There’s a gap in the shooter market, and Bulkhead reckons it knows exactly how to fill it. Wardogs, the studio’s ambitious military FPS, launches into Steam Early Access on Sept. 10, 2026 for $39.99, slotting itself neatly between the pick-up-and-play energy of Call of Duty and Battlefield and the hardcore grind of Squad and Escape From Tarkov.
The pitch is large-scale warfare, and the numbers back it up. Matches support up to 100 players split across three teams, all scrapping for control of a central zone on a sprawling 256km² map. Under the hood sits Bulkhead’s proprietary War Dynamics Framework, built on Unreal Engine, with a stated performance target of at least 60 FPS on lower-end hardware — a welcome commitment for anyone whose rig has seen a few birthdays.
What sets Wardogs apart isn’t just the scale, though. In-game cash is a central pillar, and it opens up mechanics you won’t find in the usual suspects. You can become an arms dealer, for one, selling weapons directly to your teammates and effectively running a small business between firefights. CEO Joe Brammer describes it as an FPS for “dad gamers”: every action you take contributes to the team effort, whether or not you’re racking up kills. Permanent progression rounds things out, with XP earned through your actions in a system Brammer compares to RuneScape.
The build has already been through its paces. A closed alpha ran from Aug. 7-9 and drew strong feedback from players and creators alike. FPS content creator TheTacticalBrit called it potentially “incredibly successful,” praising its “wow moments” in a “pick-up-and-play” format that steps away from po-faced realism. GhostGamingGG went further, claiming the helicopter flight “absolutely destroys Battlefield 6’s air mechanics,” while Melandryu rated the weekend among “one of the best experiences” they’d had with a beta in years.
If you’re intrigued but not ready to commit, there’s another chance to try before you buy. A closed beta weekend runs from Aug. 21-23, open to anyone who pre-orders. According to Bulkhead, the beta lets players “experience the game ahead of its early access launch and put its large-scale warfare, servers and core systems through their paces” — which, given the 100-player, 256km² ambitions, is a sensible stress test to run before the doors officially open.
The one wrinkle is timing. September is shaping up to be a crowded month, and Wardogs will be jostling for attention against a slate of other releases. Still, with a distinct identity and genuine enthusiasm from early testers, Bulkhead’s shooter has a real shot at carving out its niche.
