Is WARDOGS worth it? BULKHEAD's own 10 reasons not to buy, decoded
BULKHEAD made a video called "10 reasons NOT to buy WARDOGS." Stripped of the marketing humility, it's an accurate description of what you get: a deep, expensive-to-die-in 100-player shooter with one mode, three maps and no promise of regular content for a year, at £36.99 rising to £45.99 and then full price. If that sentence excites you, buy it. If it worries you, wait; the refund window is real and they say so themselves.
What you're buying, in their words
| Their reason | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| "Lack of content and the speed we deliver it" | 37 weapons, 21 vehicles, 3 maps × 3 variants at launch. Year one is bug fixes, balance and one new map. No monthly drops. |
| Stair-stepped pricing | $39.99 (£36.99) now → $49.99 when the year-one updates ship → $59.99 at 1.0. Early buyers pay least. |
| Player numbers will drop | Beta hit ~245k concurrent; they expect a fall to a sustainable 3–10k nightly core and say so up front. |
| Monetisation | None in Early Access bar the Supporter Pack. Never sell cash or gold bars, never sell camos. Cosmetic monetisation likely years later, post-1.0. |
| Performance ceiling | 60 FPS on an i5-8600 / GTX 1660 at Low is the floor they built to. Native 4K at 240 is not happening. "Overkill" preset only shows on RTX 40-series and up. |
| No linear roadmap | Features get tested live "at seemingly random times". 1.0 in roughly 24 months. |
| Battalion 1944 | Same studio. It failed, they went dark, then refunded every Kickstarter backer. Judge that how you like. |
| Proximity voice | All three teams hear you and the devs join in. Mute exists; admins draw the line. |
| Partial gamepad support | Works, light aim assist, keyboard and mouse is "always optimal". |
| Dying costs | Kit lost, travel time back is the respawn timer. "If you can't cope with those stakes, play something else." |
Who it's for
- You liked Squad, Hell Let Loose or Arma's scale but want faster gunplay and a reason to care about dying.
- You'll play with the same people and talk.
- You're fine with one mode for months if the mode is good.
Who should wait
- You want variety: new maps, modes, seasonal drops. Year one won't have them.
- You want a fair-fight arcade shooter. Three-team cash economy is deliberately not that.
- You're on Steam Deck or Linux: unsupported.
- Your PC is under the minimum spec.
The honest buy path
Buy Standard at £36.99, play launch week, refund inside two hours if it's not for you, and add the Supporter Pack later if it is. The refund rules and the two-hour trap are on the refund page.
FAQ
Is WARDOGS worth buying in Early Access?
If you want a 100-player tactical shooter with real stakes and can live with one mode and three maps for months, yes. If you want a stream of new content or a casual arcade shooter, wait.
Will the price go up?
Yes, by design. $39.99 now, $49.99 when year-one updates land, $59.99 at 1.0.
Can I refund it?
Standard Steam rules: under 2 hours played, within 14 days. Details on the refund page.
Sick of full servers and queues?
Rent your own WARDOGS server from an approved host and play with your mates on your rules. UK/EU: QONZER (bare metal, no slot fees). Anywhere else: BisectHosting (21 locations). Casual group: xREALM (pay by the hour). Full comparison.