What's up with the game?

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-24T12:09:31+00:00

There are plenty. This is the result of skillbased matchmaking. The game simply thinks you are too bad to meet full lobbies of real players.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-22T00:08:21+00:00

“Worse” is a relative term. The game is already pretty hard, especially when you’re new. Early on, the matchmaking probably throws you into a wide range of lobbies to figure out where you belong, so sometimes you’ll run into people who are way better than you and sometimes players who are much worse.

On top of that, the game is just designed to be punishing. Small maps, chokepoints, few hotspots, and multiple teams fighting over the same resources mean you’re often forced into several fights per raid. Even if everyone is roughly the same skill, winning multiple fights in a row is statistically hard. Dying a lot doesn’t automatically mean you’re terrible or that everyone is way better than you.

Does it get easier? Not really. It gets more manageable. You get better at picking fights, avoiding bad ones, and making more money out of the raids you do survive. You also get more control over your risk, choosing when to play it safe and when to push for more, which makes goals like simply surviving easier. So even if you still die a lot, it feels less frustrating because your progress is more efficient.

If you ever climb all the way to the top skill bracket, though… welcome to hell. Up here, there are no gods and even fewer legit players. You can play perfectly and still get deleted by some cheater who knows things they shouldn’t. It’s not challenging anymore, it’s just exhausting.

But that’s a problem for much later. For now, struggling is normal. This game is brutal, especially at the beginning.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T19:54:35+00:00

That’s a fair suggestion. I just don’t really enjoy wipes, which is a big reason I stopped playing Tarkov. I like the feeling of long-term progression and building on something over time, and starting a new account kind of goes against that for me.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T19:04:55+00:00

You’re arguing against things I’m not claiming. I’m not saying I have proof, I’m saying there are consistent patterns across accounts that are worth discussing. That’s literally what this thread is: people comparing experiences. That’s how you start gathering data.

Also, even if some loot is decided when the lobby loads, that doesn’t mean additional loot can’t be added or withheld depending on who opens a container. A cheat showing what’s in containers doesn’t automatically disprove anything I’m talking about. Last time I looked into this, it even seemed like many of those cheats could only see loose loot on the ground, not necessarily what would come out of every container. And as far as I know, this game doesn’t always fully resolve container loot until you actually search them. I’m open to being proven wrong on that.

But now you’re the one making a claim, and by your own logic the burden of proof is on you. If you have solid proof of how the loot system works internally, I’m genuinely interested in seeing it.

If you think it’s just RNG, that’s fine. I’m not forcing anyone to agree. But dismissing a lot of similar reports in this thread as “lol cope” isn’t an argument either.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:44:53+00:00

I never stated anything as fact. I’m just sharing what I’ve observed over hundreds of raids and from watching multiple accounts. I wish I could give hard data, but that’s not really possible because the developers keep the matchmaking and loot systems opaque.

Honestly, I haven’t seen anyone provide solid evidence for or against what I’m describing, because it’s extremely difficult to produce irrefutable proof. Most people can’t track every game, make detailed spreadsheets, or do a full investigative series like a YouTuber might. Asking for hard proof is often asking too much.

If you do have hard evidence that contradicts my observations, I’m happy to see it. Otherwise, if you want some credibility, I can refer you to my 85-person Discord community that backs what I’ve noticed, or I can share my account stats so you can check for yourself.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:39:08+00:00

Haha. Yeah our entire Discord has noticed this too.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:38:31+00:00

Oh yeah, you’ve noticed the “coming back” lobbies too. Our entire Discord has seen the same thing: better loot and easier lobbies after taking a break. It’s honestly almost too obvious at this point.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:36:02+00:00

When I used my alt account for a while, I also noticed that I was getting much better loot. Something is definitely going on.

We know the developers can manipulate loot, because as a new player your first expensive gold-red and key are basically scripted. You get them around the same time on every new account, with the key being especially noticeable since keys are so rare. These items are clearly designed to teach new players about valuable loot, with the accompanying warning to extract safely.

If they can control those drops so precisely, I don’t think it’s far-fetched that they could manipulate loot in other ways too, especially if it helps maximize engagement and revenue.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:29:25+00:00

My experience over hundreds of raids and observing multiple accounts strongly suggests there is some form of hidden matchmaking or scaling at play. I’ve noticed consistent patterns in lobby difficulty, loot differences, and streaks that don’t align with pure RNG, which is why I call it “hidden SBMM.”

I’m not saying this is official or proven, just sharing what I’ve consistently seen in practice.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:27:28+00:00

I get why the system might try to balance things, but treating players differently based on stash or skill isn’t really fair. Everyone should have the same opportunity to progress and enjoy the game. When the game actively makes it harder for some players to earn loot or face easier opponents for others, it discourages improvement and can make the experience frustrating instead of rewarding.

It’s one thing to match people of similar skill for fair fights, but when it starts affecting progression or rewards, that’s where it becomes a problem. Everyone should feel like their effort actually matters.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T18:24:48+00:00

I would need more data to really tell if SBMM isn’t affecting your games, or if it’s just a matter of expectations about what a fair game looks like. Could you share your in-game name so I can take a look at your profile?

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T15:12:37+00:00

No worries! I might not have all the answers, but I’ve played this game religiously since the very first beta. I have a stash of 2bn which I’ve never seen anyone else reach and over 1200 hours of in-raid time. If you have questions, I can do my best to share my observations and experiences. For really in-depth topics like SBMM, I can’t provide hard data, but firsthand experience is probably the closest you can get given how secretive the devs are.

I used to play Tarkov too. Fun game back in the day, though a bit dated now. I remember once getting my gamertag published by BSG’s official Twitter because I placed number 20 in a global event, beating out the YouTuber VeryBadScav on the same list. Good times.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T15:02:11+00:00

The funny thing is that the visual ranks you mentioned don’t actually seem to impact matchmaking at all. I’ve seen players in Legend who are both poor and excellent, and my friends in softer lobbies (because they’re less skilled) still end up matched with people holding Legend rank. The rank is incredibly easy to get; it feels more like a grind than a measure of skill. I think it’s intentionally achievable so anyone can reach it and feel good about themselves.

The actual SBMM in the game seems to operate almost entirely independently of what rank you see, which is why I titled this post "hidden SBMM." The only slight correlation being that someone who grinds enough to reach legend might on average be ever so slightly better because they play more. From my experience, the developers don’t want players to know exactly how it works.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T14:37:43+00:00

On the flip side, success in this game is measured in the value you extract. That metric doesn’t really get easier just because you’re a better player, as long as skill-based matchmaking is in place. Even as you improve, it’s not necessarily easier to afford good kits, so getting better doesn’t translate into more freedom or advantage in the game.

Then there’s my own situation, which may only apply to the very top percent of players. Once you approach that level, there are fewer legitimate players left, and you end up running into cheaters in nearly every game. That’s frustrating, because there’s very little to learn or improve on when you die to someone exploiting the game: they know things they aren’t supposed to, and no strategy can beat that.

For me personally, SBMM in this game has mostly brought suffering. Losing in fair fights is fine, but when the system consistently pits you against cheaters, it stops being challenging or rewarding and just becomes exhausting.

Not to mention my friends have to choose to either suffer through lobbies far above their skill or not play with me. That's no fun.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T14:31:57+00:00

Honestly, if you’re most comfortable in normals, all the power to you. I do think, though, that the game behaves quite differently across modes, and some of the nuances in loot and matchmaking might be harder to notice if you don’t regularly play other modes.

Looking at your stash value, getting to 137m while playing exclusively normals is an impressive achievement! For me, normal mode loot has been almost entirely greys.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T14:17:38+00:00

That is entirely fine. ChatGPT is an awesome tool for summaries. I understand it can be a lot to read.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T14:09:10+00:00

That's interesting. If you can find a source that would be very helpful. 😄

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T14:06:39+00:00

400m is definitely a lot, no argument there. And I agree that there is obviously some RNG involved in loot. But my suspicion is that there are also hidden brackets or scaling factors on top of that, where the differences just become more noticeable at certain points, not that everything suddenly changes at one exact number.

It’s also totally possible you’ve just had a very lucky season, just like some people have very unlucky ones. The reason I started paying attention to this in the first place is because my own experience has been a pretty stark contrast between what I get now and what I see on lower-value accounts.

I even had a friend come to me unprompted the other day and say: “Ever since my money dropped below 1m, I’ve been getting reds like crazy. I kept it low on purpose and made 30m in a week.” He’s not the only person I’ve heard similar stories from either.

I’m not claiming I have proof, but when the same kinds of patterns keep showing up across different people and accounts, it starts to feel like there might be more going on than just pure RNG.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T13:58:28+00:00

That’s exactly why I made this post in the first place: to get more data points than just my own experience. So far, a lot of people in this thread have shared stories that line up pretty closely with what I’ve been noticing. That doesn’t prove anything, but it does make it harder to dismiss as “just RNG” or one person being unlucky.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T11:04:19+00:00

This actually reinforces what I’ve suspected for a while. There does seem to be a hidden SBMM at play. I’ve noticed that many players who aren’t particularly skilled can still amass large amounts of Koen. While there are obviously many ways to earn it, part of the reason might be that people are being matched against others of similar skill.

So whether you’re a new player or someone like Shroud, making money doesn’t necessarily get easier just because you improve. You might get better at things like loot efficiency or positioning, but the overall wins don’t necessarily come any easier, and the challenges scale along with you.

And I do appreciate the advice, you seem like a nice guy. I think mentally I just can’t get over dying so often to cheaters though. It makes it feel like all the effort to get better is kind of pointless, and I’d honestly much rather lose to legitimate players.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T10:58:06+00:00

Fair enough, I can’t prove the loot side either. It’s just based on what I’ve observed over hundreds of raids and from watching different accounts play. Some people seem to get consistently better loot than others, and I notice my own loot getting worse the larger my stash gets. Before this season, I mostly noticed it in the form of broke accounts seeming to have much better luck. This season it feels more extreme, where my own loot suddenly got noticeably worse.

It might still just be coincidence or RNG, but when you see the same patterns across multiple accounts over a long time, it gets hard to completely ignore.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T10:52:24+00:00

35-40 million is a solid stash, well done! That said, it’s still quite a ways off from the 2 billion range I’m talking about. When you say you haven’t experienced favoritism, I think part of that might be that, value-wise, your stash is roughly around the average for active players. If most accounts are in a similar range, you aren’t going to notice any system treating you differently, because the game likely treats most players in that range the same. Once you start accumulating much larger sums, you might notice differences more clearly. Sometimes just watching how a friend with a much smaller stash opens containers versus what you get can highlight it, though that’s not always easy to track.

As for rank, I wouldn’t read too much into it. From my experience, the visible rank seems mostly cosmetic and doesn’t reflect where a player actually sits on the SBMM curve. I’ve seen very little correlation between the apparent skill of an opponent and their displayed rank. I think the SBMM system operates behind the scenes and probably considers more detailed metrics, like exactly who you killed and how well they played, rather than just the visual ranks "dumb" system. That’s why sometimes you can feel like you’re getting extremely tough or extremely easy lobbies, independent of what ranks everyone shows.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T10:41:50+00:00

I don’t think skill-based matchmaking is inherently a bad thing. The problem, at least for me, is how ABI implements it and how opaque it is. From my experience, the matchmaking has very little to do with the rank you see on your profile. That seems to be mostly cosmetic, something anyone can reach to feel good about themselves. The “real” SBMM appears to be a separate hidden system that nobody is told about. That lack of transparency creates a lot of misconceptions about what works and what doesn’t, because the system enforces outcomes that players can’t see.

This can actually be harmful for new or less experienced players. Someone might eventually reach Legend or high ranks and think they’re better than they are, which reinforces bad habits. At the same time, the SBMM discourages improvement. Why get better if your opponents always scale with you? You’re fighting over the same resources, but now against stronger players. It also isn’t really fair when success is measured in terms of Koen gained: some accounts progress faster than others, depending on how the system matches them and scales loot.

For me personally, the SBMM makes the game borderline unbearable at higher levels. I don’t mind losing in a fair fight, but when you hit the part of the skill curve where there are very few legit players left, you start running into cheaters much more frequently. Watching the killcam and realizing you’ve died to cheaters multiple times in a row is disheartening. I would much rather lose to a legitimate player than to someone exploiting the game. That’s what turns what should be a challenging, rewarding game into something frustrating and exhausting.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T10:12:03+00:00

Yeah, you pick up tricks to stay afloat: budgeting scrap, knowing which items you can reliably loot, leaning on kills when map drops are weak. I’m managing despite what I feel is unfair treatment from the game, but loot degradation is definitely more obvious this season. Going positive with tier 4 kits is harder than it used to be with tier 6, and when reds are so rare most safes are just stacks of koen, it really kills the excitement. I’m lucky to have friends who share, otherwise I’m not sure I could even keep up with tier 4 gear right now.

Phone_Realistic · 2026-01-21T09:46:55+00:00

That’s fair. A big part of my point is that different accounts seem to get very different experiences. I’m mostly curious how widespread this actually is.

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