WARDOGS Guides
WARDOGS is a 100-player tactical shooter from BULKHEAD, published by Team17, in Steam Early Access since September 10, 2026. Three teams fight over a randomised 2×2 km Control Zone on a 256 km² map, and every life you buy your loadout with cash you earn by playing. BULKHEAD’s own pitch: “Not another Battle Royale. Not another Extraction Shooter.”
- Price: $39.99, or $49.99 for the Supporter Edition (editions)
- Platform: PC (Windows) on Steam. Consoles are announced for 2028 (details)
- Mode: three teams, up to 100 players, first team to 100 points wins (Control Zone)
- Teams: Lonestar, Valkyra and Manticore (factions)
- Current season: Season 2, Update 0.2.0, live since October 15, 2026 (patch notes)
- Early Access length: “around 1 to 2 years”, per the store FAQ
How a Match Works
You spawn with your team and travel to the Control Zone by foot, vehicle or helicopter. The team with the most players inside the zone scores points, and a shifting Hot Zone inside it counts each player double and pays double cash. The first team to 100 points wins. Read the full Control Zone guide.
Cash Is Everything
Every player starts with $10,000. Each life you buy weapons, armor, gear and vehicles from the vendor, and you earn cash back for kills, revives, transport, logistics, spotting and holding the objective. Cash carries over from match to match. See the economy guide and the full Season 2 cash rewards table.
Roles and Progression
There are no fixed classes. You earn XP on a track by using that track’s items, and Season 2 names seven tracks: WARDOG, Assault, Medic, Recon, Support, Pilot and Driver. Higher levels let you buy unlocks with cash. See progression and unlocks.
All WARDOGS Guides
- Control Zone & Hot Zone: the core mode explained
- Economy: cash, unlock costs and Gold Bars
- How to Make Money: every Season 2 cash reward
- Progression & Unlocks: the seven role tracks and XP curve
- Weapons: prices, unlocks and Season 2 changes
- Vehicles: tanks, helicopters and trucks
- Building: buildables and supply costs
- Armor & Gear: armor, helmets, backpacks, parachutes
- Factions: Lonestar, Valkyra and Manticore
- Patch Notes: every patch and hotfix since launch
- Season 3 & Wipes: what is confirmed and what is reported
- Squads & Team Switching: squad size, switching and team-kills
- Community Servers: official vs community, modifiers, hosting
- Price & Editions: Standard vs Supporter Edition
- PS5 & Xbox Release: console release date
- System Requirements: minimum and recommended specs
- Player Count: players, sales and reviews
New to the genre? WARDOGS is often compared with Tarkov because of its persistent cash economy; see our games like Tarkov and best extraction shooters pages.
Sources: BULKHEAD’s official Steam announcements (Top Questions FAQ, launch trailer post, Season 02 patch notes, Season 02 launch post) and the WARDOGS Steam store page. Checked October 27, 2026 (Season 2, Update 0.2.0). WARDOGS is in Early Access and changes every season.