WARDOGS — What It Is & How to Play

BULKHEAD's tactical all-out-warfare FPS, published by Team17. Up to 100 players split across three teams fight for a rotating Control Zone on a destructible 256km² battlefield.

Steam Early Access 100 players · 3 teams Also on GeForce NOW Released Sep 10, 2026
WARDOGS on Steam Early Access · English reviews Mostly Positive (76%)

How a match works

  1. 1
    Three teams, one zone

    A randomized 2x2km Control Zone appears inside the 256km² map. The team with the most players inside earns points — first to 100 wins. Think King of the Hill at Battlefield scale, but three-way.

  2. 2
    Cash is king

    Kills aren't the only currency: healing, spotting, reviving, resupplying, repairing vehicles, capturing towers and building FOBs all pay. Inside the "Hot Zone" every action pays double.

  3. 3
    Spend it on anything

    Cash buys loadouts, a ghillie suit, vehicles up to artillery tanks — whatever your approach needs. No real-money shop; everything is earned in-match or via progression.

  4. 4
    Play your way

    Lone-wolf sniper, supply helicopter pilot, FOB fortifier, tank crew — there's no fixed role unless you make one. ~27–33 players per team in a typical match.

Where it sits on the arcade–realism scale

BULKHEAD's own answer: "somewhere in the middle" — more grounded than Battlefield/COD, less punishing than Tarkov or Squad.

AspectWARDOGS approach
GunfeelResponsive and fluid like an arcade shooter
WorldRealistic-leaning: destructible battlefield, combined arms, logistics matter
ProgressionUnlocks tied to how you play — play a style consistently, unlock its gear
Anti-cheatKernel-level (Elytra) — required to play

Beginner tips that pay immediately

  1. ●
    Grab the free resuscitator every life

    The emergency resuscitator costs nothing at the vendor — one revive you can self-administer. Always buy it.

  2. ●
    Farm the Hot Zone early

    Double cash on every action inside it — early economy snowballs into better gear for the zone fight.

  3. ●
    Spotting and reviving are free cash

    Even without medic gear, marking enemies and picking teammates up pays and wins zones.

  4. ●
    Third-party the other fight

    Three teams means whoever watches the other two fight from the zone edge often wins it. Arriving late is a tactic.