Escape From Tarkov’s Last Mission Just Got Harder for Squads

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This article contains SPOILERS for Escape from Tarkov‘s ending.

As a big fan of Escape from Tarkov, I was really frustrated by the recent changes to the final mission. It was already tough, and a lot of us were annoyed during the holidays that not everyone in a five-person squad could actually get out after the final cutscene. Honestly, I was hoping Battlestate Games would fix it, but they ended up making things even harder. It’s the opposite of what the community wanted, and it’s pretty disappointing.

The popular online shooter Escape from Tarkov has had a packed few months. After nearly ten years in testing, the game officially launched its full 1.0 version in November 2025. This update included a new tutorial, a redesigned user interface, and improvements to the game’s sound and graphics. Most notably, 1.0 added a proper ending to the game. Once players complete the main storyline, they unlock a new PvE map called ‘Terminal,’ where they must fight through waves of enemies to reach a boat and finally escape the war zone.

Escape From Tarkov’s Ending Has Been Made Even Harder for Larger Squads

Once players successfully navigate the difficult Terminal map in Escape from Tarkov, they’ll reach one of four different endings, depending on the choices they’ve made throughout the game. However, even if you complete the mission with teammates, not everyone is guaranteed to survive. When you reach the escape boat at the end of the Terminal mission, there aren’t enough seats for everyone. With 2 or 3 players, only one person can escape. A group of four gets two seats, and a group of five only gets three. Streamer Velion recently highlighted this issue on X (formerly Twitter) on January 3rd, expressing their frustration and tagging the game’s director, Nikita Buyanov.

Just hours after Velion’s post on X, Buyanov responded with a short message: “it’s changed already.” Players quickly checked the game to see what had been updated, but were disappointed. Instead of adding more seats to the escape boat to allow full teams to leave together – as many had hoped – the developers of Escape from Tarkov actually reduced access, limiting the boat to only one seat, no matter how large the squad.

Although the game director’s statement wasn’t a lie, the way it was presented made many fans think Battlestate Games had taken their suggestions seriously and implemented them. Now that fans realize they were misled and received the opposite of what they wanted, they’re understandably frustrated. Content creator Nalyo Gaming voiced his confusion and disappointment, replying to Velion’s post with, “I just don’t understand these types of decisions.”

What’s Next for Escape From Tarkov

The full release of Escape from Tarkov was a major milestone, but the game is still evolving. Battlestate Games plans to add two new maps – ‘Icebreaker’ and ‘End of the Line’ – in 2026, along with improved weapon customization and more detailed environments. Beyond regular seasonal updates, a significant expansion called ‘Scav Life’ is scheduled for the latter half of 2026. Plus, the long-awaited console version of Escape from Tarkov, once thought to be cancelled, is now actively being developed.

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2026-01-07 00:04