Tarkov Halloween Event 2026: Start Time, Quests and Rewards
The Tarkov Halloween event 2026 has arrived with Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0, and this time Battlestate Games has turned the outbreak up a notch. Below you will find the patch time, what the official announcement confirms, and which details are still open. We will keep updating this page as Battlestate shares more.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Patch | Escape from Tarkov 1.3.0.0 |
| Install start | October 29, 2026, 07:00 GMT (08:00 Vienna/Berlin) |
| Downtime | 5 to 7 hours, may be extended |
| Halloween event | Confirmed (announced October 29) |
| Event end date | Not confirmed yet |
| Last updated | October 29, 2026, 14:20 Vienna time |
β° Tarkov Patch 1.3.0.0 Release Time
Battlestate announced on its official @tarkov account that patch 1.3.0.0 would be installed on October 29 at 7:00 AM GMT (3:00 AM EDT). Here is how that translates:
| Region | Install start |
|---|---|
| UTC / GMT | 07:00 |
| London (GMT) | 07:00 |
| Vienna / Berlin (CET) | 08:00 |
| New York (EDT) | 03:00 |
| Moscow (MSK) | 10:00 |
According to the installation post, the update takes between 5 and 7 hours and the game is unavailable during that time. Battlestate also noted the window may be extended.
If everything ran on schedule, servers should return somewhere between 12:00 and 14:00 GMT (13:00 to 15:00 in Vienna). An official “installation completed” notice had not been confirmed at the time of writing, so treat that window as an estimate.
π What Patch 1.3.0.0 Confirms
The official 1.3.0.0 patch notes are short. The headline changes are:
- A new Halloween in-game event
- The in-game weather season switched to fall
- Easier-to-grab colliders for some Currency and Valuables items
- High-difficulty PMC bots added to the PvE Zone on high-level locations
- Two new Hideout customization sets in the Expansion Hub: “Your Own Celestial Empire” and “Once Upon a Time in Tarkov”
- Skill balance changes plus a round of bug fixes
What the patch does not include is the Unity 6 engine upgrade. As Console & PC Gaming reports, that switch has moved to patch 1.3.5.0 in mid-November.
π Tarkov Halloween Event 2026: What We Know
Battlestate detailed the event in an official press release on October 29. The story: a dangerous virus has broken out across Tarkov and the region is overrun with aggressive infected.
Locations: The outbreak centers on two event maps, The Infected Lab and Infected Factory. They are infected versions of The Lab and The Old Factory and sit in their own tab on the map selection screen. Only small groups can enter, and insurance is turned off.
Enemies: Fast, slow and ranged infected each behave differently now, and Battlestate says they can ambush you. Infected Tagilla is back with his scythe, joined by infected Black Division operatives. Night raids also get riskier thanks to more Cultist activity.
Quests: A new questline lets you pick your approach. You can help hold the quarantine on regular maps at moderate risk, or push into the sealed outbreak zones to hunt for vaccine components. Individual quest names and objectives have not been published yet, we will add them here once they are.
Rewards: Finishing the story quests and killing infected earns commemorative achievements, an exclusive event poster and in-game resources. Battlestate has not yet listed exact reward items or amounts.
Start and end: The event went live with patch 1.3.0.0 on October 29. Battlestate has not announced an end date yet, we will update this page as soon as it does. It is also not yet confirmed whether every part of the event runs identically in PvP and in the PvE Zone.
Arena: Escape from Tarkov: Arena gets its own Halloween mode, CheckPoint: Bloodlust. It is a 5v5 mode with firearms disabled, so it is melee only, and players wear masks inspired by classic horror killers. Arena players get double XP for matches and kills, a 1.5x Battle Pass bonus, cash prizes and a “Mask Off” achievement for a special questline.
Looking for more spooky stuff to play this season? Our list of the best Halloween games of 2026 has plenty of options beyond Tarkov.
π§ Tarkov Zombies in 2026: Confirmed or Just Teased?
Confirmed. Until this week, Tarkov zombies in 2026 were only teased. Studio head Nikita Buyanov had shared images of infected in The Lab and promised the event would be big, as Insider Gaming reported.
Battlestate’s own press release now confirms it. Note that the studio uses the term “infected” rather than zombies, but in practice it is the zombie event fans were hoping for.
Not to be confused with the event: the Lab event “Scourge Incursion” started on October 16 and was extended until October 26. It is over and is a separate event.
π How to Prepare for the Event
These are our general recommendations based on the confirmed event rules, not tested values:
- Bring gear you can afford to lose. Insurance is disabled on the Infected Lab and Infected Factory.
- Plan for a small squad. The event maps only allow small groups, so a big stack will have to split up.
- Think twice about night raids. Battlestate says Cultists are more active at night during the event.
- Do not wait too long. With no end date announced, it makes sense to start the questline early.
Picture Source: Battlestate Games / Steam
If you also play other extraction shooters, our guide on how to get the Grappling Hook blueprint in ARC Raiders covers a very different take on the genre.
π Other Changes Worth Knowing
Skills: Metabolism now levels based on how much energy or hydration you restore. All skills level significantly faster in Seasonal mode, diminishing returns were rebalanced, and player-placed tripwires last longer.
Fall weather: The in-game season has switched to autumn.
PvE bots: High-difficulty PMC bots can now spawn on high-level locations in the PvE Zone. A fix also makes PMC bots always treat players as hostile.
Hideout: The two new customization sets land in the Expansion Hub, and Battlestate says more themed options will follow in later updates.
The extraction shooter space keeps shifting, too. Krafton recently cancelled PUBG: Black Budget less than a year after revealing it.
β Quick Questions
When does the Tarkov Halloween event end?
Battlestate has not announced an end date yet. We will add it here once it is official.
Are there zombies in Tarkov 2026?
Yes. Battlestate confirmed infected enemies, including Infected Tagilla and infected Black Division operatives.
Where does the event take place?
Mainly on The Infected Lab and Infected Factory, found in a separate map selection tab. The questline also includes quarantine tasks on regular maps.
Is there a Halloween mode in Tarkov Arena?
Yes, CheckPoint: Bloodlust, a melee-only 5v5 mode.
When is Unity 6 coming to Escape from Tarkov?
It is reportedly planned for patch 1.3.5.0 in mid-November, after moving out of 1.3.0.0.
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