Wardogs Blasts Past 1 Million Sales on Day One, but Server Issues Hit Early Access Launch
Wardogs has made a massive first impression on Steam Early Access, delivering the kind of launch most indie developers only hope for. The tactical shooter from Derby-based studio Bulkhead sold more than one million copies in its first 24 hours, while also attracting more than 350,000 concurrent players shortly after release.
The game launched on September 10 with a price of £36.99 in the UK and $39.99 in the US. Despite arriving in Early Access rather than as a full release, Wardogs immediately became one of the biggest PC gaming stories of the moment, thanks to a huge player turnout that quickly overwhelmed expectations.
The road to this launch had already suggested that Wardogs was building serious momentum. The game reached 100,000 Steam wishlists just three days after its reveal, climbed past 500,000 wishlists in May, and crossed the one million wishlist mark in August. Its beta tests were also unusually strong, with nearly 500,000 players joining the closed beta and the final pre-launch test peaking at 245,118 concurrent players.
What makes the launch even more interesting is that Bulkhead did not rely on traditional hype-heavy marketing. Instead, the studio took a more cautious and self-aware approach. One of its pre-order trailers was even titled “10 Reasons NOT to Buy,” making it clear that the developer wanted players to understand what they were getting into before purchasing an Early Access title.
Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer described the milestone as surreal, saying that passing one million sales at the start of Early Access meant a great deal to the team. He also stressed that the studio did not want players buying the game purely because of blind hype. At the same time, he reminded fans that Wardogs is still a work in progress, with bugs to fix, systems to improve, and plenty of content still planned for the future.
The biggest problem so far has been server stability. With more than 330,000 players online at the same time, the launch-day demand went far beyond what the servers had handled during testing. As a result, many players experienced long login queues, failed connections, and mid-match disconnects.
Those technical issues had an immediate impact on the game’s Steam user reviews. Wardogs initially launched with a “Mixed” rating, with around 65% positive reviews. However, that score has since improved, and the game now holds a “Very Positive” rating with 84% positive feedback. Many of the negative reviews appear to focus less on the core gameplay and more on the frustration of not being able to reliably access the game.
For now, Bulkhead’s main focus is not chasing bigger player records but making sure the people who already bought Wardogs can actually play it smoothly. The studio is expected to roll out content updates gradually rather than trying to maintain launch-day momentum at all costs.
Console players will need to be patient. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox are confirmed, but they are not expected until 2028. That means Wardogs will remain a PC-focused Early Access title for quite some time.
There is also no current support for Steam Deck or other Linux-based SteamOS devices. The issue comes down to the game’s anti-cheat system, which does not support Linux-based operating systems at the time of writing. That could change later, but for now, players hoping to jump into Wardogs on handheld PC hardware may have to wait.
Wardogs has already proven there is huge demand for a new tactical shooter on PC. The challenge now is whether Bulkhead can stabilize the experience, expand the game at the right pace, and turn an explosive Early Access debut into long-term success.
