WARDOGS Beta Opens to All Players Ahead of Early Access Launch

The 100-player FPS WARDOGS unexpectedly converted its closed beta into an open beta, allowing anyone to join without an invitation. According to AUTOMATON, the shift happened suddenly, and the test period was scheduled to conclude on September 6 at 17:00 JST.

Game*Spark reports that the open beta drew more than 240,000 participants. The game's concurrent player count on Steam surpassed 210,000 within the first day of the test, according to 電ファミニコゲーマー. During an earlier closed beta phase, WARDOGS peaked at 162,488 simultaneous players, briefly ranking third across all of Steam, as noted by 4Gamer.net.

WARDOGS is a large-scale military shooter built around matches featuring up to 100 combatants. The game emphasizes expansive battlefields, helicopter transport, and base construction, with matches designed to last for extended periods. The open beta gave players a chance to experience these mechanics firsthand before the game's formal release window.

wardogs

The game is slated to enter early access on September 11, according to 4Gamer.net. The open beta served as a final public stress test ahead of that launch, giving the developers a chance to gauge server performance under heavy load and collect player feedback on balance and gameplay systems.

With the beta now closed and early access days away, the next milestone for WARDOGS will be its Steam debut. Whether the game can sustain its early momentum beyond the beta hype remains to be seen, but the strong turnout suggests considerable interest in the 100-player format.