The Lab is Escape from Tarkov's most punishing map, and that's by design. No insurance, a mandatory keycard just to walk through the front door, and multi-million-ruble room keys once you're inside. The Blackout event has pushed even more players toward The Lab to complete quests like Wrench and Waterboarding, which means demand for Labs Keycards is higher than ever. Here's exactly how to get one and how to actually get inside.
How do you get a Labs Keycard in Tarkov?
The honest answer is that most Labs Keycards come down to RNG. They sit in the general loot pool across all maps, spawning in the same places any other high-value item can turn up. There are no guaranteed spawns, but certain locations have better odds than others.
Best spots to search for a Labs Keycard:
- Hanging jackets
- Filing cabinets
- Boss and scav pockets
- High-tier loot rooms (Marked rooms and similar)
- Ground stashes
Some quests also reward you with a Labs Keycard on completion, so it's worth checking your active task list before grinding loot runs.
Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Get Into The Lab
What's the fastest way to get a Labs Keycard?
Skipping the RNG entirely is possible through two methods: bartering with Mechanic or crafting at your Intel Center.
Bartering with Mechanic (LL3)
Mechanic will trade you a Labs Access Keycard at Loyalty Level 3. The barter cost is steep:
- 2x Elite Pliers
- 1x Bulbex Cable Cutter
- 1x Pipe Grip Wrench
None of these are common items, so you may end up farming for the barter components just as long as you would loot-hunting. That said, this route removes the pure luck element.
Crafting at Intel Center (LL2)
If you have an Intel Center at Level 2, you can craft three Labs Keycards at once. The recipe uses Intel items and requires a UHF RFID Reader as a returnable tool. The full craft takes 40 minutes and produces three keycards, making this the best value option if your hideout is built up enough.
How do you unlock The Lab map?
Having a keycard is not enough on its own. You first need to unlock The Lab through the story before you can access it as a standalone map. This happens during the 'Tour' chapter, where you transition into The Lab mid-raid. After completing that transition, The Lab becomes directly accessible with a keycard.
How do you physically enter The Lab?
There are two entry routes: through Factory or through Streets of Tarkov. You need a Labs Keycard for both.
Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Get Into The Lab
Factory route
Head into the sewer tunnel connected to the flooded area beneath the map. Follow it to the green metal door marked with an exit sign. That door transitions you directly into The Lab.
Streets of Tarkov route
Go to Klimova, the building with the Cosmonaut painting on its exterior. There's a basement area running alongside the building. Find the metal door inside and use it to transit into The Lab.
What's the code to open all doors in The Lab during Blackout?
During the Blackout event, Black Division fighters drop a one-use Labs Arsenal Key. Use it to access the specific room that contains a code, which then unlocks every door in The Lab, including extraction points. The code circulating among players is 5619, though it's unclear whether this is universal or varies per account.
Once you have the code, you can move freely through the entire map without needing individual room keys, which makes The Lab significantly more approachable during the event.
What do you do once you're inside The Lab?
For the Wrench and Waterboarding quest, you need to search the management offices and the server room, then escape via the Sewage Conduit exfil. The escape itself is not mandatory to complete the quest objective, but you do need to extract to keep any loot you've found.
After your first successful run (whether you walk out or get carried out), The Lab unlocks for direct access. From that point, every future visit just requires a keycard at the door.
The Lab is one of Escape from Tarkov's most demanding environments, but once the keycard supply is sorted, the reward-to-risk ratio is hard to match anywhere else in the game. For more help navigating Tarkov's toughest content, check out the Escape from Tarkov beginner's guide if you're still getting your footing, or the guide on how to complete the Stealing the Stolen quest for another multi-map task that pairs well with Lab runs. The full Escape from Tarkov guide collection has everything else you need to stay ahead of the wipe.