Wardogs sold more than one million copies within hours of launching into Steam early access, with the tactical shooter also passing 350,000 concurrent players on Steam. The surge overwhelmed server capacity, leaving queues that kept plenty of players stuck outside matches during the opening rush, following in the footsteps of other PC shooters that have struggled to scale on launch day.

Wardogs is the new project from Derby-based studio Bulkhead, putting up to 100 players into three-way scraps for control points. It blends tactical gunplay with vehicle combat, base construction and destructible terrain, landing in a crowded field of large-scale multiplayer shooters that includes recent efforts like No More Room in Hell 2. The scale of the opening numbers is notable given the game is only in early access, not a finished release.

Bulkhead’s Reaction

Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer said the studio had deliberately avoided hyping the game up before launch.

“To cross a million copies sold as we launch into early access is mental,” said Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer. “We’ve spent the last few months showing people exactly what Wardogs is, what it isn’t, and at one point literally gave everyone ten reasons not to buy it. We didn’t want people buying into blind hype.”

He continued: “But this is still early access. We’ve got things to fix, things we want to improve, and a lot more we want to build. The best thing players can do now is keep playing, keep telling us what they think and keep giving us those ridiculous Wardogs moments.”

Bulkhead also released a console announce trailer alongside the early access launch, confirming the game is heading beyond PC eventually.

What’s Available Now

Wardogs is currently PC-only through Steam, priced at £36.99. Bulkhead has confirmed PS5 and Xbox versions are coming in 2028, though without a firm release date attached to either.

Metric Figure Copies sold at launch Over 1 million Peak concurrent Steam players 350,000+ Match size Up to 100 players, three teams PC price £36.99 (Early Access) Console availability PS5 and Xbox, 2028 (no date set)

Bulkhead has said it expects interest to settle down over time, given the studio is planning a slower drip of content updates rather than trying to sustain launch-day numbers indefinitely. According to IGN, server queues filled up quickly as a direct result of the launch surge, with congestion keeping some players from jumping into a match right away. Wardogs is available now in early access on PC via Steam, with the wait for console versions stretching into 2028.

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