Battlestate Games has opened the test servers for Escape from Tarkov to everyone — Steam users included. The NDA is fully lifted for participants, so streaming and open discussion of builds is permitted.
Under the hood they moved the project to Unity 6; the change aims at better stability, and it brings shifts in perf and compatibility that may show up in cfgs and UI layout. Testers also get access to an immersive aiming system and a reworked data-storage logic (DB-side changes), both of which affect feel and session persistence.
The devs are actively collecting player input and have already started tweaking shooting mechanics after the community’s first impressions. If you jump in, expect some rough edges — I wouldn’t be shocked if a few familiar bugs pop up while they iterate.