The announcement made on March 4 on X has sparked significant discussion within the Escape from Tarkov community, generating a mix of reactions and intriguing theories about why the game is launching on the Epic Games Store instead of the more popular and widely used Steam.
For years, fans have debated why Escape from Tarkov has never been available on Steam—a platform that could dramatically boost the game's visibility and make it more accessible to players.
Nearly every gamer today has Steam installed on their PC for one reason or another. The platform offers excellent marketing tools, and its widespread adoption makes it an ideal marketplace for selling video games.
However, Battlestate Games' decision to avoid Steam is understandable for at least three key reasons:
Sales Commissions
Steam takes a 30% commission on game sales. That’s a significant cut of the total revenue—one that BSG evidently prefers to keep for itself.
Game Reviews
Reviews are an essential tool for players deciding whether to buy a game, but they aren't always fair or reliable. Escape from Tarkov is a particularly polarizing title. First, it remains in beta and is still unfinished, with numerous bugs. Its hardcore nature makes it both difficult and frustrating. Additionally, the inevitable presence of cheaters has a much greater impact on EFT than in other games due to its punishing mechanics.
Given these factors, EFT would likely receive an influx of negative reviews—many of which may not be entirely justified. Much of the criticism would probably stem from the game's steep difficulty curve and the frustration it causes. Since unhappy customers are more likely to leave negative reviews than satisfied players are to leave positive ones, BSG’s choice to avoid Steam is understandable from a strategic standpoint.
Refund Policy
EFT is often described as a game that players either love or hate—some try it for 10 hours and give up, while others sink hundreds or even thousands of hours into it.
This alone explains a lot, but there’s another key issue: Steam’s refund policy allows players to receive a refund only if they have played for less than two hours. Beyond that limit, refunds are no longer possible. However, two hours is simply not enough time to fully understand and appreciate Escape from Tarkov. This, too, works against the idea of selling and promoting the game through Steam.
Why Epic Games Instead of Steam?
First and foremost, Epic Games takes only a 10% commission on game sales, allowing developers to keep a much larger share of their revenue.
Second, Epic Games does not feature user reviews, eliminating the risk of unjustified or frustration-driven negative feedback. Only official reviews from gaming media outlets are available, ensuring a more balanced and well-reasoned critique—even when discussing the game’s controversial elements.
The refund system on Epic Games is similar to Steam’s, so that remains a potential concern. However, BSG is likely willing to take this risk in exchange for greater visibility and the chance to attract a broader audience of potential buyers.
Or maybe the commercial and promotional motivations behind BSG’s decision may not be the only factors at play.
A Strategic Move? Unreal Theories
In a recent video, NoiceGuy shared an interesting theory: Since Epic Games is the developer and owner of Unreal Engine, BSG’s move could be the first step in forming a partnership with Epic for future development support using their highly advanced and flexible Unreal Engine.
While many of EFT’s development challenges undoubtedly stem from BSG’s inexperience—especially in its early years—it’s also possible that some issues are due to the limitations of Unity, the game’s current engine. Unity may be less versatile or adaptable, particularly for large-scale environments with 'numerous moving elements'.
This theory gains traction considering that NoiceGuy directly asked Nikita Buyanov if this was a strategic move, to which the BSG CEO simply replied, "Yes".
Escape from Tarkov on Unreal Engine?
As much as many fans dream of this, the answer is no—it won’t happen.
At least, not for Escape from Tarkov.
Who knows? Maybe there will be an Escape from Tarkov 2.
Or perhaps Unreal Engine will be used for Nikita Buyanov and BSG’s ultimate project: Russia 2028.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments! And if you’re interested in news, tips & tricks, and in-depth articles on Escape from Tarkov, explore the sections of The Tarkov Central. Have any doubts about Escape from Tarkov? Use the search feature on this website to see if there's an article covering your question.
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