After a string of successful beta weekends and closed playtests, Bulkhead’s multiplayer FPS Wardogs is nearly ready to go live on Steam Early Access. The studio has now confirmed the exact launch time, giving players around the world a clear countdown to work with. Whether you’re on the west coast of North America or deep in Europe, here’s everything you need to know about when the servers flip on and how to make sure you’re ready the moment they do.
When Does Wardogs Launch?
Bulkhead confirmed that Wardogs will enter Steam Early Access on Thursday, September 10, with servers going live at 12 p.m. EDT. The studio took a little time to nail down the precise hour, but that confirmation is now official. If you’ve been tracking the game since its earliest closed tests, the wait is just about over.
The path to Early Access has been a long one. Wardogs drew strong interest through multiple beta periods, each of which brought in large numbers of players eager to get hands-on time with Bulkhead’s vision for the game. That enthusiasm has only built heading into the full Early Access release, and the studio will be hoping its infrastructure holds up under the pressure of a wide simultaneous launch.
Wardogs Release Times by Region
No matter where you’re playing from, here’s the exact moment Wardogs goes live in your local time on Thursday, September 10 – or into the early hours of Friday, September 11 for players in Asia and Australia:
- 9 a.m. PDT – West coast of North America
- 12 p.m. EDT – East coast of North America
- 1 p.m. BRT – Brazil
- 5 p.m. BST – United Kingdom
- 6 p.m. CEST – Western Europe
- 1 a.m. JST (Friday, Sept. 11) – Japan
- 2 a.m. AEST (Friday, Sept. 11) – East coast of Australia
For players in the UK and western Europe, the late afternoon window is reasonably friendly. Australian and Japanese players, however, are looking at a late night or very early morning launch – par for the course when games stick to a North American prime-time window for their go-live moment.
Can You Preload Wardogs?
Yes – if you have pre-ordered Wardogs, you can preload the game through Steam right now. Head to your Steam library, find Wardogs in the list, and select the install option. The download sits at 42.27 GB, so make sure you’ve got enough free space on your drive before you kick it off.
Getting the preload done ahead of launch is strongly recommended. With the game generating considerable buzz and a large number of players likely hitting that launch button simultaneously, even a fast connection could face delays if you’re trying to download on release day. Having the files already sitting on your drive means you only need to wait for the servers to open rather than the download to finish.
Expect Some Launch Day Turbulence
It’s worth going in with realistic expectations around server stability. The first beta weekend for Wardogs reportedly saw significant strain from the sheer volume of players trying to connect at once, and a full Early Access launch is likely to bring even more traffic. Bulkhead will be working to keep things running smoothly, but a few hiccups at the moment servers go live would not be out of the ordinary for a high-demand release like this one.
Early Access also means the game will continue to evolve after launch. Players jumping in on September 10 are signing up for an experience that Bulkhead will keep updating and refining over time, which is exactly the kind of ongoing feedback loop that the studio’s beta approach has been preparing for.
Getting Ready for Launch
If you’re planning to be there on day one, the checklist is straightforward. Pre-order through Steam to unlock preloading, clear at least 42.27 GB of storage, and set an alarm for whichever regional time applies to you from the list above. After a long stretch of betas and closed tests, Wardogs from Bulkhead is finally making its proper Steam Early Access debut on September 10 at 12 p.m. EDT.