Terminal // Escape from Tarkov

11 years of production.
From early blockouts to a shipped final location.

Terminal is not just another map. It’s a convergence point of experience, decisions, responsibility, and team coordination. Tools, pipelines, and people changed over time, but the goal remained the same: build a believable space that holds up under real gameplay pressure.

Early development was driven by blockouts and solo playtests — validating routes, flow, difficulty, and pacing before any visual polish. Every major area followed a clear priority: gameplay first, atmosphere second, visuals last.

Terminal was designed as a culmination — demanding, readable under stress, and flexible enough to support different gameplay scenarios. The final structure validated the core design decisions.

This location exists thanks to a large, dedicated team. Proud to have led and contributed to a space that now lives on in the game.

Not a farewell.
Just a checkpoint.

See you in raid.

https://www.artstation.com/antonalukard
https://www.artstation.com/andrew-wells
https://www.artstation.com/slava_shesterov
https://www.artstation.com/maklaut
https://www.artstation.com/doker_world
https://www.artstation.com/ay_google
https://www.artstation.com/callmerudy
https://www.artstation.com/gidji
https://www.artstation.com/natashus

Escape from Tarkov 1.0 Release Gameplay Trailer

PureRef file with all the development references.

Filming of the RAID series. I was actually present during the shooting of
the final episode at Terminal (2018).

Some of the references that were used to create the location.

Location concepts for Shoreline with a background featuring part of the Terminal location.
concepts by EUGENE SHUSHLIAMIN

A few more screenshots from an early stage of development.

At the very beginning, I had to play through my own blockout solo, simulating gameplay and mechanics on a timer. Here you can see four different route variants.

The screenshot shows references for the main buildings and very simple blockouts — basic geometry combined with photo textures.

Photo references used to understand the lighting of a nighttime Terminal (port).

Random memes from development.

I just want to point out that this location was made by a team of absolute gigachads.

Special bonus: a sketch by
@nikgeneburn (Nikita Buyanov)

Bonus: a map made by our dedicated fan @re3mr.
I really love it when things like this happen.