Escape From Tarkov 1.0 Patch Notes: The Full Release, Story, No-Wipe Servers and What Came After

Escape from Tarkov left early access on November 15, 2025 — after nine years in beta — with a patch so large it's effectively a new game: a story campaign with four endings, the new Terminal map, a redesigned tutorial, more than 1,000 fixes and improvements, a Steam debut, and the end of mandatory wipes. Patch 1.0 was the last full server wipe in Tarkov history; since then, PvP and PvE profiles are permanent, and the fresh-start energy moved into the seasonal system (Season 1, Kord Breach, launched August 3, 2026). This guide is the readable version of the patch notes: what 1.0 changed, how the story works (including the "talk to the Therapist" step everyone gets stuck on), the no-wipe server model, the launch player numbers, and the post-1.0 timeline including the modding situation and the Raid movie.

Official resources: Battlestate Games official site · Steam store page · IGN — Everything New in 1.0 · Inven Global — launch report · PCGamesN — going gold

The 1.0 Release: Facts and Numbers

1.0 went live November 15, 2025 at 11:00 GMT, after a ~24-hour patch install that took the servers down from November 14. The headline facts (IGN's 1.0 hub, Inven Global, ixbt launch report):

• Steam debut — the game launched on Steam for the first time alongside the native launcher, after 1M+ wishlists in its first two months on the storefront, supporting 20+ languages
• More than 1,000 fixes and improvements across all systems, plus the story, UI, audio and graphics overhauls
• Full wipe for all PvP profiles at launch — the last mandatory wipe in the game's history (PvE players got a voluntary wipe option to replay the story)
• New tutorial ("Epicenter") and phased progression
• Launch overload — the player surge crashed auth servers on day one, producing the Error 213/418 waves and prompting a public statement from Battlestate (gamepressure's launch-day report)
• Promotions — 15% off on Steam through Nov 29, 10% off site editions, 30% off Unheard, and a Twitch Drops campaign (Nov 15 – Dec 6) whose rewards were explicitly permanent (Inven Global)

Per the official launch reporting on Inven Global, Patch 1.0 "will issue a full wipe for all PvP profiles, while PvE players may choose a voluntary wipe through the game's profile page to access the new story questline."

The Story Campaign: Tour, the Epicenter, and Four Endings

The biggest addition in 1.0 is the story campaign — the "escape from Tarkov" the game always promised. It starts the moment you finish character creation (IGN, VG Times story walkthrough):

1. Tour — the opening story chapter; you drop into the Epicenter tutorial raid (AI-only opponents) to learn movement, looting and healing
2. Talk to the traders — back in the hideout, you visit each trader. This is where new players get stuck: to progress, open the Traders tab and click the Visit button at the top of the trader screen — not the Tasks tab. Talk to the Therapist (she asks for 250,000₽ to unlock Streets of Tarkov access), then the Fence (unlocks Skier), then the rest
3. Four endings — the campaign resolves with four possible endings based on your alliances and choices, described by Battlestate as "lifetime achievements" only the most dedicated players reach (Insider Gaming's 1.0 explainer, PCGamesN)
4. Terminal map — the new finale location, an all-out war between factions unlocked at the end of the story, with the PvE ending scenario (IGN)

The campaign also unlocked direct map access: Woods, Factory and Customs are transit-only until you progress the Tour chapter, which explains the greyed-out map tabs that confused so many post-1.0 players (wiki — Factory).

No-Wipe PvP Servers: The Permanent Model

The change players most wanted is official: there are no more mandatory wipes, and every main PvP server is now a no-wipe server. Since 1.0, your main PvP profile — level, stash, hideout, quests, traders — is permanent, and the PvE profile is permanent too. The fresh-start experience moved into the seasonal system: Season 1 (Kord Breach, patch 1.1.0.0, August 3, 2026) runs an optional separate character on dedicated seasonal servers with its own economy and modifiers (wipe guide has the full model).

So when players search for a "no wipe PvP server": the answer is every PvP server — that's the 1.0 baseline. If you want the wipe-adjacent rush, create a seasonal character; if you want your progress to be permanent, just play your main profile. The codes guide explains the related promotions that accompanied the transition.

How Many People Play: The 1.0 Numbers

Launch interest was enormous — and hard numbers are a mix of official and tracker data:

• 1M+ Steam wishlists before launch, 20+ languages supported (Inven Global)
• Day-one server overload — the auth crash is itself the signal: the surge exceeded expectations (gamepressure)
• A major sales milestone was reported in the months after launch (GameSpot)
• Live concurrent counts — third-party trackers (e.g. dropreference) showed roughly 12,000–13,000 concurrent on Steam at sample times in 2026, a snapshot number that fluctuates with events and seasons (dropreference live data)

The honest framing: Tarkov's concurrent-player data has always been split across the launcher and Steam, and Battlestate doesn't publish official numbers. The reliable statement is that 1.0 was the largest player influx in the game's history, and the seasonal model is designed to keep those numbers cycling.

Skills After 1.0: Covert Movement and the Grind

1.0 didn't rework skills, but permanent progression made them matter more — you're no longer losing them to a wipe, so the grind is worth optimizing. The most-searched example is Covert Movement, the stealth skill (official wiki — Covert Movement, tarkovforge skill guide):

• What it does — +1% covert movement speed per level (up to +50% at Elite) and −1.2% noise from weapons/equipment per level (up to −60% at Elite)
• How it levels — points accrue while you move slowly (roughly under 25% movement speed) in raids; the reliable method is walking sneaking-speed stretches through quiet parts of every raid, especially indoors where you'd sneak anyway
• The elite payoff — at Elite (level 51), your footsteps are nearly silent and movement noise drops 60%, which is a genuine PvP advantage for rat-and-ambush playstyles
• The soft-cap reality — skill fatigue and diminishing returns make full maxing a long project; 30–40 minutes of slow-walk per raid over a season is the realistic pace

The same permanent-progression logic applies to the hideout — the ammo chart guide covers the weapon rack and storage modules in that context.

The Movie Question: Raid, the Miniseries

"Is there an Escape from Tarkov movie?" — the answer has two parts. The official Raid web series (5 episodes, 2019–2021) is a live-action miniseries set in the Tarkov universe, directed by Anton Rosenberg and produced by Battlestate's own Nikita Buyanov; it was re-cut into a 65-minute feature-length film ("Escape from Tarkov. Raid.", 2021) (IMDb — Raid, TMDB — the film cut). There is no Hollywood theatrical movie and no announced feature film adaptation beyond the Raid property — searches for "EFT movie" mostly surface the Raid series, the 1.0 launch trailers (which Battlestate treated like film productions), and fan-made AI trailers (VG Times fan trailer coverage). Watch the Raid series on Battlestate's official channels — it's the closest thing to a Tarkov movie that exists.

The Modding Situation Post-1.0 (and the 7 Days to Die Crossover)

Tarkov has no official mod support — Battlestate has never shipped mod tools or a workshop — so the modding scene lived in grey areas. The biggest story of 2026: Single Player Tarkov (SPT), the fan-built offline single-player framework used by thousands, shut down in August 2026 after Battlestate issued a trademark violation notice over the "Tarkov" name in its domain and branding. The SPT Forge and hosting infrastructure were discontinued on or before August 12, 2026, with source code remaining on GitHub for anyone to fork (GamesRadar, MassivelyOP, Insider Gaming).

The other thing players search for is the "7 Days to Die Escape from Tarkov mod" — that's the Escape from Tarkov – Overhaul mod for 7 Days to Die by M14: a complete conversion adding 100+ EFT weapons, 200+ attachments, 17 calibers and EFT-style looting to the zombie survival game (7daystodiemods). It's a totally separate game's mod that borrows Tarkov's weapon roster — and it's the most popular answer to "can I play Tarkov with mods": in EFT itself, no; in 7DTD, yes.

What Came After 1.0

The post-launch timeline so far: Icebreaker (the post-1.0 story chapter with the Boreas raid, added in mid-2026), the 1.0.6.x patches, and Season 1 "Kord Breach" (patch 1.1.0.0, August 3, 2026) — the first season with a free Battle Pass, the QBZ-191 rifle, reworked trader loyalty and the modifier system (wipe guide season section, Epiccarry's 2026 roadmap coverage). Battlestate has committed to continuing the game "with new locations and DLC in the future" (Insider Gaming) — the roadmap lists Terminal expansions, Unity engine work and more seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Escape from Tarkov 1.0 release?

November 15, 2025 at 11:00 GMT, after ~24 hours of patch downtime starting November 14. It ended nine years of early access and marked the Steam debut.

What did Escape from Tarkov 1.0 add?

A story campaign with four endings, the Terminal map, a new tutorial (Epicenter), more than 1,000 fixes, UI/audio/graphics overhauls, permanent no-wipe profiles, and the Steam launch. It was also the last mandatory wipe in the game's history.

How do I talk to the Therapist in the 1.0 story?

Open the Traders tab, select the Therapist, and click the Visit button at the top of the trader screen (not Tasks). She'll ask for 250,000₽ to unlock Streets of Tarkov access. The same Visit mechanic applies to every trader in the Tour chapter.

Are there no-wipe PvP servers now?

Yes — since 1.0, every main PvP server is permanent (no wipes). Fresh-start gameplay moved to the optional seasonal system (Kord Breach, Season 1, August 2026), which uses separate seasonal characters.

Is there an Escape from Tarkov movie?

The official Raid miniseries (5 episodes, 2019–2021) and its 65-minute film cut (2021) are the only official film content — no Hollywood movie exists. What you'll find online is the Raid series, launch trailers and fan-made AI trailers.

Related Guides

• Escape From Tarkov Wipe — what wipes, what carries over, and Season 1
• Escape From Tarkov Platforms — Xbox, console, Linux and controller
• Escape From Tarkov Error 0 — fixes for launcher login errors
• Escape From Tarkov Codes — active promo codes and discounts
• Escape From Tarkov Bosses — every boss, spawn rate and loot

Last updated: August 13, 2026.