Escape From Tarkov alpha test will begin in August

Escape From Tarkov is the game that, as we said earlier this year, is “taking gun customization to absurd heights.” More to the point, it's a very STALKER-looking online FPS with MMO and RPG elements including a usage-based skill system and a dynamic in-game economy, in which players take up arms on behalf of mercenary companies doing battle inside the sealed-off city of Tarkov. It was announced last year and it's looking pretty good so far, and today developer Battle State Games announced that alpha testing will begin on August 4.

The developers are taking a very cautious approach to the matter, saying that it's not going to simply open the doors to the public because doing so “does not serve any purpose.”

“Alpha testing should not only polish the project and add content, but thoroughly balance and flesh out the details of game mechanics,” the studio wrote. “This is why we have formed a perfectly clear vision of what alpha testing should include—the version of the game where we could solve all of these tasks together!”

There's no indication as to how many players will be accepted into the alpha, but if yelling at strangers in Russian and then shooting them in the face sounds like your kind of thing (how could it not?), you can put your name in the hat at escapefromtarkov.com.

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.