Everything BULKHEAD has dated
No single roadmap graphic exists, so this is every date and window the studio has published, in order. Solid nodes have happened, hollow ones are dated, dashed ones are plans without a date.
- 5 Feb 2026
WARDOGS revealed by Team17 and BULKHEAD.
- 7 Apr 2026
Early Access & Beyond: a metagame of five parts — Gold Exchange, Player Skills, Challenge System, Black Market, Vault — to be built across Early Access, with seasons that reset.
- 7–9 Aug 2026
Closed Alpha, announced in a BULKHEAD video rather than a Steam post.
- Early Sep 2026
Closed Beta 02, announced on 1 September and opened to everyone on 6 September.
- 10 Sep 2026
Early Access on Steam, with Season 1. Consoles announced for 2028 the same day.
- 15 Oct 2026
Season 02, after the first full progression reset. Revised duration target: four to five weeks; no exact end date.
- Q2 2027 target
Intel as a paced seasonal equipment-unlock resource, alongside persistent role skills. No exact release date.
- Future seasons
Roughly three-month seasons with a smaller update halfway through are under consideration; no season is dated to this cadence.
- About 12 months in
A “0.5” milestone, with the price rising — the timing is the journalist’s paraphrase.
- 1–2 years after launch
Version 1.0: “broader and more polished”, priced higher. Planned additions include fighter jets, more weapon categories and objective variations.
- 2028
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, per Team17’s press hub. No date and no cross-play announced.
No roadmap graphic — but these are dated
BULKHEAD has not published a roadmap image or a feature list with dates beyond Season 02, and the word does not occur in the captions of its Early Access & Beyond, Road to Season 02 or press-conference videos. What it has put dates and windows on is enough to lay out: the Steam store says “We expect WARDOGS to remain in Early Access for around 1 to 2 years”; Season 02 is dated 15 October 2026; and the launch announcement of 10 September gives consoles a 2028 window. In the Road to Season 02 devlog the studio speaks of “all of the work we already have planned for 1.0” without listing it.
Season 02 began on 15 October
Season 02 began on 15 October 2026. The end of Season 1 brought the first full progression reset — cash and progression reset, savings converted into gold bars. THE HOTZONE has since revised the season-duration target from roughly six to eight weeks to four or five weeks, without fixing an end date. The 9 October preview named the new weapons, vehicles, buildables, rain and the experimental Wager Vendor.
Season 3 is dated for 12 November 2026
A Steam review response by brammflakes, marked [developer], says Season 3 has been brought forward to 12 November 2026 “to give everyone a proper fresh start”. It also says Season 3 brings Limited Mode servers with no power weapons and no vehicles. That supersedes the earlier undated plan to bring the season forward. The response gives no maintenance window, reset hour, patch notes or complete Limited Mode rules. On 30 October, BULKHEAD’s Community Manager said the promised preview devlog would not arrive that week because the team wanted to get the information right before recording it; no replacement date was given.
Read the developer response on Steam →
BULKHEAD plans to take December off
In an Edge interview published by GamesRadar on 3 November, BULKHEAD CEO Joe Brammer says the whole studio will take the entire month of December off after the Early Access push. He describes it as time for the team to “detox”. That dates a studio break, not a service shutdown: the interview gives no plan for official servers, emergency hotfixes, account support or moderation during December, and no exact January return date. Those operational details remain unpublished.
Intel targets Q2 2027; it is not live progression
THE HOTZONE says the future Intel system “looks like Q2 next year”. Intel is planned as a paced seasonal resource for equipment unlocks, while role XP feeds persistent role skills. That makes Q2 2027 the studio’s current development target, not a dated patch: no exact day, season, allowance, cap or XP conversion formula is published.
Promised for Early Access, with no dates
The 7 April Early Access & Beyond plan names a five-part metagame built across Early Access. Players have since shown three of them working in the client; BULKHEAD has put a date on none of them.
The Vault, Black Market and Gold Exchange →
| System | What BULKHEAD said | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Exchange | Season-end cash converts into gold bars, which buy permanent cosmetics | Confirmed for the Season 1 reset (9 Oct) |
| Vault | Part of the metagame plan | Players report it in the launch build |
| Black Market | Part of the metagame plan | Players report it selling items into the Vault |
| Player Skills + Intel | Persistent role skills plus a paced seasonal equipment-unlock resource | Intel targets Q2 2027; no exact release date |
| Challenge System | Part of the metagame plan | No date or detail published |
What version 1.0 is supposed to add
The store FAQ says the full version will be “broader and more polished” and priced higher than Early Access, and lists the plans: more maps, weapons and vehicles, “more in depth progression systems, a stronger seasonal meta game”, and “new vehicle types including fighter jets, expanded weapon categories, additional objective variations”. In the Road to Season 02 devlog BULKHEAD adds that a new progression system is envisioned “closer to 1.0”. None of it carries a date.
- Fighter jets — named as a planned vehicle type, undated.
- Expanded weapon categories and objective variations — planned, undated.
- A new long-term progression system — “closer to 1.0”.
Consoles: 2028, built to Xbox Series S
BULKHEAD’s launch announcement gives consoles a 2028 window, and Team17’s press hub names PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; no date, cross-play or cross-progression has been announced. In the 9 October press conference the studio said console plans already shape what goes into the PC game: “if we want to go to console … we are limited, as every dev is, by Xbox Series S”, and gave it as the reason the new rain runs as one system: “the reason is performance”.
The “0.5” price step is press-reported
A GamesRadar+ interview from Gamescom, published 22 September, reports that around 12 months into Early Access — when BULKHEAD plans to reach “0.5” — the price rises to $49.99, and to $59.99 at 24 months. Only “0.5” is quoted; the timing and prices are the journalist’s paraphrase, and BULKHEAD has published neither a 0.5 date nor that price ladder itself.
What is not established
These are the questions a roadmap would answer, and no BULKHEAD source does yet.
- A Season 3 maintenance window or exact reset time; only the 12 November date is published.
- A version 1.0 date, beyond the one-to-two-year estimate.
- A console release date, cross-play or cross-progression.
- An exact release date for Intel or Player Skills, or when the Challenge System and fighter jets arrive.
Common questions
Is there a WARDOGS roadmap?
No single roadmap graphic. BULKHEAD has dated Season 02 (15 October 2026), estimated one to two years of Early Access before 1.0, and announced consoles for 2028.
When is WARDOGS 1.0 coming out?
No date. The Steam store page says the studio expects WARDOGS to stay in Early Access for around one to two years from its 10 September 2026 launch.
When is WARDOGS coming to PS5 and Xbox?
In 2028, according to BULKHEAD’s launch announcement, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S per Team17’s press hub. No exact date or cross-play has been announced.
When is WARDOGS Season 3?
12 November 2026. A Steam review response by brammflakes, marked [developer], says Season 3 was brought forward to that date for a fresh start and brings Limited Mode servers without power weapons or vehicles. No maintenance window or exact reset time is published.
Will WARDOGS get jets?
Fighter jets are listed on the Steam store as a planned new vehicle type for the full version. There is no date.
Sources & verification
Every date is BULKHEAD’s or Team17’s: the Steam store’s Early Access FAQ (read 11 October 2026), the 7 April and 9 October devlogs and the 9 October press conference (English captions read in full), and the dated Steam announcements. The one price-and-milestone line that is a journalist’s paraphrase is labelled as such.
| Source | Type | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Steam · WARDOGS store page, Early Access FAQ, read 11 October 2026“We expect WARDOGS to remain in Early Access for around 1 to 2 years.” The full version is “planned to be broader and more polished” and priced higher; planned additions include “new vehicle types including fighter jets, expanded weapon categories, additional objective variations”. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-11 |
| BULKHEAD · “WARDOGS | Early Access & Beyond”, 7 April 2026The studio’s Early Access plan. Names the Metagame and its five parts — Gold Exchange, Player Skills, Challenge System, Black Market and Vault — and says the foundation is designed but will be built across Early Access. The April Steam announcement also names Black Market & Vault and Player Skills & Challenge System; the video supplies the fuller outline. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-10 |
| BULKHEAD · WARDOGS Launch Trailer, 10 September 2026Announces Steam Early Access that day and a console release window of 2028, without naming console models or an exact date. | Publisher stated | 2026-09-11 |
| Team17 · Press & creator hubNow names Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as WARDOGS platforms. BULKHEAD's launch trailer separately supplies the 2028 console window; this listing gives no exact date or cross-play details. | Publisher stated | 2026-09-11 |
| BULKHEAD · WARDOGS Season 02 Teaser, 22 September 2026Published at 16:53:38 UTC. BULKHEAD says Season 02 is coming on 15 October 2026 and asks players to stay tuned for more details. The complete announcement names no feature, patch number, release time or timezone. | Publisher stated | 2026-09-22 |
| BULKHEAD · WARDOGS Season 02 Preview, 9 October 2026Published through Steam at 16:00:14 UTC (Steam News API gid 1846018067933823). The complete announcement names four weapons, a Molotov, four vehicles, three buildables, rain behaviour, an experimental Wager Vendor, headline balance work and Season 02-only Lonestar bonuses. It repeats the 15 October release date, says full balance notes and a maintenance window will follow early the next week, and gives no start time, patch number, item prices, unlocks or numeric combat values beyond a 20% losing-team vendor discount that activates at least 40 points behind second place. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-09 |
| BULKHEAD · Road to Season 02 devlog, 9 October 2026Published at 15:59:30 UTC. At 02:42–03:45 BULKHEAD confirms the end of Season 1 brings the first full progression reset: cash and progression reset, outstanding savings are automatically exchanged into gold bars at their end-of-season value, and gold bars fund permanent cosmetics. The studio says it banks players' XP across Early Access for retroactive application to future long-term systems such as Player Skills. The video does not state the exchange rate, reset clock or which named unlock categories the word progression includes. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-09 |
| @WARDOGS · Season 02 progression response, 17 October 2026Published at 11:02:59 UTC. BULKHEAD says its deliberate Season 02 progression speed-up was the wrong call: some players reached Tier 4 armour and main battle tanks within days, so the reset did not feel like a fresh start. It rules out a knee-jerk reset that weekend, says it is considering bringing Season 3 and some of its content forward significantly, and promises more detail in a dev vlog the following week. It gives no Season 3 date, revised XP table or reset schedule. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-17 |
| @WARDOGS · Season 2 reflection and Season 3 preview announcement, 23 October 2026Published at 15:00:00 UTC. BULKHEAD says a vlog about its Season 2 reflection and Season 3 preview will be released the following week, and that it will pilot a podcast format about the Season 2 launch during the 24–25 October weekend. The notice contains no Season 3 date, reset timing, episode title or exact publication time. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-23 |
| BULKHEAD Community Manager · Season 3 devlog delay, 30 October 2026Published at 15:46:11 UTC by Brian McCrann, whose public profile identifies him as BULKHEAD’s Community Manager working on WARDOGS. He says the promised devlog will not be released that week because the team wants to get the information right before recording it. No replacement date is given, and the notice does not change the separately published 12 November Season 3 date. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-30 |
| BULKHEAD · THE HOTZONE Episode 1, “The Wipe”, 24 October 2026Published at 16:00:00 UTC through BULKHEAD’s official YouTube channel. The Atom feed titles it “The Wipe”; the watch page displayed the alternate title “Did we OVER react?” when its complete 70-minute English transcript was read on 24 October. The studio says retained top-quartile players progressed 2.4× faster than Season 1, Driver participation rose from 9% to 44% on Season 2’s first day, and fewer than 400 accounts used the Driver exploit. It says Season 02 will run four to five weeks instead of six to eight, monthly seasons are unsustainable, roughly three-month future seasons with a smaller mid-season update are under consideration, and Intel targets Q2 2027. These are spoken plans, not final patch notes: the episode gives no exact Season 3 date or reset time, and its IR-binocular discussion is explicitly introduced as raw and not gospel. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-24 |
| BULKHEAD developer response · Season 3 date and Limited Mode, 23 October 2026A Steam review response by brammflakes, marked [developer], says Season 3 has been brought forward to 12 November 2026 for a fresh start and will bring Limited Mode servers with no power weapons and no vehicles. The public page displays “Posted: Oct 23 @ 8:36am” without a timezone. It does not publish a maintenance window, reset time, patch notes, complete Limited Mode rules or Season 02 end time. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-26 |
| BULKHEAD CEO Joe Brammer · Edge interview on the December studio break, 3 November 2026Published by GamesRadar at 11:19:24 UTC from its Edge 430 interview. BULKHEAD CEO Joe Brammer says the whole studio will take the entire month of December off and describes the break as time to detox after the Early Access push. The interview publishes no server-operations, emergency-hotfix, player-support or exact January-return schedule, so the site does not infer that services will close or promise coverage during the break. | Publisher stated | 2026-11-04 |
| BULKHEAD · Road to Season 02 devlog, 9 October 2026, from 01:27Read from YouTube’s English captions. 01:27: “With all of the work we already have planned for 1.0, setting expectations correctly for every update from now on is more critical.” 05:56: a new progression system “that we envision closer to 1.0”. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-11 |
| BULKHEAD · Press Conference 01: Road to Season 02, 9 October 2026Published at 20:01:03 UTC. The full 59:49 video and its English transcript were read. BULKHEAD calls the material a preview rather than final patch notes. It targets a six-week Season 02 without fixing an end date; previews the Mosin's 3.5× PU scope, Squad Intent, Molotov role, static rain, Bakurani spawn work and team-switch restrictions; and says a future season, not Season 02, is planned to introduce Player Skills plus Intel as the primary equipment-unlock currency. Hedged or contradictory live answers are not treated as final values. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-10 |
| BULKHEAD · Press Conference 01: Road to Season 02, 9 October 2026, from 51:47Read from YouTube’s English captions: rain is one system “and the reason is performance … if we want to go to console … we are limited as every dev is by Xbox Series S”. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-11 |
| BULKHEAD · Closed Alpha announcement video, 23 July 2026Announces the Closed Alpha for 7–9 August 2026 in its end card and description; no Steam post did. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-07 |
| BULKHEAD · “WARDOGS | Closed Beta 02 Announcement”, 1 September 2026Names Twitch Drops as one of the systems the beta existed to test at scale, alongside server scaling and browsing, DLC entitlements, VOIP and the login queue. It is the studio confirming the system exists in its own infrastructure — not a statement about any particular campaign. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-10 |
| BULKHEAD · “THE CLOSED BETA IS NOW AN OPEN BETA!”, 6 September 2026Opens the last stretch of Closed Beta 02 to everyone and states the close: Sunday at 08:00 UTC. “Come break our servers” is the studio’s own framing of the test. | Publisher stated | 2026-10-10 |
| Team17 · Reveal trailer, February 5, 2026 | Publisher stated | 2026-10-10 |
| GamesRadar+ · Dustin Bailey, Gamescom interview with BULKHEAD's Joe Brammer, 22 September 2026Published 21:03:11 UTC. Reports that in 12 months, around the time BULKHEAD plans to reach “0.5”, the price rises to $49.99, and in 24 months to $59.99. Those figures and their timing are the journalist's paraphrase; only “0.5” is in quotation marks. Brammer's quoted words are the stance: wait and buy later if you do not want in now. BULKHEAD has not published the figures itself. | Unverified | 2026-09-23 |
