Before Escape from Tarkov hit 1.0 on November 15, Battlestate Games professed how difficult it would be to ultimately complete the game’s new campaign. The crushing difficulty and lengthy challenges of the story mode added with 1.0 would push even the most talented players to their limits, and the latest numbers indicate they weren’t lying.
In a recent post on social media, Battlestate Games revealed that one million copies of the game have been sold since November 15, on top of the millions that were purchased before 1.0 was released.
They also shared that just 500 PMCs have completed the game, representing a drastically small minority.
Escape from Tarkov is the Hardest Game Ever Made
If you take the 500 PMCs that have successfully run through to the end of Escape from Tarkov since the one million copies were sold post-launch, you get 0.5% of players.
If we assume that at least five times as many copies were sold pre-launch, you drill down to fewer than 0.1% of players having completed the game. The numbers are rough, but as Battlestate Games has never been transparent with the figures, it’s the best we have to go on.
It’s important to stress that the Escape from Tarkov campaign has only been around for one month. In that time, the concept of completing it has been available to very few people, and casual players will likely spend months trying to conquer it.
On December 1st, Battlestate Games revealed that Tigz, a streamer, was the first person in the world to complete Escape from Tarkov, and in the days that followed, 500 more players managed to secure that accolade.
Now, in a new social post, the team has set up more numbers, alongside a celebration of one million sales post-launch and a new promo code (ONEMILLIONPLUS) for all players to enjoy.
But why is this important?
Escape from Tarkov has always been considered one of the toughest games ever made. It’s a punishing thing that breaks gamers every day, offering a soul-crushing gameplay loop that requires players to load up, run a raid, and hopefully make it out alive.
At any point, a single, well-placed bullet can end everything, stripping them of their progress and their equipment.
There are no maps, no markers, no guidance lines, and no hand-holding mechanics. It’s a brutal experience, and that’s why only 500 players in the world have managed to complete the game thus far.
The number proposed here is 0.1%, but it’s likely lower than that. Escape from Tarkov was on the market for almost a decade in alpha and beta states, and that’s assuming that it sold just five million copies in that time.
Have you managed to complete Escape from Tarkov yet? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server what ending you secured.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Escape from Tarkov has sold one million copies
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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