Escape From Tarkov: Arena will now allow new players to play the game instantly.
Previously, players had to be invited to play the title, meaning that you had to be specifically chosen to test the title in the currently ongoing closed beta phase. Now, fans only need to buy the game to receive access to the closed beta, although it is worth noting that the game is a full-priced release that is currently in early access.
Escape From Tarkov: Arena was officially announced in 2022 and shown off at Gamescom 2023. Developer Battlestate Games launched the closed beta for the title in December 2023.
The game is a squad-based spin-off of the multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) Escape From Tarkov and is designed to be played in shorter bursts, with progression between the original game and Arena shared between the two games.
The game has proved to be controversial with fans, however, with several fans on Reddit wondering why the game costs almost the same price as the original game for what they believe amounts simply to a new mode. Meanwhile, fans on X (formerly Twitter) have been complaining about people “blatantly rage cheating with wall hacks” and about long waits in matchmaking queues, with one fan writing that it took around an hour to get into a game.
The original Escape From Tarkov launched in closed beta in 2017 and is still in closed beta to this date, leading fans on social media to complain about the fact that developer Battlestate Games currently has two separate Escape From Tarkov games in early access and is charging for both titles.
In other recent Escape From Tarkov news, the recent seasonal addition of snow in the game could become a regular fixture.
