WARDOGS Maps
Answer
Every WARDOGS map is 16×16 km — 256 km² — drawn at roughly one metre per pixel. The active Control Zone is a randomised 2×2 km square inside it, about 1.5% of the total area. Three battlegrounds are planned for Early Access, all set in Kolchia, a fictional Eastern European region of war-torn industrial mountains. Bakurani is the one shown publicly; two more were slated to follow the closed beta.
WARDOGS map size: what 256 km² actually means
Map size is the statistic most often quoted about WARDOGS and least often explained. Some context that makes it concrete:
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Map dimensions | 16 × 16 km |
| Total map area | 256 km² |
| Terrain resolution | About one metre per pixel |
| Control Zone dimensions | 2 × 2 km |
| Control Zone area | 4 km² |
| Zone as a share of map | Roughly 1.5% |
| Zone placement | Randomised per match |
| Players sharing it | Up to 100, across three factions |
The design tension is deliberate. The map is enormous, but the fight is compressed into 4 km² of it. WARDOGS is not an open-world game where 100 players are spread thin across 256 km² — it is a game where 100 players are funnelled into a small area, and the remaining 252 km² is the approach problem.
That approach problem is why helicopters, ground transport and forward operating bases matter so much. Walking is not a strategy at this scale.
Kolchia, and the war over PV-1
All confirmed WARDOGS maps are set in Kolchia, which BULKHEAD describes as war-torn industrial mountains in Eastern Europe. The conflict is built around PV-1, a rare resource the studio says has fuelled decades of Eurasian conflict — the reason three factions are fighting in the same place at the same time.
Practically, that setting produces a consistent terrain vocabulary across maps:
- Mountain and ridge terrain — verticality, long sightlines, natural cover from air observation.
- Villages and settlements — close-quarters fighting, interiors to clear, walls worth breaching.
- Industrial sites — container yards, towers and infrastructure. Hard cover, awkward vehicle lanes, good fortification ground.
- Rivers, valleys and open fields — exposed crossings that heavily punish infantry on foot and reward marksmen and vehicles.
Early Access map list
| Map | Region | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bakurani | Kolchia | Shown publicly — the map used in closed testing |
| Second Early Access map | Kolchia | Announced, unnamed — slated to follow the closed beta |
| Third Early Access map | Kolchia | Announced, unnamed — slated to follow the closed beta |
How zone placement changes the map
Because the Control Zone is randomised, the same map plays like several different maps. This is arguably the most important practical fact about WARDOGS geography, and it directly determines what you should buy:
| Zone lands on… | The fight becomes | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| A village or settlement | Room-to-room, short sightlines, heavy use of destruction to open walls | Cheap close-range primaries, explosives, medical kits. Marksman kits waste money here |
| Open valley, fields or a river crossing | Long sightlines, exposed approaches, vehicle-dominant | Marksman rifles, vehicles, helicopter insertion, anti-air |
| Industrial ground | Verticality and hard cover, restricted armour lanes | Fortifications, mortar positions, mid-range primaries |
| Mountain or ridge terrain | Elevation advantage decides engagements; approaches are few and obvious | Anything that takes and holds high ground; sniper towers |
Checking where the square landed before opening the buy screen is the single cheapest habit in the game. More on this in the loadouts guide.
Official WARDOGS screenshots © BULKHEAD / Team17, via the Steam store page.
Interactive maps
This wiki does not currently publish an interactive WARDOGS map, and that is deliberate. Producing one before launch would mean tracing terrain from trailer footage and presenting guesswork as a reference tool. Annotated map material will be published from the Early Access build, once positions can be verified in game. Also unpublished by BULKHEAD: the names of the second and third maps, whether the Control Zone can spawn anywhere or only at set candidate locations, and whether maps rotate between matches.
Maps FAQ
How many maps does WARDOGS have?
Three are planned for Early Access. Bakurani is the one shown publicly; two more were slated to follow the closed beta.
How big are WARDOGS maps?
16×16 km each — 256 km² — at roughly one metre per pixel.
How big is the Control Zone?
2×2 km, or 4 km² — about 1.5% of the map, placed randomly.
Where is WARDOGS set?
In Kolchia, a fictional Eastern European region of industrial mountains, in a war over a rare resource called PV-1.
Is there a WARDOGS interactive map?
Not on this wiki yet. We will publish annotated references from the live build rather than sketches traced from trailers.
Will WARDOGS get more maps?
Two further Early Access maps are announced, and BULKHEAD has framed Early Access as a one-to-two-year content period. No release schedule has been published.
Sources: BULKHEAD and Team17 statements on map dimensions, terrain resolution and the Kolchia setting; the official Steam store page (Control Zone size, setting); and official screenshots for terrain types. Zone-terrain buying advice is this wiki's own analysis. Back to the WARDOGS wiki.