Is Escape from Tarkov Down?
Yes, Escape from Tarkov is down right now while the team carries out server maintenance aimed at improving stability when the game is under heavy load. Escape from Tarkov is currently down for planned technical maintenance, and the servers are not accessible while the work is underway. The official X (Twitter) account has confirmed that the game “will not be accessible during this period,” so launcher spam and reconnect attempts, unfortunately, will not help this time. Escape from Tarkov (@tarkov) announced on X that technical maintenance is scheduled for December 29 at 7 AM GMT / 2 AM EST to improve server stability during high load periods.
It’s the classic Tarkov experience in a different form: instead of getting one‑tapped by an unseen sniper, the “you died” screen is replaced by connection errors and a maintenance notice. Some players treat this downtime as a forced break, clean stash, watch YouTube raid clips, or finally touch grass for a bit.
How Long Will the Escape From Tarkov Maintenance Take?
The Escape from Tarkov maintenance is scheduled to last approximately 3 hours, but the devs have been upfront that it may be extended if required. That “may be extended” line is important; it usually means if something looks off during the rollout, they’ll keep the servers offline until they’re confident things won’t fall apart the moment everyone logs back in.
The timing given by the developers is:
Start time:
-
December 29 at 7:00 AM GMT
-
December 29 at 2:00 AM EST
Planned duration:
-
Around 3 hours, with possible extension if issues are found.
Anyone planning a squad session right in that window is basically out of luck and may have to reorganize plans or just sit in Discord, theorycrafting new builds nobody will actually afford after the next raid goes badly.
When Will Escape From Tarkov Servers Be Back Up?
If everything goes according to plan, Escape from Tarkov servers should be back up roughly 3 hours after the maintenance start time, meaning:
-
Around 10:00 AM GMT
-
Around 5:00 AM EST
That said, the developers have clearly warned that the maintenance may be extended if required, so these are target times, not guarantees. In past updates, Tarkov maintenance sometimes wrapped up on schedule and sometimes ran a bit long, especially when backend changes touched matchmaking or load balancing. Escape from Tarkov (@tarkov) announced on X that technical maintenance is underway on the servers to improve stability, with downtime expected to last around three hours and the game inaccessible during this period.
The safest approach for players is:
Wait until after the 3‑hour window from 7 AM GMT / 2 AM EST on December 29. Check the official @tarkov account on X for a fresh post confirming that maintenance is finished and servers are live again.
Once things reopen, the first few minutes can still feel rough queues, slow logins, maybe a hiccup or two but if this stability work pays off, peak‑time raids should feel less like a networking stress test and more like an actual tactical shooter again.
Disclaimer
Escape from Tarkov server status, maintenance duration, and restart times can change without prior notice. All timing details are based on the latest official announcements available at the time of writing and may be updated by the developers. Always check the official Escape from Tarkov channels for the most current information.
