Tarkov's Grand Escape Plan: Four Endings, But Only 2% Make it Out Alive (And Sane)
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Battlestate Games is planning four distinct story endings for *Escape From Tarkov*'s main campaign, with studio head Nikita Buyanov boldly claiming only about 2% of players will ever achieve the 'best' one – a move that doubles down on the game's legendary difficulty but faces hurdles like rampant cheating and the upcoming Steam launch.
Right, gather 'round, mates, because Battlestate Games just dropped a lore bomb on *Escape From Tarkov* that's wilder than a scav boss on a sugar rush. You know that feeling when you're slogging through the grim, unforgiving streets of Tarkov, praying you don't get one-tapped by a bush wookie? Well, apparently, it's all leading somewhere – four *somewheres*, to be precise. And here's the kicker: only about two percent of us mere mortals are ever going to see the 'best' one.
That little nugget of tantalising, ultra-hardcore info comes straight from Battlestate Games studio head Nikita Buyanov himself, as reported by Daniel Morris over at Game Rant (who cited Insider Gaming's scoop from Tokyo Game Show 2025, no less – future-proofing their news, I see!). Buyanov confirmed plans for four distinct story endings for the game's main campaign. And he wasn't pulling any punches when he said that getting the 'best' ending? "It will be really hard. Actually, not everyone will escape from Tarkov at all. I think it will be something around 2% of all the player base... you can treat it like the achievement of your life to finally escape from Tarkov."
Now, if you've ever even glanced at *Tarkov*, you'll know 'hard' is pretty much its middle name. This isn't a game that holds your hand; it's a game that shoves a broken Kalashnikov into your grip, points you towards a dimly lit corridor, and cackles as you get ambushed by a three-man squad of Chad-level operators. So, framing the ultimate escape as something only a tiny fraction of the player base will ever achieve? On one hand, it's peak *Tarkov*. It doubles down on the game's existing identity as a brutal, unforgiving, high-stakes simulator. For the dedicated few, the ones who live and breathe every single raid, that 2% figure is less a deterrent and more a beacon – a Mount Everest of digital achievement to conquer.
But then my naturally curious brain starts whirring: what *is* this 'best' ending? Is it about finding the motherlode of loot and making it out with a golden statue of Killa? Is it about uncovering some profound lore secret that explains *why* Tarkov went sideways? Or is it simply about demonstrating such mastery over the game's mechanics, its map layouts, its combat, and its absolutely ruthless economy that you basically become a digital demigod? And what does this mean for the other 98%? Are the other three endings just different flavours of 'you tried, bless your heart, now get back in there and die again?' I reckon most *Tarkov* players aren't necessarily there for the narrative, mate. They're there for the pulse-pounding raids, the gear acquisition, the PvP engagements, and that gut-wrenching feeling when you lose everything. Will a deep, complex story campaign with multiple endings resonate with that core loop, or feel like an added, perhaps even intrusive, layer?
This whole four-ending reveal also ties into the long, winding road to *Tarkov*'s 1.0 release, which Battlestate Games has been aiming for since its early access launch way back in 2017. Seven years, folks! That's practically an eon in game development time. We're also talking about a Steam release on the horizon, though whether that lands simultaneously with the mysterious November 15 1.0 date is still up in the air. A Steam launch is going to bring in a veritable tidal wave of fresh blood. New players, curious gamers, folks who've heard the whispers of *Tarkov*'s legend but never dared to dip a toe in its murky waters. What will *they* make of a game that openly tells them they probably won't get the 'best' experience? Will it be a challenge accepted, or a hard pass?
And speaking of dipping toes in murky waters, we absolutely cannot talk about *Escape From Tarkov*'s future without addressing the elephant in the extraction zone: the bloody cheaters. Battlestate Games has been fighting a seemingly endless, brutal war against them for years. If you've spent any time in *Tarkov*, you've likely had a raid cut short by some bloke snapping onto your head through five walls or teleporting behind you for a quick loot run. It would be an absolute travesty if all this ambitious narrative planning, all these difficult endings, were to be overshadowed – or worse, completely undermined – by a rampant cheating problem at launch, especially with that massive influx from Steam. What's the point of striving for the 'achievement of your life' if the journey is constantly being derailed by scumbags? Fair dinkum, Battlestate needs to make anti-cheat a priority, a number one objective, before any grand narrative ambitions can truly shine. You can't build a palace on a foundation of quicksand, can you?
Ultimately, the idea of multiple, super-hard endings for *Escape From Tarkov* is a bold, almost defiantly *Tarkov*-esque move. It leans into the game's identity as a brutal, aspirational experience. It's an exciting prospect for those who crave that ultimate sense of accomplishment. But for it to truly work, for those four endings (especially the elusive 'best' one) to feel earned and meaningful, Battlestate Games has a mountain of work ahead – not just on the narrative integration (currently, the quests are pretty disconnected from a wider story, apparently), but on shoring up the fundamental player experience. If they can pull it off, if they can deliver a compelling conclusion that lives up to the legend of its difficulty, then count me in... even if I'm pretty sure my 'ending' will involve getting stuck in a barbed wire fence while trying to sprint for the extract. What happens if I try to brute-force the 'best' ending with just a pistol and a dream? Probably nothing good, but a wizard can dream, eh?
Tags: Escape From Tarkov, Extraction Shooter, Game Endings, Player Challenge, Game Development
Original article: Game Rant