Escape From Tarkov is a "hardcore" MMO with shades of STALKER

Escape From Tarkov is a "hardcore story-driven MMO" that takes place in the Russian city of Tarkov, which for some reason has been sealed off by the authorities and is now a ruined battleground overrun by private military companies and local raiders. It combines elements of shooters and RPGS, and also, as you can see in this "looting and inventory" trailer, looks an awful lot like STALKER.

The video isn't the most action-packed showcase ever, but it's meant to demonstrate some of the less two-fisted aspects of the game, like inventory management, weapon modification, and interaction with the environment. If gunfire is more your thing, an "Action Gameplay" video released last month (and embedded below) has plenty of that. Both are taken from pre-alpha builds of the game, but even so they look pretty good.

The Escape From Tarkov website doesn't have much more to say about it at this point, but a closed beta is planned to start sometime in 2016. If you'd like to give it a shot, you can put your name in the hat at escapefromtarkov.com.

Thanks, Blues.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.