The godfather of the extraction shooter, Escape from Tarkov, finally kicked off its pre-purchase phase on the evening of the 13th. With a somewhat more reasonable price tag, it has already clawed its way to 4th place on the Steam global top sellers list.

Look, let’s be honest: Tarkov has always been a nightmare to get into, regardless of how fun the actual gameplay might be. For those of us in Korea, it relied on a proprietary platform that felt alien, and before 2021, the lack of KRW support meant you were effectively paying double-dipping fees through currency exchange and payment agencies.

Even before an official release, the pricing of their 'premium' editions was, frankly, eye-watering. The standard edition sat at $50, but the Edge of Darkness edition demanded $150—three times the cost. After that was retired, the new top-tier Unheard edition hit $250. Even with a 22% discount, it was still $195 (roughly 280,000 KRW). Since the difference between the mid-tier and the base game was often just stash space, and the PvE mode was gated exclusively behind the Unheard tier, players were essentially forced into either a barebones experience or an absurdly expensive investment.

The pricing for the Steam version of Tarkov mirrors the official website quite closely. Right out of the gate, there is a 25% discount, bringing the base game to 52,120 KRW and the Prepare for Escape edition to 116,240 KRW. Be warned: the top-tier Unheard edition is absent from the store. Also, note that you still need a Battlestate Games account, and even if you’re a veteran, you must purchase the Steam version separately to run it through Valve's platform. For newcomers just trying to find their footing, grabbing the standard edition along with the PvE Zone DLC seems like the smartest play.

Elsewhere, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, launching at 2:00 PM on the 14th, climbed to 3rd place. Meanwhile, the latest entry in the series, Assetto Corsa Rally, hit the shelves on the 13th and secured 6th place. With players praising its optimisation, visuals, and overall polish, the user reviews are currently 'Very Positive'.

In the top 20 for peak Concurrent Players, ARC Raiders saw a jump of about 30,000 to reach 386,160 following the 1.2.0 patch that introduced new maps and the Arc. Conversely, Dispatch hit 123,716 players after peaking at 220,000, showing a rapid decline as players who finished the story seem to have moved on.

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