Eschbach studied aerospace engineering at the University of Stuttgart and later worked as a software engineer. He has been writing since he was 12 years old. His first professional publication was the short story Dolls, published in 1991 in German computing magazine C't. His first novel was published in 1995. Seven of his novels have won the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis, one of the most prestigious awards in the German SF scene.

His novels have also been translated into a number of languages, including English, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Turkish and Japanese.

In 2002, his novel Jesus Video was adapted for German television. In 2003, his novel Eine Billion Dollar was adapted for German radio. As of 2006, his only novel translated into English was Die Haarteppichknüpfer, published in 2005 as The Carpet Makers.

Novels

• Die Haarteppichknüpfer (1995), ISBN 3-7951-1371-7, translated as "The Carpet Makers" (2005), ISBN 0-7653-0593-3
• Solarstation (1996), ISBN 3-7951-1406-3
• Jesus Video (1997), ISBN 3-7951-1797-6
• Kelwitts Stern (1999), ISBN 3-7951-1624-4
• Quest (2001), ISBN 3-453-18773-3
• Eine Billion Dollar (2001), ISBN 3-7857-2049-1 ("One Trillion Dollars")
• Exponentialdrift (2003), ISBN 3-404-149-122 (first serialized 2002 in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
• Der Letzte seiner Art (2005), ISBN 3-404-15305-7
• Der Nobelpreis (2005), ISBN 3-7857-2219-2
• Ausgebrannt (2007), ISBN 978-3-7857-2274-9
• Ein König für Deutschland (2009), ISBN 978-3-7857-2374-6

Young Adult novels

• Perfect Copy: Die zweite Schöpfung (2002), ISBN 3-401-05425-2
• Das Marsprojekt (2004), ISBN 3-404-24332-3
• Die seltene Gabe (2004)
• Black Out (2010), ISBN 3-401-06062-7

Short stories

• "Dolls"
• "Der Mann aus der Zukunft"
• "Die Wunder des Universums"
• "Humanic Park"
• "Halloween"
• "Eine unberührte Welt"
• "Unerlaubte Werbung"
• "Der Drache im Hindukusch"

Other

• Der Gesang der Stille (novella #1935 in the Perry Rhodan series)
• "Die Rückkehr" (#2295 his second Perry Rhodan novella as a "guest writer")
• Eine Trillion Euro (short story anthology of European SF writers edited by Eschbach), a winner of the 2004 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire.
• Das Buch von der Zukunft: Ein Reiseführer (2004), ISBN 3-87134-476-1, non-fiction