As Escape from Tarkov gears up for its highly anticipated 1.0 release, Battlestate Games has clarified its stance on console ports, though not in the way many thought it would be.
During a recent Tarkov TV broadcast, COO Nikita Buyanov tackled the all-too-familiar question: is Tarkov coming to consoles? His reply was short and intentionally absurd: "Someday, but before that, we will release on Game Boy."
Although it was a joke, Buyanov used humor to make it clear that console development isn't a focus right now instead of dodging the topic or offering a vague promise. This isn't the first time Battlestate has addressed the issue.
In earlier years, the studio had expressed interest in a potential console release—though only after the game made its way to Steam. As of 2025, Tarkov is still missing from Steam, with the main focus now on achieving a stable 1.0 release.
The updated roadmap spells it out, with Battlestate rolling out final updates before the full launch and version 0.16.6.0 coming in May. The next patch will bring changes to AI behavior, balance adjustments, optimizations for the Lighthouse map, and audio improvements in the Shoreline area.
click to enlargeAn in-game event is planned, and after that, version 0.16.9.0 should be out in August, with version 1.0 potentially coming in the last quarter of 2025. Though Buyanov's Game Boy comment was clearly a joke, it points to the studio's real priorities. Instead of expanding to new platforms, Battlestate seems focused on wrapping up the game on PC first.
Escape from Tarkov on Game Boy sounded crazy, but it spread fast on social media, getting people talking and joking about the lack of console support.
The team is focused on finishing the game they started, and for now, any version beyond PC—whether real or satirical—remains off the table.
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