Escape From Tarkov streamer becomes first to escape from Tarkov: "You survived. But at what cost"

Escape from Tarkov review
(Image credit: Battlestate Games)

Extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov has been telling players to escape from Tarkov for nine years, and someone's finally gone and done it – but at great cost, narratively.

Yes, Escape from Tarkov launched into closed alpha back in 2016, and it wasn't until just now, a little over two weeks after its full launch, that someone actually did The Thing. However, while it's undeniably an impressive accomplishment, it's also worth noting that it wasn't actually possible to escape from the titular city until the game's 1.0 update, which added the new Terminal map and a full-on, narrative-driven endgame with four different endings.

I ESCAPED FROM TARKOV. - YouTube I ESCAPED FROM TARKOV. - YouTube
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Tigz's accomplishment was so noteworthy that the official Escape From Tarkov Twitter account congratulated the streamer "on being the first to Escape from Tarkov," adding this ominous tease: "You survived. But at what cost."

If you watch the above stream, you'll know exactly what that cost was, which indeed is pretty dire, but thankfully there are other, happier endings. Game director Nikita Buyanov, who was watching Tigz's stream when he escaped the city, chimed in on Twitter and said he'll have a personal reward for the first person to beat the game's "best ending." He also said Tigz's ending is the "second" worst one in the campaign.

"The first who will complete the game with the Best Ending will definitely have something special from me!" said Buyanov.

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Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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