best FPS games available now. However, if you want something a bit different, you can also read our selection of the best PC games.