Wardogs Storms to Steam's Top Spot – And the Developers Themselves Warn Against Buying It

Wardogs, the upcoming tactical milsim shooter from the team behind Battalion 1944, is officially available for pre-order – and has since topped Steam's sales charts for full-price titles. Even before pre-orders went live, the game had already established itself among Steam's most wishlisted titles, and since then, it's only climbed higher.

First Impressions: A Look Behind the Scenes

PC Gamer editor Morgan Park participated in a closed playtest weekend and described his roughly five hours of gameplay so vividly that it resulted in a dedicated hands-on report. His conclusion upfront: potentially the next great multiplayer shooter.

Wardogs is pure PvP for up to 100 players. In the main mode tested, three teams fight for the same control zone on a massive map – whoever stands in the particularly contested “Hot Zone” counts double for their score. The format is clearly inspired by the popular Arma 3 mod “King of the Hill.”

In terms of gameplay, Wardogs deliberately positions itself between “hardcore Arma” and “basically Battlefield”: accessible, crisp gunplay on the surface, but underneath, a genuine milsim metagame with Forward Operating Bases, defensive structures, and supply logistics.

However, according to Park, the real unique selling point is the persistent in-game economy: players earn money for virtually every useful action – kills, zone presence, healing, transport flights – and spend it on equipment. Dying means losing the invested loadout, which gives the game an extraction shooter-like tension. This is particularly vivid in an anecdote from the test: a helicopter pilot who exclusively transported teammates and didn't rack up a single kill still earned over $35,000 in-game money – partly through tips from passengers. There's even a “bribe system”: players downed and waiting for rescue can offer money to other players to encourage them to take the risk of a rescue.

The “10 Reasons NOT to Buy Wardogs”

Amidst this moment of hype, developer studio Bulkhead has released a video devlog that addresses potential purchase concerns with unusual transparency:

• Content Pace: After the Early Access launch, Bulkhead will initially focus on bug fixes, feedback, and a new map – the studio states that regular large content drops should not be expected.
• Price: Pre-ordering costs $39.99 USD and grants Beta access. Bulkhead's advice for uncertain buyers: wait, try the Beta, or use Steam's refund option if necessary.
• Declining Player Numbers: The studio itself warns upfront that player numbers will naturally decrease after the launch peak – this is normal. The goal is a sustainable community of 3,000 to 5,000 concurrent players rather than a short-term hype surge.
• Monetization: Throughout the entire Early Access phase, there will be no monetization – no purchasable gold bars, no purchasable camos apart from an optional Supporter’s Edition. However, after the full release (1.0), ongoing operating costs might necessitate additional revenue.
• The Battalion 1944 Past: Bulkhead openly discusses the communication failures and economic problems surrounding their previous game, Battalion 1944. Those who distrust the studio because of this should rather wait to purchase.

Why the Honesty Works

What's particularly unusual about this move is that a development team seems to be actively arguing against its own short-term sales success – yet still sits at the top of the Steam charts. Especially against the backdrop of Park's playtest report, this feels coherent: Wardogs isn't selling purely on hype, but on a game system that, according to initial practical experience, actually delivers on its promises – combined with a studio that doesn't shy away from its own past.

Release: Early Access starts on September 10th; pre-order customers will gain Beta access as early as August 21st.

Source: PC Gamer