As the second closed beta of Wardogs, the upcoming military simulation FPS, ended at 04:00 ET on September 6, the game logged a peak of 245,118 concurrent players on Steam. This number, nearly 50 times higher than what Bulkhead’s CEO had anticipated, marks a significant milestone for the British studio as it gears up for the game’s Early Access launch on September 10.
Beta Numbers That Exceeded Expectations
The first closed beta, held from August 21 to 23, drew nearly 500,000 unique players and reached a peak of 105,774 concurrent players. This figure surpassed the all-time peak concurrent player counts for games like Squad, Hell Let Loose, and Arma on PC. The second closed beta, which ran from September 3 to 6, saw even more impressive numbers, with the standalone Playtest client ranking third on Steam overall within hours of its opening and reaching a peak of 245,118 concurrent players on September 5.
Competing with Call of Duty and Battlefield
Despite launching alongside the Modern Warfare 4 closed beta and Battlefield 6’s massive update, Wardogs managed to hold its own. At certain points during the first beta, the gap in peak concurrent players between Wardogs and Activision’s flagship franchise was fewer than 10,000 players.
Wardogs’ Persistent Cash Economy
Set in a fictional Eastern European region, Wardogs features a 100-player sandbox where three factions compete for control of a randomly placed 2×2-kilometer zone. The game’s unique selling proposition lies in its persistent cash economy. Each player starts with $10,000 and can earn more by benefiting their team, such as killing enemies, reviving teammates, or transporting players. This cash system encourages teamwork and creates a “greed as teamwork” dynamic, as described by PCGamesN.
However, beta players have identified some design tensions. Long-range sniper engagements can pull players away from the control zone, and while the 256-square-kilometer map is large, much of the action funnels into the control zone and its surrounding structures, potentially making the rest of the map feel decorative.
The Challenge of Coordination and Communication
Wardogs’ coordination-dependent gameplay can be both rewarding and challenging. With a coordinated squad, the logistics economy, combined-arms vehicles, and three-team trends can produce experiences unlike anything available in mainstream FPS games. However, without communication, the same systems can make solo play feel expensive and opaque. Bulkhead has acknowledged this and positioned Wardogs as a game for players who “play like they used to.”
Early Access Details and Plans
Early Access Standard Edition launches September 10 at $39.99, with a Supporter Edition available at $49.99 that adds only cosmetic items. The Early Access build includes three maps, 37 weapons, 21 vehicle types, a full persistent cash economy, and proximity voice chat. The Early Access period is expected to last one to two years, with plans to add seasonal resets of the cash economy, additional maps and weapon categories, and an eventual full 1.0 release at a higher price point.
To celebrate the Early Access launch, Bulkhead announced the $100K Clip Contest. Any player who submits a clip under two minutes in length via social media, tagged #WARDOGS100K and @WARDOGS, and submits it through the official contest entry form by 23:59 BST on October 8, 2026, is eligible to win. Ninety-nine finalists receive $100,000 in in-game cash, while the top-ranked clip wins $100,000 in real money.
Bulkhead’s Path to Independence
Wardogs represents a studio success story in the post-pandemic games industry. Originally part of Tencent’s portfolio, Bulkhead chose to scale down and make Wardogs independently after Tencent rejected their initial pitch. The studio, now owned by a UK consortium, enters Early Access with full creative control and a track record that includes refunding every Battalion 1944 backer years after the fact.
As Wardogs enters Early Access, the question for buyers is not whether the game can reach 245,000 concurrent players but whether the player base can sustain a healthy community after the initial hype dies down. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer has explicitly named a 3,000-5,000 daily concurrent player target as a sign of a healthy long-term community.