Escape From Tarkov Players Will Have To Buy The Game Again If They Want to Play It On Steam

Escape from Tarkov enthusiasts have voiced frustration with Battlestate Games after the studio confirmed that users must buy the full title again to access it on Steam.

The tactical extraction shooter launched in early access in 2017 and recently announced its transition to version 1.0 on November 15, 2025. Coinciding with this major update, Escape from Tarkov is finally arriving on the Steam platform.

However, a review of Escape from Tarkov's Frequently Asked Questions shows that even veteran players who have used the proprietary launcher for years "must purchase" the game anew to add it to their Steam libraries.

"To play Escape from Tarkov through Steam, you must purchase any edition of the game on Steam," the FAQ states. "You can then link your existing Battlestate Games account with an active copy of the game to your Steam profile. If the editions differ, it will automatically use the higher edition of the two when launching the game through Steam."

Although users can continue playing via Battlestate's custom launcher, several fans have criticized the developer for withholding free Steam keys, especially since both platforms share servers and require a Battlestate account regardless of where the game is purchased.

"There are no excuses for buying an extra Steam copy just to play from an existing account," stated one gamer. "The developer has the tools to hand out Steam keys to players who already own the game outside Steam as the developers of Path of Exile 2 did etc."

"This is pretty scummy," one user wrote, while another said: "Holy s**t. BSG has absolutely zero respect for their fans."

A highly upvoted comment noted: "it might be reasonable if there WASN'T account linking that took place, [or] if you bought on Steam, you had to register as a brand new account with whatever version you purchased. The fact that you can link an existing account and it automatically upgrades to the higher version is what doesn't sit right with me. You drop $30 for the Standard Edition just to link and upgrade to your $120 [Edge of Darkness edition]? You're just buying in to play your account on Steam at that point."

"There's droves of people who have been waiting for years to have a place to put their grievances where it might actually matter to do so," suggested one player. "No doubt, the moment that players have the opportunity to leave a Steam review, they're going to. However, you can't leave a Steam review on a game you don't own. Therefore, any of the many long-time players that have been repeatedly burned by [the developer] are not likely to spend any more money on his dogs**t. Therefore, the only reviews will be from new players that get the full 1.0 experience, without all the years of disappointment behind it."

"I don't get why people act surprised all of a sudden," remarked another user. "And knowing how toxic and hateful this community has become over the years, if they handed free keys to everyone, the reviews would instantly get thrown into a s**tstorm of hate even from people who haven't played in a few years."

Others are pointing out that frustrated users can add non-Steam games to their Steam library, though this merely serves as a shortcut and does not activate Steam-specific features like achievements. The developer has not yet issued an official response to the community's reaction.

Gamers were also dissatisfied with July's Hardcore Wipe, which brought significant changes by increasing difficulty and removing certain quests and maps. This wipe was particularly harsh due to slower progression rates and tougher challenges, making it more difficult for players to regain their pre-wipe inventory and status.