Wardogs Closed Beta: How to Get Free Access Before the September 10 Launch

Wardogs, the 100-player military shooter from Bulkhead and Team17, is running a closed beta test over the weekend of August 21. It is free to join, but access is gated behind a request on the game’s Steam page, and the window closes before the game hits Early Access on September 10.

Quick answer: Open the Wardogs Steam page and click Request Access before Friday, August 21 at 11am PDT / 2pm EDT / 6pm BST. Anyone who has already pre-purchased is in automatically.

Wardogs closed beta start and end times

The test runs for roughly two and a half days. Servers come online Friday afternoon in North America and stay up until late Sunday night Pacific time, which rolls over into Monday morning for players in the UK.

Note: There is no confirmed additional free test after this one. With the Early Access launch set for September 10, this is the last scheduled window to try the game without paying.

How to request access to the Wardogs beta on Steam

If you already pre-purchased Wardogs, you do not need to request anything. Pre-purchase includes beta access by default.

What you play in the beta: 100-player control zone matches

Wardogs is built around a single large-scale mode inspired by King of the Hill. Three teams fight over a randomized 2x2km Control Zone placed somewhere inside a 256km² map. Whichever team has the most players inside the zone earns points, and the first side to 100 points takes the match. Because the zone location shifts, no two rounds open the same way.

Matches support up to 100 players and mix infantry with vehicles. Buildings can be destroyed with rocket launchers or armored vehicles, and teams can build fortifications and forward positions at chokepoints. Communication runs through local voice chat, which you can use to coordinate with your squad or to shout at whoever is on the other side of a wall.

Roles are loose rather than locked. Infantry pushes and holds objectives, helicopter pilots ferry teammates from the main base out to the fighting, and long-range players can buy a ghillie suit and work the edges of the map feeding information back to the team. The pace is deliberate, closer to a military sim than a fast arena shooter.

How the persistent cash system works

Cash is the spine of the whole game. Every player begins with $10,000, and each time you spawn you buy your own loadout, including weapons, equipment, ammunition, and vehicles. Nothing is handed to you for free, so a heavy loadout is a real financial decision.

You earn that money back through team play. Reviving squadmates, flying friendlies into the Control Zone, holding the objective, and killing enemies all pay out. Chasing the Hot Zone doubles what you earn. The balance carries over between matches, so a well-timed splurge on a vehicle can pay for itself several rounds later, and a bad night can leave you scraping.

The practical effect is that playing the objective is also the profitable choice. Winning the match and finishing with a positive balance are two separate goals, and they usually pull in the same direction.

Wardogs Early Access release date, price, and refund offer

Wardogs enters Steam Early Access on September 10. At launch it ships with three maps, each with three variations, plus a range of weapons and vehicles. The Early Access period is expected to run about two years.

Bulkhead has been unusually blunt about managing expectations. Pre-purchasers were sent a video titled “10 Reasons NOT to Buy,” and the studio has said that players who try the beta and decide the game is not for them will be offered a refund.

If you are on the fence, the beta is the cheapest way to find out whether the slower, cash-driven approach clicks. Submit the access request now rather than Friday afternoon, and treat the first few matches as a spending lesson rather than a scoreline.