Battlestate Games ran a player survey about matchmaking and then pushed a set of server-side changes that players say are making raids load much faster. In a recent post on X, Battlestate Games studio head Nikita Buyanov wrote “maybe you noticed – we are doing some changes to matching, reducing matching times. There will be more changes to that to reduce it more.”
maybe you noticed – we are doing some changes to matching, reducing matching times. There will be more changes to that to reduce it more
— Nikita Buyanov (@nikgeneburn) February 27, 2026
Buyanov listed four areas they adjusted to cut matchmaking time. Those are:
- pre-launching game rooms
- optimizing server load process
- tweaking matching parameters
- testing some experimental stuff
Players responded quickly on social channels. Long-time creators and streamers reported noticeably faster joins. Multiple users said they were getting into PvP raids in under two minutes even on the larger maps, where waits once stretched to five or ten minutes during big wipes and peak events. The studio already offered a clear shortcut: PvE raids typically load in about 30 seconds and can be run without a live server connection. That mode has long been cited as a faster session option, and it remains the quickest way to jump into a raid. If you want to know more, we have previously noted how PvE raids load in seconds compared with PvP matchmaking.
Early player measurements of the PvP improvements put them roughly in the 30 to 50 percent range. Whether Battlestate will reach full parity between PvP and PvE loading times remains an open question. The studio is continuing to tweak matching logic and run experiments aimed at reducing waits further. Some broader studio signals are running in parallel. The Battlestate COO has been posting a stream of in-world and cryptic material since the 1.0 launch, which has kept community attention focused on upcoming Tarkov work and related systems changes and cryptic images.
Noticed faster matchmaking yourself? Tell us what changed for you and follow for updates on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
Escape from Tarkov
Developed by Battlestate Games
