Ever since Escape From Tarkov's debut in 2017, the game has undergone significant changes over the years. So, which of them are noteworthy?

Escape From Tarkov debuted as a closed beta in July 2017, and since then it has gone from a quiet, niche title to an industry leader. Developed by Battlestate Games, a Russian studio, Escape From Tarkov has risen over the course of several years to become known as one of the best and most grounded PvPvE titles on the market. It's a survival-based looter-shooter that focuses heavily on the most realistic aspects of gaming possible, and it has a staggeringly popular cult following.

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For years, Escape From Tarkov has remained in a 'beta state', with the developers constantly pumping updates into the platform. As a result of Tarkov's core mechanics, the game 'wipes' once every few months, with all players being reset and the game returning to a state of status quo. These 'wipes' bring with them a range of updates, changes, and improvements, outside the lower-level updates regularly provided by Battlestate Games.

Escape From Tarkov boasts a diverse assortment of maps for players to explore. When Tarkov transitioned from the alpha phase into the beta stages, just two relatively small maps existed. These were 'Customs' and 'Factory', and they didn't offer much in the way of diversity. Since 2017, multiple maps have been released, from the forest map of Woods to the PvP-focused terror that is Labs.

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As time goes on, more areas are being introduced into Escape From Tarkov. In 2021, Battlestate Games released 'Lighthouse', a shorefront location populated with highly skilled mini-boss enemies. There are high expectations for more maps to release in 2022 and beyond, but Battlestate tends to play its cards close to its chest.

For the Tarkov veterans, December 2021's introduction of 'inertia' was either a game-changer or a game-breaker. For those new to Escape From Tarkov, inertia was just another feature. In Escape From Tarkov, inertia makes a player character feel 'more weighty', promoting a more realistic sense of movement.

While this change impacted players that were used to moving with a higher 'fluidity', it was ultimately a good decision from Battlestate. It provided a deeper sense of realism and immersion, and it worked to prevent players from exploiting 'movement metas' that were made possible through a lack of inertia.

In 2018, Battlestate Games introduced the 'Kappa' container to Escape From Tarkov. This in-game item functioned as a secure stash that players could use to 'save' certain items from being lost if they ended up dying. However, obtaining Kappa is something of a long-term goal for many players, as it can only be picked up through a quest called Collector.

This quest requires players to find a long list of 'streamer items', as well as reach level 62 in-game. These streamer items are just one of the many ways that Battlestate Games supports and represents its community. They're direct references to some of the most popular Tarkov streamers, and over time, more and more of them have been introduced.

Battlestate Games has spiced up the potential monotony of play by introducing a range of events. These events are tied in with various tidbits of lore and expansions around the story and the characters of the Tarkov world.

In 2021, to celebrate the holiday period, BSG dropped a 'Santa Claus' character into Tarkov. This character's task was to roam the world, dropping free items for players. In 2022, BSG rolled out a series of events focused on the in-game traders, the marketplace, and the way the maps themselves worked.

When a 'wipe' rolls around, a series of events will take place in the days leading up to it, and recently, these events have been getting more inventive.

While Escape From Tarkov looks relatively the same as it did years ago, many changes have been made to the overall performance and aesthetic of the game. For instance, in April 2022, Battlestate Games introduced NVIDIA DLSS to the platform. Then, in June 2022, the developers brought AMD's FSR technology into the game.

For years, Battlestate has worked to make the game an accessible experience for all, meaning there are options to make it run on a 'potato PC'.

At the lowest end of the spectrum, Escape From Tarkov can run relatively well on even the cheapest, most low-budget builds. At the highest end of the spectrum, Escape From Tarkov has grown to be one of the 'prettiest' games out there, boasting fantastic lighting, weapon effects, and environments.

Escape From Tarkov has had more than its fair share of struggles with cheaters. For a while, the platform was plagued by players utilizing aimbot and ESP cheating systems, making Tarkov a miserable place for innocent, well-behaved gamers. Following a period of intense difficulty, Battlestate Games well and truly cracked down on cheaters.

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In 2022, enormous ban waves were rolled out, with thousands of cheaters being kicked off the platform. Further to this, Battlestate Games also made changes to loot mechanics in the game in order to impact one of the key factors behind cheaters even cheating in the first place. For the most part, these efforts appear to have been successful, but of course, nothing is ever perfect.

When December 2021 rolled around, Battlestate Games pushed out one of the most impressive wipes ever seen in the game's history. This wipe brought with it a staggering number of changes, one of which was the introduction of VOIP to Tarkov. This is seen as one of the most positive changes ever introduced by the developers, and it has opened up a wealth of creativity and collaboration.

At any point, players can VOIP in-game, addressing other players on the fly. This helps immeasurably with collaborative efforts and yes, it opens the door to a little trash talking. For the most part, VOIP was a wholesome introduction, and some players have gone on to make friends on the battlefield that they've raided with long after surviving that particular round.

If there's one thing that Battlestate has always worked hard to get right, it's the AI enemies in Tarkov known as 'Scavs'. These enemies are scavengers that reside in and around Tarkov, and they generally exist to give players that 'PvE' experience. For the last few years, these Scavs have been on a path of constant development, with tweaks being applied in almost every update.

RELATED: Escape From Tarkov: How To Tell AI Scavs From Players It's important for Battlestate Games to make the Scav modeling as perfect as possible. In history, we've seen Scavs that move around without inertia, shoot with pinpoint accuracy, and appear out of nowhere as if by magic. Since launch, however, they've gotten much better and way more intelligent.

In Tarkov, Battlestate Games introduced disconnection protection very early on and has been working to perfect it ever since. Let's say you're on an intense raid, and you've looted a huge amount of items - and then you disconnect. With the Tarkov disconnection protection, your character will remain in the raid until you reconnect and jump straight back in.

There are some caveats to the deal, such as the fact that you'll be unprotected and 'live' while you're offline, but it's a mostly foolproof system that has saved many raids. Whether your game totally crashes, you alt+F4 or your internet disappears suddenly, you'll be protected. It's a huge bonus to running raids in Tarkov, knowing that there's a safety net out there.

Battlestate Games listens to its community - that much is for certain. It's a development studio that recognizes the value of appreciating its players, and the updates it provides to the Tarkov community are always meaningful. They address concerns that the community at large has, and they introduce features, items, and functions that the masses are calling out for.

With each wipe, dozens of changes are made, new aspects introduced, and countless fixes implemented. These updates are remarkably meaningful, and they put some other titles to shame. Even the mid-wipe updates are densely packed with changes, making Tarkov a constant journey of discovery, with new things being added all the time.

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Grant has been gaming for more than twenty years, and if he isn't writing about esports or gaming, he'll be playing games, streaming games, or creating content. He's been a passionate gaming journalist since 2019, writing regularly for publications such as esports.net, esports.gg, esportsbets.com, and justgamers.net. He's a proud PC gamer but enjoys mixing it up with Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation platforms, and he currently resides happily in the United Kingdom with his very patient wife (also a world-class gamer).