WARDOGS is moving from its Closed Beta to a temporary public Open Beta. The announcement published on Steam on September 5 The test ends on Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 08:00 UTC, four days before the planned Early Access launch on Steam.
Key point: the test window runs from September 3 at 18:00 UTC to September 6 at 08:00 UTC. The WARDOGS Steam page Players can request access to the Steam playtest, but the request does not guarantee immediate entry for every account.
A narrow window to request access
The announcement presents this as a temporary Open Beta, not as the game’s launch. Players interested in taking part must therefore submit their request before the announced closure on September 6 at 08:00 UTC.
Steam will notify players if the developer accepts more participants. “Open Beta” does not mean that every request unlocks the test immediately, and the September 5 announcement does not detail the process after a request or confirm any possible pre-order requirement.
The closed test had different conditions
The official Steam community feed Closed Beta #2 offered guaranteed access through pre-orders, alongside Steam Playtest invitations sent in waves. Those conditions belonged to the closed phase; the new announcement does not confirm that they also apply to the Open Beta.
The Steam page continues to distinguish between the playtest and Early Access. Requesting a place in the beta is therefore separate from buying the game or automatically unlocking the version planned for September 10.
Early Access follows on September 10
Team17’s page WARDOGS is developed by BULKHEAD and published by Team17, with Early Access announced on Steam for September 10, 2026. That launch is scheduled four days after the Open Beta ends, but no transfer of progression between the 2 periods has been confirmed.
The test is intended to put server capacity, navigation, Twitch Drops, DLC-related entitlements, proximity voice chat and the connection queue through their paces. The price in France, available editions, console versions and the precise conditions for retaining save data remain unknown from the available information.
For now, WARDOGS offers only a short Steam window in which to request participation, with acceptance still depending on the developer. Early Access has a stated date, while effective playtest access and the fate of progression after the beta remain unconfirmed.
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