Following months of hype within the FPS gaming community, multiple closed playtests, and a beta weekend that pulled in a whopping 245K peak concurrent players, Wardogs is finally about to leave testing behind.
Bulkhead has confirmed that the 100-player mil-sim shooter is launching into Steam Early Access this week, giving fans their first real chance to play the game without the fear of having their hard-earned cash wiped in two days.
In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about when it drops, including its early access launch date, exact release time, and how the game has evolved since its beta phase.
Wardogs Early Access Release Date and Time
As already revealed by the devs, Wardogs is scheduled to enter Steam Early Access on September 10, 2026.
Upon taking a look at the game’s SteamDB page, we can see that the exact release time for Wardogs is set for 16:00 UTC, though Bulkhead has not publicly confirmed the time at the time of writing.
While the release time is unlikely to shift drastically, your safest bet is to check the Wardogs Steam store page on September 10, as Steam typically displays a countdown timer as you get close to release.
This version of the game is likely to be notably different from the playtest, which only offered a taste of the game. Early Access is a full purchase that unlocks the current build for good.
All Changes From Beta
Wardogs went through three major closed beta tests before launch, with the first running August 7-9, the second beta running August 21-23, and a final stress test from September 3-6 that was later opened up to a wider audience.
While Bulkhead hasn’t really published a full, official Early Access changelog yet, there are a number of important changes from the closed beta that players should be aware of heading into the release.
For starters, the game’s progression will be slowed to some extent, making it harder for players to unlock the best-in-class weapons and vehicles in the first few days after launch. As per one of the lead devs, the progression in the playtests was much more lenient to let players get a taste of everything that the game has to offer.
For instance, the tank, which was locked behind Wardog level 50 in the playtest, will now be locked behind a high Driver level instead. This makes it much more difficult for players to unlock the powerful vehicle quickly, as leveling up your Driver level is a lot more tedious when compared to your player level.
On the content side, launch is expected to include roughly 37 weapons, 21 vehicles, and 3 maps.
Bulkhead has been clear that post-launch updates will lean toward bug fixes, balance passes, and community feedback rather than frequent new content drops, so players shouldn’t expect a steady stream of new maps or weapons every month.
