Escape From Tarkov players must buy the game again if they wish to play on Steam, leading to backlash

by Danny Craig ·

Battlestate Games

Battlestate Games has revealed that the upcoming Steam release of Escape From Tarkov will require returning players to repurchase the game on the new platform, prompting some fans to accuse the studio of greed.

The details:

Battlestate confirmed earlier this month that its hit extraction shooter would be available on Steam in the near future, following years of being locked behind its own launcher. While no release date was initially announced, it has since been confirmed that it will be available on the popular platform on November 15, 2025, alongside its 1.0 release.
Players were understandably pleased to hear the news, but opinions have since soured after it was discovered that a new FAQ about the Steam version confirms that the title must be purchased again, even if previously purchased on the official website. "To play Escape from Tarkov through Steam, you must purchase any edition of the game on Steam," the FAQ reads. "You can then link your existing Battlestate Games account with an active copy of the game to your Steam profile. If the editions differ, it will automatically use the higher edition of the two when launching the game through Steam."
While players can still access the game through the Battlestate launcher, some fans have criticized the studio for not providing Steam keys to existing players. It should be noted that EFT uses the same online servers regardless of the version being played, which has led to fans branding the company as "greedy." "There are no excuses for buying an extra Steam copy just to play from an existing account," one Reddit user wrote. "The developer has the tools to hand out Steam keys to players who already own the game outside Steam, as the developers of Path of Exile 2 did, etc."

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