Escape from Tarkov Editions Compared

By Treesz · Updated Nov 2, 2026

An edition in Escape from Tarkov is an account-level package. It decides how big your stash is, which secure container your PMC starts with, how much money and gear you get on a fresh character, how much extra raid experience you earn, and whether PvE, Arena and future DLC come included. Battlestate Games lists five editions: Standard, Left Behind, Prepare for Escape, The Unheard Edition, and Edge of Darkness, which is no longer sold.

This page covers the game as it stands on 1 November 2026: after the 1.0 release on 15 November 2025, the Steam launch on the same day and patch 1.1.0.0 with its seasonal characters. Prices are the official list prices shown on escapefromtarkov.com for the Europe region and on the German Steam store on 1 November 2026. Checkout fees are added on top.

Comparison table

	Standard	Left Behind	Prepare for Escape	The Unheard	Edge of Darkness
Official site price	€52	€86	€115	€250	Not sold since 7 Jan 2024
Stash	10x30	10x40	10x50	10x72	10x68
Secure container	Alpha 2x2	Alpha 2x2	Beta 3x2	Gamma 3x3	Gamma 3x3
Trader standing bonus	None	None	+0.2 all traders	+0.2 all, +0.5 Fence	+0.2 all traders
In-raid XP bonus	None	+7%	+9%	+20%, also for group	+12%
Starting money	500,000 RUB	500,000 RUB, $500	500,000 RUB, $500, €250	1,000,000 RUB, $1,000, €500	500,000 RUB, $1,000, €500
PvE Zone	Add-on	Add-on	Add-on	Included	Included
Arena	Separate purchase	Separate purchase	Separate purchase	Ryzhy Edition included	Ryzhy Edition included
Season Pass (future DLC)	No	No	No	Yes (website version)	Yes
Unique in-game identifier	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

The trader standing values come from the official kit descriptions. The 0.2 bonus is added to your starting reputation with every trader, which is why loyalty level 2 arrives sooner on the higher editions.

Standard Edition

Standard is the base game and costs €52 on the official site or €49.99 / $49.99 on Steam. You start with the 2x2 Alpha secure container, a 10x30 stash and 500,000 roubles, plus a kit that Battlestate lists item by item: two AK-74M rifles, two PP-19-01 Vityaz SMGs, two MP-443 Grach pistols, PACA soft armor, meds such as AI-2 medkits and splints, and food and water. There is no trader standing bonus and no raid XP bonus.

Standard is a complete copy of the game. Everything the higher editions add, apart from the unique identifier and the Season Pass, can be bought later as an upgrade or earned through play. The hideout Stash module is the main way to grow storage: level 2 (10x40) costs 2,500,000 roubles plus parts, level 3 (10x50) costs 8,500,000 roubles, and level 4 (10x68) costs 200,000 euros, takes 96 hours and needs other modules first. On an edition that already includes a size, the matching module level comes pre-built.

Left Behind Edition

Left Behind is the first step up. It costs €86 on the official site. On Steam it is sold as the Left Behind Expansion Pack for €36 on top of Standard, or €85.99 as a bundle with the base game.

What it adds over Standard:

a 10x40 stash, which equals Stash module level 2 without paying the 2,500,000 roubles;
+7% in-raid experience;
500 dollars on top of the 500,000 roubles;
a bigger kit, for example a Mossberg 590A1 shotgun with 69 buckshot shells, an AFAK, a CMS surgical kit, two Augmentin packs and more AI-2 medkits.

Left Behind keeps the same 2x2 Alpha container as Standard and gives no trader standing bonus. Some older guides claim it has a larger secure container. That is not true: the first container upgrade comes with Prepare for Escape.

Prepare for Escape Edition

Prepare for Escape is the middle edition. It costs €115 on the official site. On Steam it is the Prepare for Escape Expansion Pack for €29 on top of Left Behind, or €114.99 as a bundle with the game and the Left Behind pack.

What it adds over Left Behind:

the 3x2 Beta secure container, six slots instead of four;
a 10x50 stash, the same as Stash module level 3;
+0.2 starting standing with all traders;
+9% in-raid experience;
250 euros on top of the roubles and dollars;
a kit that adds an SV-98 bolt-action rifle with a KMZ 1P69 scope, a 6B13 assault armor, a 6B47 helmet, morphine injectors and six F-1 grenades.

Prepare for Escape does not give a unique in-game identifier, and it does not include PvE, Arena or the Season Pass. It is the highest of the three editions on the Steam store page; above it, Steam sells only The Unheard Steam Edition pack.

The Unheard Edition

The Unheard Edition is the top edition on sale. It launched on 25 April 2024 with patch 0.14.6.0 and costs €250 on the official site. It brings:

a 10x72 stash, the largest of any edition, and the Gamma TUE secure container (3x3);
+0.2 standing with all traders and +0.5 with Fence;
+20% raid experience for you and the same bonus for your group;
1,000,000 roubles, 1,000 dollars and 500 euros;
level 3 in Attention, Hideout Management, Weapon Maintenance, Bolt-action Rifles and Pistols;
the PvE Zone, Arena Ryzhy Edition, the Season Pass and a unique identifier;
expanded pockets, extra Flea Market slots, Early Test Server access, co-op training mode and the Cultist Circle hideout module from the start.

Steam version. Since 20 May 2026 Steam sells The Unheard Steam Edition Expansion Pack (€45 on the German store). The full Steam bundle with Standard, both lower packs and the PVE Zone costs €189.98. The Steam version keeps the stash, Gamma, pockets, trader bonus and group XP bonus but does not include the Season Pass. Battlestate says this is because of Steam platform rules.

Edge of Darkness Edition

Edge of Darkness (EoD) was the top Limited Edition during early access. It was removed from sale on 7 January 2024, and Battlestate's FAQ confirms it cannot be bought today. Accounts that already own it keep it. Under the official description, EoD owners have:

a 10x68 stash and the Gamma EOD secure container (3x3);
+0.2 standing with all traders, +12% raid XP and Charisma at level 3;
500,000 roubles, 1,000 dollars and 500 euros on a fresh character;
the PvE Zone, Arena Ryzhy Edition, the Season Pass and a unique identifier;
faster insurance returns, 20% higher trader purchase limits, two free operational task replacements per day, and the Nostalgia quest chain that can unlock bigger pockets.

What changed over time. When The Unheard Edition launched in April 2024, PvE was first offered only with the new edition, even though EoD had been sold with a promise of all future DLC. After the backlash, Battlestate announced on 28 April 2024 that EoD owners would get PvE for free, in stages because of server capacity, and offered EoD owners 50% off an upgrade to The Unheard Edition. PvE access is now listed as part of EoD on the official site.

Upgrades and add-ons

You can move up without buying the game again:

Edition upgrades are sold on the official site and in the in-game Expansions Hub, which takes real money for upgrades, not TarCoins.
PvE Upgrade (€30 on the website, PVE Zone €29.99 / $29.99 on Steam) adds co-op PvE with progress that is never wiped to any edition. It requires the base game.
Stash Upgrade adds 4 to 80 extra stash lines on any edition, from €6, and stays after a profile reset.
Steam and website accounts run on the same servers. If you link a Battlestate account to Steam and the two editions differ, the game launches with the higher one. A website key cannot be activated on Steam.

Most raid advantages can also be earned. The 4x2 Epsilon container is a reward for The Punisher - Part 6, the 3x4 Kappa comes from Collector, and Prestige 6 in PvP grants a cosmetic 3x3 Gamma variant. More on these in the containers and keys glossary and the hideout modules glossary.

Editions after 1.0

Before 1.0, edition bonuses mattered most on wipe day, because every wipe reset all PMCs to their edition's starting kit. Battlestate's FAQ says traditional wipes ended with 1.0. Now the starting kit appears when you create a character, run a manual profile wipe from your account, or reset a seasonal character in the Expansions Hub. Seasonal characters from patch 1.1.0.0 play on separate PvP servers with their own rules. The raids, bosses and wipes glossary explains how seasons and wipes work now.

Guides and services

Our leveling guide shows how to use the XP bonus well, and the Arena guide covers the mode that comes with The Unheard and EoD. If you want to skip the early grind on a fresh character, Onlyfarms lists a Tarkov starter pack and Tarkov roubles.

FAQ

Which Escape from Tarkov edition should I buy?

For most new players, Standard plus later upgrades is enough, because you can upgrade at any time and the hideout and tasks give you more stash space and better containers. If you want PvE, compare The Unheard Edition with Standard plus the €30 PvE Upgrade. If the bigger container and trader head start matter to you, Prepare for Escape is the cheapest edition with Beta and the trader bonus.

Can I still buy Edge of Darkness?

No. It was removed from sale on 7 January 2024 and the official FAQ lists it as removed. Accounts that already own it keep every EoD bonus, including PvE, Arena Ryzhy Edition and the Season Pass.

Does my edition carry over to Steam?

Partly. You have to buy some edition on Steam, then link your Battlestate account. If the editions differ, the game uses the higher one, so a Standard copy on Steam linked to an Unheard account opens the Unheard profile.

Is The Unheard Edition pay-to-win?

It gives more space, money, XP and a faster trader start, but it does not give better aim or gear that others cannot get. Epsilon, Kappa and the bigger stash sizes can all be earned in play, and The Unheard's 3x3 Gamma is smaller than the 3x4 Kappa.

Do edition bonuses still reset with wipes?

Not in the old way. Since 1.0 there are no forced global wipes. You get your edition's starting kit when you create a character or reset a profile or a seasonal character.

Escape from Tarkov services on Onlyfarms

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