For years, the question that ruled Escape from Tarkov was simple: when's the wipe? That question is now dead. Since the 1.0 launch on 15 November 2025, Tarkov no longer wipes your account — your PMC, stash and progress persist indefinitely in both PvP and PvE. In its place, Battlestate Games is rolling out a brand-new Seasons system, kicking off with Season 1: "Kord Breach" alongside the major patch 1.1.0 in July 2026. This guide breaks down exactly how the no-wipe model works, what a "season" actually is, everything confirmed for 1.1.0, and what's coming after — all sourced from the official 2026 roadmap and current 1.0.5.0.45581 build.
Quick answer (TLDR): Tarkov stopped doing traditional full wipes at the 1.0 launch (15 Nov 2025) — your main character and stash are now permanent. Instead, Seasons add an opt-in, PvP-only fresh-start realm where you start from scratch with seasonal modifiers, a new battlepass and seasonal tasks. Season 1 is "Kord Breach", launching in July 2026 with patch 1.1.0 and an in-game event called Blackout. There are two seasons per year, they're free, and any special rewards you earn transfer to your main character. Your main PMC is never wiped by a season — joining is your choice. PvE players don't get seasons; they're getting a separate Prestige system instead.
Key takeaways
- The traditional wipe is gone. Last full wipe = 15 Nov 2025 (1.0). Your main account now persists forever.
- Seasons = opt-in, PvP-only, fresh-progression realm with modifiers + battlepass; two per year, free.
- Season 1 "Kord Breach" ships with patch 1.1.0 in July 2026, launched by the Blackout event.
- Your main PMC, stash and Kappa progress are untouched whether or not you play a season.
- After the season: Lighthouse rework, a new GPS mechanic, Unity 6 / FSR 4.0, a revive system, and squad size cut from 5 to 4.
Is the wipe really gone in Escape from Tarkov?
Yes. With the 1.0 release on 15 November 2025, Battlestate Games retired the periodic full-server wipe that used to reset every player's progress every few months (Escape from Tarkov). Your PMC level, stash, hideout, quest progress and Kappa container now carry forward indefinitely in both PvP and PvE. The game you're playing today on the 1.0.5.0.45581 build is the persistent one — nothing about Seasons changes that.
This is a genuine identity shift for Tarkov. The old wipe cycle was the heartbeat of the game: it forced everyone back to a scav knife and a Makarov, reset the economy, and gave returning players a clean on-ramp. Killing it solves the "I'm 200 hours behind, why bother" problem for new players, but it created a new one — what gives veterans a reason to start over and chase the wipe-day rush? That reason is Seasons.
What are Tarkov Seasons?
A Season is an opt-in, separate progression realm that behaves like the old wipes used to: you start at level 1 with an empty stash and grind up under a fresh, time-limited ruleset. Critically, this is a choice — your main, persistent character is left completely alone. You can ignore seasons entirely and never lose a thing.
Here's what the roadmap confirms about how seasons work:
- They're PvP-only. The official roadmap states plainly that "Seasons will be PVP only" (Out of Games roadmap summary). The seasonal fresh-start realm is the PvP Season mode; there is no PvE season.
- Two seasons per year, and they're free. You won't pay extra to participate.
- Fresh progression + modifiers. Each season starts you from scratch and layers on positive and negative gameplay modifiers that change how that season plays.
- New battlepass and seasonal tasks. Seasons come with their own progression track and unique quests, much like a live-service battlepass.
- Rewards transfer to your main. Special rewards earned in a season are carried back to your main character, so the time isn't "lost" when the season ends.
If you've played Path of Exile or Diablo leagues/seasons, the mental model is identical: a temporary realm with its own twist and rewards, running parallel to your permanent account. Several players in the community have drawn exactly that comparison since the announcement.
For the boosting-minded, the implication is obvious: every season is a fresh grind from zero — new PMC level, new traders, new quest chain, no roubles. That's the same brutal early-wipe curve players used to dread, now on a schedule. If you want to skip the painful first week and hit the season's content while it's relevant, our fastest leveling guide and early-wipe money methods are the playbook.
Season 1: "Kord Breach" — what we know
The first post-1.0 season is "Kord Breach", arriving in July 2026 as part of patch 1.1.0 (BLAST.tv). It's the debut of the entire seasonal structure, so BSG is launching it with a bang — an in-game event called Blackout kicks off the patch.
What's confirmed for Kord Breach:
- Launch window: July 2026, bundled with patch 1.1.0.
- Format: a PvP fresh-start realm with selectable seasonal modifiers, a Season 1 battlepass and seasonal tasks.
- Kickoff event: Blackout, an in-game event launching alongside the patch.
A few details are still community-reported and not yet officially locked, so treat them as rumor until BSG confirms: some outlets cite a season length of roughly 70+ days, and there's longstanding speculation — traced to a pre-1.0 Nikita Buyanov interview — that Season 1 could ship a Woods expansion. Neither is confirmed in the official roadmap, so don't build your plans around them yet. What is solid: Kord Breach is the on-ramp, it's free, and your main account is safe.
What's in patch 1.1.0 besides the season?
Patch 1.1.0 is a major content drop, not just a season toggle. The headline non-season feature is the Observer camera — a spectator mode that lets you keep watching the raid through a living teammate after you've died, instead of staring at a loadout screen (Insider Gaming). Here's the confirmed 1.1.0 slate:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Seasons system + Season 1 "Kord Breach" | The opt-in PvP fresh-start realm with modifiers, battlepass and tasks |
| Blackout event | In-game launch event that kicks off the patch |
| Observer camera | Spectate a surviving teammate after your death |
| Group shared kill objectives | Reworked tasks where squadmates can share kill credit |
| Insurance & hideout rebalance | Adjusted insurance returns and hideout progression pacing |
| Streets optimization | Performance improvements on the heaviest map |
| AI improvements | Continued Scav/boss behavior tuning |
| New weapons, gear & PMC customization | Fresh items plus expanded character customization |
For anyone planning to jump into Kord Breach, the insurance and hideout rebalance is the one to watch — early-season hideout pacing decides how fast you can stand up a Bitcoin farm and crafting stations. Our hideout upgrade-order guide lays out the optimal build path if you're starting a station tree from zero again.
What's coming after Season 1? (Q3 2026 roadmap)
Battlestate also laid out what lands after the season launches. These are scheduled for Q3 2026 and beyond and are subject to BSG's usual slippage:
- Lighthouse rework — a full overhaul of one of the community's least-loved maps.
- GPS navigation mechanic — in-raid navigation items to help you find extracts, aimed at lowering the new-player wall.
- Unity 6 + FSR 4.0 — a major engine upgrade and modern upscaling for better performance and frame rates.
- Extraction system rework — changes to how extracts function across maps.
- Trader, loot & reputation rebalance — broad economy and progression tuning.
- Revive / knockdown system — teammates entering a downed state with revive conditions instead of instant death.
- Squad size cut from 5 to 4 — max group size drops, changing squad dynamics.
- Quality-of-life — prebuilt kit containers from traders, a crosshair proximity indicator for quest items, faster insurance returns, and a Scav behavior rework.
The throughline of the whole roadmap is accessibility: GPS, revives, prebuilt kits and quest-item indicators are all aimed at retaining the new players the no-wipe model is meant to attract — while Seasons keep the hardcore crowd grinding.
How to prepare for Season 1
Because Kord Breach is a PvP fresh start, Season 1 will play exactly like the brutal first week of an old wipe: everyone at low level, scrambling for roubles, fighting over the same early quests. The players who dominate season launches are the ones who skip the slow ramp and hit the mid-tier gear bracket while everyone else is still running Scav guns.
If you want to be geared and questing on day one instead of grinding from zero:
Get a head start on Season 1 without the painful early grind:
- Tarkov Leveling Boost — power-level a fresh seasonal PMC fast and safe.
- Tarkov Quest & Kappa Boost — blast through the seasonal task chain and chase Kappa.
- Tarkov Roubles — instant delivery — fund your first kits the moment the season drops.
- All Escape from Tarkov services — leveling, currency, raids and more.
Whether you boost or grind it yourself, the prep is the same: clear your current quest backlog now, bank knowledge of the new modifiers when they're revealed, and decide early whether you're a PvP Season player or a persistent main / PvE Prestige player — because that choice shapes everything you do in July.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the wipe gone for good in Escape from Tarkov? Yes. The last traditional full wipe was the 1.0 launch on 15 November 2025. Since then your main character, stash and progress persist permanently in both PvP and PvE. Seasons are an opt-in fresh start, not a forced account wipe.
When does Season 1 "Kord Breach" start? Season 1 launches in July 2026 as part of patch 1.1.0, alongside an in-game event called Blackout. An exact day hasn't been confirmed by Battlestate Games yet.
Will playing a season wipe my main character? No. Seasons run on a separate, opt-in character — effectively a parallel account. Your main PMC, stash, hideout and Kappa container are completely untouched whether or not you join a season.
Do Tarkov seasons have separate prestige? Battlestate hasn't confirmed a separate prestige track inside seasons. What's confirmed is that PvE is getting its own Prestige system, separate from the PvP-only seasonal realm. Expect full prestige details closer to launch.
Are Tarkov seasons PvP-only? Can PvE players join? Yes, seasons are PvP-only per the official roadmap. PvE players don't get seasonal realms — they get the standalone Prestige system instead.
Is a Tarkov season like a Path of Exile league? Essentially, yes. A season is a time-limited, fresh-progression realm with its own modifiers, battlepass and tasks, running parallel to your permanent account — the same model as PoE leagues or Diablo seasons. There are two per year and they're free, with special rewards transferring back to your main character.
