How do I get into the WARDOGS beta?
Closed Beta ended on 24 August at 02:00 UTC. The next entry point is Early Access on 10 September 2026. The date and access archive lives on the beta page.
Steam
Closed Beta archive — dates and what followed
Closed Beta 02: 3 September 18:00 UTC – 6 September 08:00 UTC. A pre-order guarantees entry. Playtest waves do not promise a slot. The August window is archived below.
—
| Zone | Servers open | Window closes |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | — | — |
| Kyiv | — | — |
| Moscow | — | — |
| Your timezone | — | — |
Dates from public Bulkhead / Team17 materials. Not an invite and not a key.
| Closed Beta 02 | 3 Sep 18:00 UTC → 6 Sep 08:00 UTC |
|---|---|
| CB02 guarantee | Steam pre-order. Playtest waves do not promise a slot. |
| Closed beta (archive) | 21–23 August 2026 |
| Servers (UTC) | 21 Aug 17:00 → 24 Aug 02:00 |
| Kyiv / Moscow time | 21 Aug 20:00 → 24 Aug 05:00 |
| NDA | lifted 18 August — streams and clips are allowed |
| Guaranteed entry | Steam pre-order |
| Free queue | Request Access on the store page — no guarantee |
| Early Access | 10 September 2026 |
| Entry price | $39.99 / £36.99 / €39.99 |
| Studio price plan | $49.99 during EA → $59.99 at full release |
| EA length | about 1–2 years |
| EA monetisation | no in-match microtransactions; optional Supporter Edition cosmetics |
| Wishlists | officially 1 million on Steam (14 August) |
You requested access and got nothing — why
This is not a broken request and the server has not lost you. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer said publicly on X that pre-orders blew past expectations, so the studio will not be aggressive about adding people from the free signup pool until later in the weekend. Request Access is a wave-based queue, not a ticket.
- Do not resubmit the request — it speeds up nothing.
- Waiting is worth it: the waves land towards the end of the window, not only on the first evening.
- Keys and 'guaranteed invites' from resellers are a scam. Access comes from Steam only.
The CEO quote is reported by Polygon, the original post is on his X. We retell it, we do not reprint it.
What happened that weekend
On 18 August the studio lifted the NDA and asked people to share the best moments. After 02:00 UTC on 24 August the client closes again until Early Access on 10 September — one window, not an endless CBT.
Should you pre-order before EA
The studio itself says: if the beta is not for you, refund. That honesty should be read literally. A pre-order makes sense if you want to test servers and pace now — not if you want to reserve a skin.
WD Help does not sell keys, accounts or 'invite guarantees'. Any such button on a copy of this site is a scam.
What is next
The window closed on 24 August. Next dates: FPS Games Show on 3 September at 18:00 UTC and Early Access on 10 September. If you played the beta, checklist and notes stay in the browser. If you missed it, watch other players' impressions and the '10 Reasons NOT to Buy WARDOGS' video on the Steam page.
Closed Beta 02 — window archive, next is 10 September
A Steam storefront pre-order guarantees access from 18:00 UTC on 3 September to 08:00 UTC on 6 September. Playtest waves without a pre-order do not promise a slot. Launch from the library, not a third-party launcher. A queue in the first hour is the scale test. Do not buy a Telegram “invite”. Do not install a repack “to skip the queue”. After 08:00 UTC on 6 September the window is closed until Early Access on 10 September.
Short answer
I sent Request Access and got nothing — is it a bug?
No — and it no longer matters: the window closed on 24 August. The Bulkhead CEO explained that pre-orders exceeded expectations, so the free pool was added in waves until the weekend ended. Resubmitting the request sped up nothing.