Games Like Escape From Tarkov

You might be looking for some games like Escape From Tarkov if you're looking for a similar anxiety fuelled high, or find the hardcore extraction shooter a bit too daunting. As it is almost the poster game of the rapidly growing Extraction Shooter genre, Escape From Tarkov is a game that has drawn a lot of interest. So, to find out about some other games like Escape From Tarkov, make sure to carry on reading the rest of this guide below.

Games Like Escape From Tarkov

While Tarkov in the broadest terms is just a first-person shooter, it has a number of different features that make it stand out among the rest. Released in a closed alpha state in 2016, Escape From Tarkov was one of the first instances of what we now know as the Extraction Shooter genre. 

It created almost the antithesis of a battle royale, where the aim is not to keep fighting and win, but instead to survive and escape. When playing Escape From Tarkov you are kept in a constant state of anxiety, not knowing what is around the corner or when you might suddenly get dropped by a stray bullet and have to start all over again.

The type of things we are looking for when searching for games like Escape From Tarkov are: an extraction-style mechanic, loot or loadouts that are lost upon death, quests, PvE combat, and hardcore weapon mechanics. While one game might not have all of the above combined, we will at least be looking for a few of those boxes to be ticked.

Hunt: Showdown

Hunt: Showdown is probably the most popular alternative to Escape From Tarkov, although it does offer quite a contrasting experience. First and foremost, Hunt: Showdown has a far more fantastical setting with monsters and single-shot repeaters, as opposed to the more modern approach of Tarkov. 

However, the aim is still to extract, and it absolutely achieves a similar tension to that of Tarkov, where each gunfight could mean that you lose everything. Furthermore, as it has been out for nearly five years now, there is plenty of content for you to dive straight into and enjoy.

One of the other benefits to Hunt: Showdown is that it has a console release, so if you've got an Xbox or PlayStation and you're upset that you can't jump into Escape From Tarkov, then why not give the wild west-esque shooter a try.

Marauders

Ever wondered what Escape From Tarkov would be like in space? Well, with Marauders you have to wonder no more. Taking the Extraction Shooter genre into orbit, Marauders tasks players with PvE, PvP, quests, looting, and a little bit of space dogfighting too.

Marauders takes a rather industrial approach to space, giving players an arsenal of early 20th Century weapons to select, and a wide selection of factions to trade with and take quests from. While it is not as complex or hardcore as Tarkov, Marauders still offers players the same tension in the race to extraction, and exhilaration of finding good loot.

The Cycle Frontier

Strangely enough, there is another game like Escape From Tarkov that is set in space, only this time it is more of a sci-fi approach. The Cycle Frontier has players drop into two maps with a vast number of biomes to find loot, fight other players, and engage with the 'wildlife' of the area. 

Much like Marauders, The Cycle Frontier has factions that you trade with and get quests from, and also has various keys that you can use to access high tier loot areas. It is even less hardcore than Marauders though, so if you're looking for a lighter, more casual approach to a game like Tarkov then The Cycle Frontier is the game for you. Even better, it's completely free to play, so you can try it out to see if you like it for nothing more than your time invested.

MW2 DMZ

While not specifically an entire game, the new DMZ game mode in Modern Warfare 2 is very much inspired by Escape From Tarkov, and could be a great option for you if you're coming directly from a Call of Duty title. While it may not appeal to the dedicated Tarkov players, DMZ follows the rough structure of an Extraction Shooter, with loot scattered around the map, tough AI foes, and of course, a point where you need to escape, all bundled into the familiar COD package.

If you're looking for something on the lighter side of things that still preserves the same core gameplay loop as Escape From Tarkov, then DMZ is definitely the way to go. You could alternatively go for the Hazard Zone mode in Battlefield 2042, but that is not really worth your time, and you might struggle to actually get into a game in the first place.

So, that wraps up this list of games like Escape From Tarkov, giving you a few options to take if you want an alternative to the hardcore Extraction Shooter. While not all of these games might not be to your taste, especially if you are coming from Tarkov directly, they all strive to achieve the same feeling as Battlestate Games' smash hit, so there is bound to be at least something to enjoy within each of them.