Best Games Like Escape from Tarkov (2024)

Escape from Tarkov is an incredible title loved by many, having players experience a highly-developed and intricate hardcore FPS, forming communities, memories, and love for a new gaming category. Once experiencing Escape from Tarkov, players begin to fall in love with the hardcore style of gameplay due to its intensity and realistic feeling that no other title can emit. Usually, Escape from Tarkov is most people's first hardcore FPS title and after breaking the ice and finding new passions players become curious about the wider world of more realistically designed FPS titles, similar to Escape from Tarkov.

Many people are aware of largely popular titles such as Modern Warfare and Escape from Tarkov, however, there is a larger more "underground" sea of hardcore FPS titles that take similar approaches. Although every game is incredibly unique and focuses on the "purpose" of the title, whether that be large-scale warfare, world war two, or war-torn Russia, like Escape from Tarkov. No title will be the same as Escape from Tarkov, but we can point you in the right direction with some awesome hardcore FPS titles!

1. Squad

The Squad is an excellent tactical FPS title that provides an authentic combat experience through teamwork. Players are separated into two teams of typically fifty and tasked with dominating the battlefield strategically by taking cities and towns, like in real-world combat. The game portrays the most realistic experience from my perspective of modern combat, having players segregate into units and build command and leadership throughout the two sides. Each unit will have a commander who tasks his unit with strategic objectives, with his/her squad following their orders to prevail over the enemy.

The real outline within Squad is teamwork, hence the name of the title. Players are almost required to enter a match ready to communicate and work alongside their unit to obtain victory, highlighting the need for a microphone. Whether you decide to be your unit's marksman, light-machine gunner, medic, commander, or anti-tank, you and your band of brothers advance through the battlefields together with the task to destroy the enemy.

Squad is an incredibly hardcore shooter, with its player base taking the game and objectives incredibly seriously, using proper combat terms, and operating with care. Of course, players have a blast playing the title, but Squad leans to a more serious demographic of players. After picking the title up myself a few months ago, I've been enjoying the game incredibly and have managed to "relax" and enjoy the games at times, however, you sometimes find yourself alongside some army vets that have a serious vendetta against the enemy.

2. Ready or Not

Ready or Not features a very similar approach to Escape from Tarkov in terms of close-quarters combat, instead, Ready or Not only focuses on close-quarters combat. Whether you and your unit are clearing out a nightclub overran by terrorists, or simply cleaning up a gas station from a hostage situation, Ready or Not provides a true tactical approach to the FPS scene. Having players feel incredibly nervous about the mission ahead, knowing you're facing terrorists and your mission is to simply secure the location and eliminate all threats.

Ready or Not focuses intensely on emitting the feel of modern combat police units experience today in high-level situations such as terrorist threats. Forcing the player outside their comfort zone to figure out an appropriate execution plan to ensure the lives of hostages and potential survivors within the compound being assaulted.

Ready or Not features cooperative gameplay, allowing online players to join each other to takeout AI enemies. There are no police vs criminals online mode within Ready or Not, which personally is great because we already have titles such as Rainbow Six Siege and Counter-Strike, Ready or Not takes an approach just focussing on the Police standpoint. You'll come across players that are serious and want to communicate, ones that don't care, and players who are up for a laugh, similar to Escape from Tarkov, therefore a little less serious than Squad.

3. Hell Let Loose

Hell Let Loose is slightly different from the previous titles mentioned due to the time period being the 1940s, specifically World War 2. The game focuses on reliving those devastating, yet heroic, victories and experiences of our ancestors experienced, featuring famous battles such as June 6th, 1944, D-DAY, and various other battles. This game is a widescale battle, similar to Squad and Arma, except feeling a little more relaxed and less tactically inclined. Although, players have to go to a large extent to win battles and advance to victory.

The game focuses on teamwork and strategy, whether you're playing as the allies or axis powers throughout your battle, you have to focus on either attacking or defending enemy positions successfully. This game, like the others takes time and patience to learn, but it's incredibly nice coming to a title that features historic events and drifting away from the seriousness of weapon modifications and hinting at modern-day politics. The title can be incredibly good fun, tactical, and relaxing funnily enough.

4. Arma 3

No game can defeat the greatness Arma 3 bestows upon its player base, this sandbox shooter gives players the power to create real-life scenarios and experiences to re-live them. Having players build servers dedicated to specific role-playing experiences, battle modes, or simply widescale war. Experience true combat gameplay with no limitation to what you can/cannot do, often playing alongside servers of up to one hundred and fifty people.

Arma 3 requires a little research before purchasing due to the complexity behind the title, you'll likely have to find a server on the internet and figure out how to connect and play alongside the other players. This is because players can set their own servers up and build their own scenarios, such as a wide-scale battle, featuring jets, tanks, infantry, helicopters, and a wide plethora of vehicles, and seriously simulate a real war. Therefore, players set up servers and run them at dedicated times to have a full widescale war that last hours upon hours with active and serious players.

If that's not your cup of tea, Arma 3 provides a series of constantly running servers featuring similar elements on a lesser seriousness scale. Having role-playing servers, wide-scale battles, and other real-life scenarios people dream of experiencing. Arma 3 does have one of the hardest mechanics I've personally experienced, taking me approximately fifty hours of gameplay to feel incredibly confident in all aspects. However, that's why the game has so much playability, you actually have to learn how to fly a helicopter, drive a tank, and fly a plane, giving the title more content and enjoyability.

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