WARDOGS Playtest & Beta Guide — How to Join
WARDOGS ran three beta waves before Early Access, peaking at 245,118 concurrent players in the final test. This page tracks the beta timeline, how to get into future playtests, and everything known about Early Access access.
Beta Timeline
| Wave | Dates | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Beta 1 | Aug 7–9, 2026 | First public hands-on |
| Closed Beta 2 | Aug 21–23, 2026 | ~105,774 peak concurrent players |
| Final Beta | Sep 3–6, 2026 | Opened to everyone Sep 5; 245,118 peak CCU; 30,000+ queued for the firing range |
How to Join Future Playtests
- FirstLook signup: register at community.wardogs.com and link your Steam or Discord account — this is the official playtest channel.
- Steam Request Access: the Steam store page (app 1867240) offers a free Request Access option for playtests.
- Pre-ordering guaranteed access to the final closed beta window.
- Twitch drops: past waves distributed beta keys through watching partnered streams — see the Twitch Drops page.
Early Access
Early Access launches Sep 10, 2026 at 16:00 UTC on Steam. No key is needed once you buy the game. See the Release Date page for pricing and the 1.0 roadmap.
Why the Beta Exploded
BULKHEAD expected 5,000–10,000 players in the final beta; the open wave hit a 245,118 peak, briefly making WARDOGS one of the most-played games on Steam. The studio passed 1 million wishlists in August.
Related Pages
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