Halloween is right around the corner, and with it comes a whole host of events for Escape from Tarkov. Spooky season in the Norvinsk region brings tons of new, terrifying enemies like Vengeful Zryachiy. More importantly, this year marks the return of Zombies to Escape from Tarkov. Here is everything that's known so far.
Tarkov Zombies Event (Everything You Need to Know)
The Teasers
Nikita and other BSG developers have released several teasers for the upcoming 2026 Halloween event. It started with the Scourge Incursion in The Lab, followed by several posters showing leaked chemicals. A few days later, BSG released a follow-up teaser with a message in Russian. The translated message turns out to be:
The goods are in the designated location. Make sure they get to whoever ordered them. The boss wants deliveries to Tarkov as soon as possible. DO NOT OPEN THE CRATES!!!
The teasers could hint at Zombies returning for this year's Halloween event, alongside a Smugglers event. This would be an amazing way to close out Tarkov's first season while setting things up for the second season. Patch 1.3.0.0 drops on October 29, 2026, 7 AM GMT, and after a rather lengthy 5-7 hour maintenance period, zombies might finally be back on Tarkov.
EFT Arena Swarm Overrun Mode
Despite the positivity and general excitement for the upcoming Halloween event, EFT Arena seems to be the first to receive one. Patch 0.6.2 is set to drop October 29, 2026, and the community speculates it could kick off the Halloween event. After all, Scourge is an Arena boss, and this would tie into this year's event narrative.
What to do before the event?
Based on the last zombie-related event, players should stock up on a few things beforehand.
- Stock up on high-flesh-damage ammo. Since zombies won't be wearing armor and will mainly swarm and melee you, ammo with tons of flesh damage, like 9x19mm RIP or 5.56x45mm Warmageddon, will help a lot.
- Save your larger mags. You'll burn through 30-round magazines fast, and 60-rounders can get expensive. Start saving them just in case.
- Bring a face shield. The last zombie event had some zombies with Makarovs, and players were getting headshots or getting hit in the jaw. Wear at least a Class 3 face shield to increase your chances of surviving stray zombies with Makarovs.
