Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0 released on 29 October 2026, bringing the Halloween infection event, autumn weather and harder PMC bots to higher-level PvE locations. It also adjusts skill progression, adds two Hideout styles and fixes several problems affecting raids, equipment and traders.
Unity 6 was supposed to arrive in October, but Battlestate has moved the engine upgrade to patch 1.3.5.0, planned for mid-November. The Halloween content and gameplay fixes are live now; Unity 6 is still to come.
Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0 Halloween additions
The biggest new addition is the Halloween outbreak. Open the event tab in location selection to find Infected Factory and Infected Lab. The related quests involve enforcing quarantine or travelling into the infected zones to search for vaccine components.
The event maps are intended for small groups and insurance is disabled. They feature fast, slow and ranged infected, Black Division operatives affected by the outbreak and Infected Tagilla wielding a scythe. Prepare for more than the usual Scav encounters.
Cultist activity increases at night, adding to the danger of the new maps. For the event’s quest choices and rewards, the dedicated Halloween guide covers what to do after installing the patch.
Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0: PvE bots, loot pickup and autumn
Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0 also introduces high-difficulty PMC bots in PvE Zone. Battlestate says these tougher opponents can appear at high-level locations, so pay closer attention to which map and encounters you’re choosing in PvE.
Currency and Valuables also received collider adjustments. These changes make certain items easier to select and pick up when looting. The patch is improving item interaction, not announcing more currency spawning in every raid.
The in-game season has switched to autumn. You’ll see the seasonal change when returning to Tarkov, alongside the Halloween event and its infected map variants.
Expansion Hub Hideout decoration sets
The Expansion Hub now lists two Hideout customisation sets: Your Own Celestial Empire and Once Upon a Time in Tarkov. Both add new decorative options for personalising your Hideout.
Battlestate plans to release more themes later. Check the Expansion Hub for the two new sets and their current availability; this update adds the options rather than automatically placing decorations in your Hideout.
Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0 skill and tripwire changes
Metabolism now levels according to the amount of energy or hydration restored. Restoring a larger deficit therefore matters to progression, rather than every use of food or drink being treated alike.
All skills now gain progress considerably faster in Seasonal mode. Battlestate has adjusted diminishing returns when gaining skill XP and increased how long player-placed tripwires remain active.
These are useful changes if you’re building skills on a Seasonal character or relying on tripwires to control an area. The update lists the direction of each adjustment without supplying new per-skill multipliers or exact tripwire durations.
Bug fixes included in patch 1.3.0.0
The bug fixes include a corrected Partisan spawn calculation in raids without players with bad PMC karma. Magazines should no longer become stuck when loading or unloading after a weapon malfunction, and certain optics have had their incorrect field of view fixed.
Other repairs cover breathing volume for specific PMC voices, geometry and colliders on Icebreaker, Interchange and Shoreline, and issues that prevented access to interactive trader scenes.
PMC bots now consistently treat players as hostile, and weapon skill levelling has been corrected to match other skill progression speeds. These fixes are already part of Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0.
When is the Unity 6 update coming to Tarkov?
The move to Unity 6 has been rescheduled for mid-November 2026, as part of the planned 1.3.5.0 update. Battlestate has not set an exact release date in its 29 October notes.
That means you can play the Halloween event and use this patch’s fixes now, without waiting for Unity 6. The developer hasn’t published final performance or hardware details for the later engine update.
Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0 is the Halloween and gameplay update. Watch for Battlestate’s separate patch 1.3.5.0 announcement if you’re specifically returning for the Unity engine upgrade.
Official source: Battlestate Games’ Escape from Tarkov patch 1.3.0.0 announcement on Steam.
