When Is the Next Tarkov Wipe in 2026?

Next Tarkov Wipe Quick Summary:

• Kord Breach Season 1 is planned to begin on August 3, 2026
• August 3 is a planned release date and may still change if another delay occurs
• Kord Breach is an optional wipe
• You can create a separate seasonal PMC to play the new Season 1 and content
• Update 1.1.0.0 reworks side tasks, traders, early ammunition, the Hideout, insurance, and Kappa requirements
• Seasonal rewards include permanent Black Division equipment trade offers

Planning your seasonal progression? Buy Escape From Tarkov Rubles at Skycoach and start the season the right way! Get all the gear you need and set yourself up for a smooth escape!

 

 

 

When Is the Next Tarkov Wipe in 2026?

The next Tarkov wipe was supposed to happen in late July, but to absolutely noone’s surprise it’s been delayed. Now, the big date is August 3, 2026. This is the date Nikita Buyanov himself shared with everyone on X.

What do we expect for this wipe? First of all, the first major patch after the game’s release. Patch 1.1.0.0 includes the new seasonal wipe with its own set of rewards and other unique mechanics as well as a slew of features and core system changes.

The big question you might want to ask if you haven’t been following the updates is: is the wipe permanent? As you may know, during the development of Escape From Tarkov, wipes were necessary because major game updates introduced a lot of new or heavily reworked core systems, so it wasn’t even possible to preserve the player progress. So, it had to be reset. It also gave players who already unlocked everything a chance to start over with the new economy and such. But, originally, the game intended to have permanent character progression. I do love that idea, because I could never personally reach the endgame before another wipe. And I’d rather play with everyone geared up, get a lucky kill, and steal all their expensive loot.

However, the introduction of seasons, and specifically, Season 1: Kord Breach, is nothing more than an OPTIONAL opportunity to create and progress a separate, seasonal character, without completely wiping your main character. If you played Path of Exile 1 or 2, you know this is exactly how leagues work.

So, is August 3 the next Tarkov wipe date? Technically, it is the beginning of Tarkov’s next fresh progression cycle. It just will not work like the mandatory wipes players have experienced throughout the game’s beta years.

Is Kord Breach Season 1 the Next Tarkov Wipe?

Kord Breach can be described as a seasonal wipe, but it is not a full account-wide reset.

When the season begins, players will be able to create a separate seasonal PMC. This character starts over with level 1, like in any other wipe. Your permanent PMC remains available separately, so you do not lose the stash or progression you already earned.

Also, seasonal PMCs will not meet in raids with permanent progression PMCs.

So, this is not the same as previous wipes where you only had one PMC, and you had to start over every time a wipe happens. If you enjoy early progression and low-tier firefights, you can just enter the season, while anyone still working toward long-term goals can remain on the permanent profile.

There’s another incentive to try out the seasonal character, though. The seasonal PMC receives Kord Breach modifiers and restrictions that do not apply to the regular PvP or PvE profiles. Your Scav is not affected by the personal modifiers selected for the seasonal PMC.

Basically, Season 1 has 6 global modifiers such as disabled item insurance, less armor, etc. But there are also personal positive and negative modifiers that you can optionally pick for your seasonal PMC. It works in a similar way to Project Zomboid, if you played that game. Each Positive Personal modifier has a different negative value, and each Negative Personal modifier adds a positive value, so you must get 0 in the end by balancing different positive and negative personal modifiers. If you want to have, say, Kappa Protocol and start with Secure container Kappa, that’s -21 points, so you have to balance it out with multiple personal negative modifiers.

The season preview currently displays a duration of 155 days, which comes out to a little over five months. I would not mark the final day on a calendar just yet, though. Some sources said it was going to last around 70-80 days; other sources claimed it was around 55 days. There seems to be no concrete data on this right now.

What Resets in the Next Tarkov Wipe?

Nothing on your permanent character is supposed to be erased when Kord Breach begins. The “reset” happens because the seasonal PMC is created as a new profile.

Here is how the different profiles are expected to work:

Progression	Seasonal PMC	Permanent PvP PMC	PvE PMC
Character level	Starts from zero	Preserved	Preserved
Skills	Begin again under seasonal rules	Preserved	Preserved
Stash and equipment	Fresh seasonal stash	Preserved	Preserved
Trader loyalty	Starts over	Preserved	Preserved
Tasks	Seasonal progression begins again	Existing progress remains	Existing progress remains
Hideout	Must be developed again	Preserved	Preserved
Personal modifiers	Active	Not active	Not active
Seasonal rewards	Can be earned	Unlocks can carry over	Unlocks can carry over

The most important part is that permanent seasonal rewards are account-wide. BSG says they can be unlocked by reaching level milestones or completing a seasonal task line. Once obtained, they become available to seasonal and permanent characters in both PvP and PvE. The announced Kord Breach rewards include trade offers for several pieces of Black Division equipment.

That gives permanent-profile players a reason to enter the season without forcing them to abandon their older character altogether. How much time those rewards require is another question. BSG has not revealed the full progression track yet.

I will make a separate, dedicated guide for Kord Breach where I will list all modifiers, rewards, and other changes. Stay tuned!

 

 

What Is Coming in Tarkov Version 1.1?

Season 1 is the main attraction, but Update 1.1.0.0 is also changing and adding a few core mechanics. I would argue that some of these changes will affect the average player more than the seasonal modifiers themselves.

Early Progression Will Be Faster

Update 1.1 is reducing some of the friction found during the opening stages of progression.

More entry-level ammunition will become available earlier. BSG’s example is 7.62x39mm T-45M1, which will be sold by Prapor from the beginning. Character-level requirements for early trader loyalty levels are also being lowered, and the total trade-volume requirement is being removed.

So, basically, you won’t have to just sell a bunch of stuff to the trader you’re trying to level up. Instead, loyalty will be leveled up faster with their tasks, which is super nice.

Early Hideout construction is receiving similar treatment. Initial modules will take less time to build, depend on fewer other stations, and require fewer Found in Raid components. You could say that this is making the game casual, but personally, I never really understood the need for “Found in Raid” items for upgrading hideout. I mean, technically, I get why this requirement exists, but it makes no sense logically!

Side Tasks and Trader Unlocks Are Being Reworked

Side tasks are also getting a rework that should make them less linear than before. We’re all used to the fact that some tasks are unlocked only after completing other specific tasks; the same goes for specific items on sale from those traders. This rework will make the tasks less dependent on each other, meaning you’ll have more options to pick from.

Each trader will instead offer a group of tasks at Loyalty Level 1. Completing enough of them will help you reach LL2, which opens a new selection of more challenging assignments. The same structure continues through later loyalty levels.

This is great because the way I see it - I’ll finally be able to just pick the tasks for the same map and try to do them all in the same raid, rather than having to constantly visit other maps for bullshit tasks like visiting a specific area.

Kappa Requirements Are Changing

The Collector task and Kappa Secure Container requirements are also being revised.

Many side tasks will no longer be mandatory for Kappa. A smaller number of notable quests, including A Shooter Born in Heaven, will remain on the list. Players will instead need LL4 with all applicable traders and a separate Fence reputation threshold.

Obtaining Kappa under the new requirements awards a new achievement. The existing Kappa Path achievement will stop being obtainable when Season 1 begins.

Insurance Is Changing Outside the Season

Insurance is completely unavailable in Kord Breach due to a global modifier, but regular PvP and PvE insurance will become faster and slightly more expensive.

Jaeger is also getting his own insurance service. His prices will be significantly higher, but lost equipment can return within a couple of hours. Prapor and Therapist should remain the better options when speed is not a concern.

No insurance will have a major effect on seasonal squad play. Teammates cannot hide your equipment in a bush and expect it to return later. Every death removes more gear from circulation, and surviving players must decide whether carrying a fallen teammate’s kit is worth the space.

 

 

What Should You Do Before the Tarkov Wipe?

Do not empty your stash or start handing out expensive kits under the assumption that everything disappears on August 3. Your permanent PvP and PvE progress should remain where it is.

I would focus on four things instead:

• Finish Kappa Path if you are close. The current achievement becomes unavailable once Season 1 begins.
• Decide which profile you want to prioritize. You can continue permanent progression or join Kord Breach for the fresh start and account-wide rewards.
• Read the seasonal modifiers before creating your PMC. Several drawbacks can heavily restrict secure containers, skills, healing, stamina, or the Flea Market.
• Prepare for raids without insurance. Cheap, replaceable equipment will be far more useful at the beginning than one expensive kit you cannot afford to lose.

I would not spend the final days farming permanent-profile roubles purely for the season. Your seasonal character gets a separate stash, so your current fortune is not going to fund the new PMC.

Check out more Escape From Tarkov guides:

• Icebreaker Map Guide
• Questing guide
• Prestige guide
• Promo Codes
• Weapons Tier list

F.A.Q.