Arena Breakout Infinite vs Escape From Tarkov – Which is better?

Arena Breakout Infinite launched into a closed beta on May 8th, biting at the heels of the recently controversial Escape From Tarkov as a new name in the extraction shooter space. But how does Arena Breakout Infinite measure up to the titan that is Escape From Tarkov?

Arena Breakout Infinite and Escape From Tarkov - what are the differences?

Arena Breakout Infinite is the new kid on the block, but its beta has dropped with a considerable bang. It doesn't have the same level of extensive realism as Escape From Tarkov, but in this scenario, I don't think that's a bad thing.

Escape From Tarkov takes a very slow, methodical, and hardcore approach to virtually every single one of its gameplay mechanics; everything from gunplay, to movement, to the way raids play out minute to minute is designed to be as realistic and gritty as possible.

Arena Breakout Infinite emulates many of these factors, albeit in a way I believe to be more accessible. Many of the mechanics are explained more consistently, with helpful tooltips in loading screens, as opposed to Escape From Tarkov's key bind reminders, which due to the sheer amount of them, are absolutely needed.

One example of this is the introduction; Arena Breakout Infinite starts you off with some lightly expositional audio messages, introducing you to the world, and the core concepts of inventory management, before shoving you out into the world on your first raid. You only have access to one map, The Farm, until at least level eight. Whether or not this changes with future updates is yet to be seen.

Escape From Tarkov takes a different approach, electing to provide no measure of tutorials whatsoever, and simply pre-arranging your inventory for you - most maps (with exceptions like Labs) are available from the get go, and it's entirely up to you to decide where to go.

Arena Breakout Infinite vs Escape From Tarkov similarities

To quantify the similarities between the two titles would be a herculean feat, as entirely by design, Arena Breakout Infinite emulates as much of Escape From Tarkov as is possible. As mentioned prior however, Arena Breakout Infinite feels far quicker, with movement being significantly sped up as compared to Escape From Tarkov, and gunplay that whilst still very clean, responsive and enjoyable, is far lighter than the raw power fantasy that is Escape From Tarkov. (If you want a deeper look into Arena Breakout Infinite and how it goes up against Escape From Tarkov, check out our Arena Breakout Infinite Preview!)

The core gameplay loops for both are effectively toe for toe, with you infiltrating a map on a 'raid', looting, shooting, and panicking to your hearts content, before heading for an exfiltration area and getting out with all of your ill gotten gains.

The similarities between the two are impossible to avoid, with everything from the inventory, to exfiltration, to gunsmithing effectively being so closely comparable it's laughable. At first, I thought Arena Breakout Infinite had a far simpler approach to gunsmithing, but after looking into it more, I couldn't have been more wrong.

At first glance I thought the gunsmithing in Arena Breakout Infinite only presented options for more traditional attachments, such as laser pointers, sights, and grips - but once I started breaking my weapon down I could see that it offers much the same control as Escape From Tarkov; with me being able to change the gas block, pistol grip, stock, upper and lower receivers. Admittedly, there is less of these parts currently available as compared to Escape From Tarkov, but this is likely to change with consistent updates.

Another point worthy of note is that this gunsmithing screen is accessible from the moment you get in game in Arena Breakout Infinite, whereas in Escape From Tarkov it has to be earned by levelling up your hideout workshop to at least level one.

These similarities continue even down to factors such as ammunition stats and differences, with both games having different kinds of ammunition for different tasks, and both having wildly differing prices in these different kinds of ammunition.

Currently, as it has existed for far longer, Escape From Tarkov has far more variety in this field, with some ammunition types being entire mechanical changes (such as the absolutely horrendous to come across, but unbelievably funny to use flashbang rounds for the KS23) - but once again, I expect this too to change in future updates.

Which should you play - Arena Breakout Infinite or Escape From Tarkov?

All in all, I think it might be genuinely impossible at this point to give a clear and definitive answer on which of the two games is ultimately 'better', as Arena Breakout Infinite emulates so much of what makes Escape From Tarkov enjoyable, whilst also being slightly more accessible. Artistically it holds up just as well, with a far more vibrant overall colour palette and some genuinely great map designs (The Farm for example does not do justice to what is a vast and very varied map).

Arena Breakout Infinite also has some great quality of life features that Escape From Tarkov lacks, such as being able to roll up backpacks and tac vests, and having constant access to a map in game (which in Escape From Tarkov is a whole item unto itself and can fetch a high price).

My final verdict would be that Arena Breakout Infinite captures enough of that Escape From Tarkov 'magic', whilst also being slightly quicker to get into, more new player friendly, and with better matchmaking features. Escape From Tarkov on the other hand is a more hardcore, slow experience, which might be great for players of Arena Breakout Infinite to dive into once they're familiar with the core gameplay loop and high skill ceiling.

If you're looking to dive into the action of Arena Breakout Infinite for yourself, check out our guide on How to sign up for the Arena Breakout Beta here at ProGameGuides!