Escape from Tarkov Preview | PAX West 2025

One aspect of reviewing games I love is the chance to try titles I might not have picked up otherwise. Extraction shooters is a genre I haven’t played much of, but at PAX West I had the opportunity to try one of the most robust examples out there: Escape from Tarkov. While I’m no expert (and yes, I died a lot), it’s clear the game has had a tremendous amount of effort and commitment put into it and I can clearly see why so many people enjoy it.

I should first mention the booth setup at PAX West that framed my experience. Escape from Tarkov had one of the largest displays on the floor. Often, I struggle to find the booth for my appointments with so many games packed into the hall, but that wasn’t the case here. The display resembled a rundown section of a building, roped off as I waited for my appointment. Once inside, the dystopian atmosphere amplified; the top of the room was ringed with barbed wire, as if it were keeping something out, or trapping me in.

A short presentation was shown, building the setup for the background story and what I was about to experience. One thing about PAX: it’s hard to pay attention to a presentation on the floor. It’s loud and distracting, even inside the makeshift building. I’ll have to go back and rewatch it, since I missed a lot of details that help frame the story.

The room where the other creators and I were seated was fairly large, with several computers set up to play. Next to me sat a member of the development team. They gave me a brief rundown of what was about to happen but made it clear they weren’t going to hold my hand. At that moment, I wanted to tell them I’d probably need more hand-holding than they bargained for. After a short cutscene, the action started: the makeshift compound I was in came under attack, and I needed to escape. 

This is where the design really shone through. Even though I was realizing during my run that I’m terrible at these types of games, the level was structured so that I intuitively knew where to go. It wasn’t because I was good at the game or at reading a map, it was because the design cues guided me: lights positioned to draw my eye, walls and fences arranged so I instinctively followed them, and ambient noises signaling the right direction. It was all cleverly done, and while I know it had little to do with my skill and everything to do with the design, I still felt like I was accomplishing something by heading the right way.

That said, I died. A lot. But with each run, I picked up a little more and made it farther on the next attempt. My dev guide explained that this is how extraction shooters were designed: you die often, but you learn from your mistakes. In some ways, it felt like a roguelike, because each effort taught me something new.

I walked away from the game with a greater appreciation for Escape from Tarkov and extraction shooters in general. In the right setting, with the right group of friends, I can see this game being a lot of fun.