WARDOGS Release Date
Answer
WARDOGS releases into Steam Early Access on 10 September 2026. That date is confirmed on the official Steam store page and in Team17's press release. It is an Early Access launch, not the finished game — BULKHEAD expects Early Access to run roughly one to two years, and no 1.0 release date has been announced. The launch is PC-only via Steam.
Every confirmed date
| Date | Milestone | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 21–24 Aug 2026 | Closed beta weekend — ended 24 Aug at 02:00 UTC | Completed |
| 3 Sep 2026 | Next major announcement at the FPS Games Show; content not yet confirmed | Confirmed event |
| 10 Sep 2026 | Steam Early Access launch — PC only | Confirmed |
| During Early Access | Two further Early Access maps; fighter jets added | Announced, undated |
| 2027–2028 (est.) | Version 1.0 full release, after 1–2 years of Early Access | Estimate only |
| Unannounced | PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions | Planned, no date |
What time does WARDOGS unlock?
Team17 has not published an exact unlock time for 10 September. That is worth stating plainly, because a lot of the sites currently answering this question are presenting a guess as a fact.
What can be said usefully: Steam Early Access launches from Team17 have typically unlocked at 10:00 Pacific Time, which is the default slot for most Steam releases. If WARDOGS follows that pattern, the table below is what you would be looking at. Treat it as a planning aid, not a countdown you should set an alarm to until Team17 confirms the hour.
| Region | Local time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PDT) | 10:00 | 10 Sep |
| New York (EDT) | 13:00 | 10 Sep |
| London (BST) | 18:00 | 10 Sep |
| Berlin / Paris (CEST) | 19:00 | 10 Sep |
| Moscow (MSK) | 20:00 | 10 Sep |
| Dubai (GST) | 21:00 | 10 Sep |
| Beijing / Singapore | 01:00 | 11 Sep |
| Tokyo / Seoul | 02:00 | 11 Sep |
| Sydney (AEST) | 03:00 | 11 Sep |
Not yet confirmed: the unlock hour, whether there is a preload window, and whether the store page flips at a staggered time by region. We will replace this table with confirmed times the moment Team17 states them.
Can you preload WARDOGS?
No preload window has been announced. The Steam store page lists around 50 GB of required storage, which is a meaningful download on launch day if preload is not offered. If you have pre-ordered, keep an eye on your Steam library — preload, if it happens, appears there without any announcement being strictly necessary.
How long will WARDOGS Early Access last?
BULKHEAD's public estimate is one to two years. The studio has been unusually direct about what that means in practice, publishing a video literally titled 10 Reasons NOT to Buy ahead of launch. The Early Access build ships with:
- One game mode — the three-team Control Zone fight. There is no second mode, no campaign and no bot or offline play announced.
- Three maps, of which Bakurani is the one shown publicly; the other two were slated to arrive after the closed beta.
- No fighter jets. Jets are planned to arrive during Early Access, not at launch.
If a one-mode shooter at the beginning of a multi-year development period is not what you want to pay for, that is a reasonable position and we say so on the is it worth it page. The counter-argument is price: US$39.99 is the cheapest WARDOGS will ever be, because Team17 has confirmed the price rises as the game matures.
When is the WARDOGS full release date (1.0)?
There is no WARDOGS full release date. Applying BULKHEAD's own one-to-two-year estimate to a 10 September 2026 start puts a full release somewhere between late 2027 and late 2028, but that is arithmetic on an estimate, not a schedule. Early Access periods routinely slip in both directions, and the studio has not committed to a target.
Console release dates
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are confirmed as planned with no date attached. BULKHEAD's public phrasing has been that the studio absolutely wants to come to Xbox and PlayStation and that console is the plan, but it does not know when. Reports of a 2027 console or Switch 2 release are press estimates rather than announcements. Details on the console and platforms page.
Release date FAQ
When does WARDOGS come out?
10 September 2026, in Steam Early Access, on PC.
What time does WARDOGS release?
Not confirmed. Team17 has not published an unlock hour. The common Steam slot of 10:00 Pacific would put it at 18:00 BST and 01:00 the following day in Beijing, but treat that as unconfirmed.
Is 10 September the full release of WARDOGS?
No, it is the Early Access launch. Version 1.0 is expected one to two years later and has no date.
Can I preload WARDOGS before launch?
No preload has been announced. Storage requirement is around 50 GB.
Was WARDOGS delayed?
No delay has been announced. The 10 September 2026 Early Access date was given when pre-orders opened and has held since.
Sources: official Steam store page (release date, storage, price), Team17's Early Access announcement press release, and BULKHEAD developer videos on the official Team17 YouTube channel. Return to the WARDOGS wiki home page.