WARDOGS Closed Beta
What the August weekend proved, what Beta 02 was for, and why your beta wallet should not be a plan.
WARDOGS ran public-enough closed tests on the way to Early Access. This page is the recap so you do not confuse a wiped playtest with the 10 September 2026 branch. If you still need the rules of the mode, go to how to play. If you need the buyer’s brief, go to Early Access.
Closed Beta 1 — 21–24 August 2026
Steam and BULKHEAD’s recap video put the first large closed beta on the weekend of 21 August, with servers winding down around 24 August 02:00 UTC in some schedules. Access: pre-purchase guaranteed a seat; Request Access on the Steam page was a lottery.
The recap numbers that matter:
- On the order of 500,000 unique players across the window.
- 100,000+ concurrent at peaks.
- Same calendar weekend as a Call of Duty beta and a large Battlefield update. The studio’s line was that the FPS crowd still showed up.
Progress from that weekend was not something to bank on. Treat August cash, XP, and unlocks as gone unless an official Steam News post says otherwise. Our tier lists still quote those builds because they are the best public catalogues; they are labelled as playtest data for a reason.
What testers actually learned is already on this wiki: occupancy beats K/D, taxis print money, towers have digits, death deletes kit, helicopters are profitable and cruel, FOBs are support not the objective. Start at getting started.
Closed Beta 02 — 3–6 September 2026
BULKHEAD tied a second closed beta to The FPS Games Show on 3 September 2026 at 18:00 UTC (19:00 BST / 20:00 CEST on Twitch). The official announcement cut is on YouTube as “Closed Beta 02 Announcement”; the show itself has its own page. Pre-order copy described guaranteed access from 3 September 18:00 UTC to 6 September 08:00 UTC, framed as a scale test they wanted people to break. Request Access accounts were to be waved in after pre-orders.
If you are reading this after that window, the test is history. If you are reading it during the window, the way in is still Steam: pre-purchase or a playtest grant in your library named something like “WARDOGS Playtest,” not an email from a stranger.
Limited backend / firing-range style tests also appeared on the calendar (for example a 2 September login-queue test). Those are not open betas. Do not assume a server is “down” because a stress test ended.
How access worked (and still works until EA)
| Route | Cost | What it got you |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-purchase base or Supporter | $39.99 / $49.99 | Guaranteed closed-beta seats |
| Request Access on Steam | Free | A chance, granted in waves |
| Wishlist | Free | Never a stated requirement; sometimes listed as improving odds for earlier alphas |
Grants show up in the Steam library, not as a magical Discord role. Official signup for community news: community.wardogs.com as linked from BULKHEAD videos.
What the betas did not prove
- They did not prove 1.0 balance.
- They did not prove jets.
- They did not prove that 100k concurrent is the ongoing population plan. BULKHEAD has talked about being happy with a few thousand daily concurrent in the long tail. Read that before you panic on week three of EA.
- They did not prove controller support is finished.
- They did not replace system requirements. A 1660 that held 60 in a quiet valley may not hold 60 in a collapsing town at peak concurrency.
After the tests
Watch the official recap video on this page, then the Early Access brief. If you hated the beta, refund while Steam still allows it. If you liked it, spend the remaining days on loadouts and tower codes so the 10th is not your first time seeing a vendor.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common WARDOGS questions.
Is the WARDOGS closed beta still open?
The August weekend ended 24 August 2026. Closed Beta 02 was scheduled 3–6 September 2026 around The FPS Games Show. After that, wait for Early Access on 10 September 2026.
Does beta progress transfer?
The August test was described as wiping. Do not plan an Early Access wallet around beta cash unless Steam News explicitly says it carries.
How do I get into a playtest?
Pre-purchase for guaranteed closed-beta seats, or hit Request Access on Steam and watch your library for a playtest app. Official links are on the links page.
How many people played the August beta?
BULKHEAD's recap put unique attendance near half a million with peaks above 100,000 concurrent. That is a test spike, not a population guarantee.