WARDOGS Beta and Playtest Status

Short answer: the WARDOGS beta is over, and so is the playtest. Two tests ran in the weeks before release — a closed beta in August and a wider second beta in early September — and both closed before WARDOGS launched into Steam Early Access on September 10, 2026. The live Early Access build is now the only way to play.

1. The Full Test Timeline

2. Why Test Access Is No Longer the Way In

Beta access and playtest invitations were tied to those specific windows and builds. They do not grant the full game, and they no longer grant server access, because the test servers were shut down at the end of each window. If you are holding an old invitation or a beta install, it will not connect you to the live game — you need the purchased Early Access build.

Current pricing is $39.99 for the Standard Edition and $49.99 for the Supporter Edition, with no microtransactions during Early Access. Full edition breakdown is on our price page.

3. What Changed Between the Beta and Launch

The build that shipped on September 10 was not the beta build. BULKHEAD released a Season 1 changelog alongside pre-loading on September 9, and the headline changes rebalanced progression and the economy for a live game rather than a weekend test:

• Slower mid-game progression — the experience needed to move from level 10 to level 20 roughly doubled.
• Higher unlock thresholds — the Artillery unlock moved from career level 55 to 90, and the Heavy Tank now requires Driver level 35 rather than a general career level.
• Economy tuning — slightly less XP from air vehicle kills, and almost no value from selling supply crate items under $75.
• Vehicle and exploit fixes — helicopter input damping and tank aiming improved, a maximum turret rotation speed added, and an exploit allowing an unintended position on a church roof closed.
• Community tools — public cheater bans and weighted player reporting to reduce bad-faith reports.

If you are arriving from a beta and wondering why unlocks feel slower: that is deliberate. The studio described the old tuning as designed for weekend tests and expects the median player at 20–25 hours to sit around level 20.

4. Do Beta Players Keep Anything?

BULKHEAD has not published a carry-over or reward scheme for beta participants. Progression in WARDOGS is tied to the live game's persistent cash and XP systems, and the beta builds were separate environments. Unless the studio announces otherwise, treat beta progress as not transferable. The one thing beta players do get is what everyone gets from buying during Early Access: the lower Early Access price, before the planned increase as the game approaches 1.0.

5. What Comes Next Instead of More Betas

The live build is now the test environment. Updates ship directly to players, hotfixes arrive as needed, and the studio gathers feedback through Discord and Steam. BULKHEAD expects Early Access to last roughly one to two years, adding maps, weapons, vehicles, expanded weapon categories and deeper progression systems along the way. There is no announced schedule of public tests, so the practical move if you want to follow development is to join the official Discord and watch the Steam news feed. For the wider picture, see our release and launch timeline.