Battlestate Games is changing how players are matched in Escape from Tarkov, and yes, it sounds like another round of server musical chairs. Studio head Nikita Buyanov confirmed that the player base will be split into a third category. Right now the game already separates PvP and PvE activity. Soon, seasonal player characters will queue differently from permanent player characters.

What is actually changing

Here are the facts, plain and simple:

  • Permanent PMCs are characters that will not be wiped. They persist across seasons.
  • Seasonal PMCs follow the traditional wipe cycle. They will have season-specific events, unlocks, and achievements that can only be earned on those characters.
  • When asked whether seasonal PMCs will share queues with permanent server PMCs, Nikita Buyanov answered "No."

Why Battlestate is doing this

The basic idea is to prevent very experienced, un-wiped permanent characters from meeting brand-new seasonal characters in PvP. Seasonal players will have exclusive progress and content, and keeping them separate is meant to preserve balance and the intended seasonal experience.

Why some players are not thrilled

Not everyone is convinced this is a good plan. The main concerns:

  • Splitting queues further could mean fewer people available for any given match, which may increase wait times.
  • Players and streamers point out existing fragmentation: PvP vs PvE, permanent vs seasonal, multiple maps, and day-night rotations. Add seasonal queues and the pool of available players for any single mode looks smaller.
  • Some community members worry this will make already quiet servers feel emptier.

Streamers and community reactions

Prominent community figures raised practical questions. One well-known streamer asked whether the game will keep enough active players to support these new splits. Another long-time player said servers already feel thin and predicted they could feel even emptier after the change. A third streamer ran rough numbers and warned that combining PvP, PvE, permanent, seasonal, ten maps, and day-night rotations could significantly reduce the pool of players for any given match.

What this could mean for you

If you like the seasonal rush and exclusive rewards, seasonal PMCs will still give you that. If you prefer to keep a stable character you build over time, permanent PMCs remain an option. The trade-off is community fragmentation versus a cleaner separation between playstyles.

In short: the change aims to preserve seasonal integrity and avoid unfair matchups, but it may also stretch the player base thinner and increase queue times. Which outcome matters more depends on how you like to play.

Let us know what you think. Will this make Tarkov better organized or make matchmaking feel lonelier? Your call.