All fans of extraction shooters are currently talking about ARC Raiders, but some players find the shooter simply too difficult. Fortunately, there is now an alternative for all players whose reflexes are not as quick as they used to be.
What kind of game is this? On October 16, 2025, the extraction shooter “Escape from Duckov” was released on Steam, which you can buy for €15.83 until October 30. After that, the game costs €17.99.
Escape from Duckov relies on classic mechanics from various extraction shooters: You set off with your character into the open world, explore the landscape, collect a lot of loot and resources, and extract to expand your hideout with the accumulated materials. But as the name suggests, there is an obvious difference: You are a duck.
In Escape from Duckov, you are a duck in the world of ducks. You defend your belongings with firearms and continuously better equipment. Unlike genre competitors, however, Escape from Duckov uses a top-down perspective. Therefore, you see and control the duck from above.
The perfect shooter for slow ducks
Who is the game interesting for? Escape from Duckov is a single-player game. You don’t have to deal with other players. Thus, the game is not only interesting for fans of extraction games but also for anyone interested in the genre who often comes up short in PvP battles in shooters.
On Steam, a player writes: “I’m not as fast as I used to be when it comes to FPS games or action games in general, but this here? Duckov? Wow, this is intense, fun, rewarding, this is everything I’ve heard about Tarkov but in a package that’s much easier for me to get into.”
Overall, Escape from Duckov is regarded by early players as lighter and more beginner-friendly than many other extraction shooters. You can start the game as a new player and have fun right away. Something that, for example, is not possible with the namesake Escape from Tarkov.
What does this have to do with ARC Raiders? Extraction shooters constantly face criticism for being too difficult or punishing. It takes some time for players to earn good equipment. Once they finally do, it is frustrating to lose it in a brief moment.
This is what shooter fans are currently discussing regarding ARC Raiders, an upcoming extraction shooter from Embark Studios (The Finals). While some players wish the game would become easier, MeinMMO author Christos Tsogos hopes that the shooter stays as it is.
Extraction shooters are thus always in a dilemma regarding difficulty. If they are too easy, the tension is lost, which arises from the “fear” that one could lose their carried equipment at any moment. If they are too difficult, it discourages interested players who do not want their hours of gameplay to be wiped out in an instant.
Duck shooter starts strong, delights thousands of gamers
How is Escape from Duckov received? The duck shooter launched remarkably strong on Steam. After just a few days, the game has sold over 500,000 copies, report the developers. Over the weekend, up to 146,000 players played the shooter simultaneously – even though the server slam of ARC Raiders was running and Battlefield 6 is also very fresh.
Over 6,600 players have already left a rating on Steam for the game, of which a strong 96% are positive (as of October 20). Players especially praise that the shooter has surprisingly much depth and respects their time.
If you’re not looking for easy extraction shooters, but prefer the challenge and constant threat of games like Escape from Tarkov, you can find some games on MeinMMO that you might enjoy: 7 games on Steam that you should play if you like Escape from Tarkov
