The tactical first-person shooter War Dogs, developed by Bulkhead and published by Team17, has surpassed 400,000 concurrent players on Steam after launching into Early Access. By this metric, it currently ranks third among new Steam releases in 2026 for initial performance.
War Dogs recorded a peak concurrent player count of 400,196 on Saturday, September 12. If we exclude Palworld, which reached its 1.0 official release this year with a peak nearing one million and isn't considered a 2026 new release, only Subnautica 2 and Slay the Spire 2 had higher launch performances this year. The former two titles were priced lower and launched as full releases, whereas War Dogs is currently still in Early Access.
On Steam's weekly online leaderboard, War Dogs also surpassed Valheim, which just launched its 1.0 official version. The only games with higher concurrent player counts during the same period were the free-to-play titles Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2.
War Dogs is priced at $49.99 and focuses on tactical shooting, combined naval and ground operations, and large-scale environmental destruction. The game features military sandbox maps that can accommodate 100 players, with matches centered around randomly appearing 2x2 km control zones. Teams with more players inside the zone earn points, and the first team to accumulate 100 points wins.
This title is not a battle royale game; its core mechanics are closer to the classic "King of the Hill" mode, where players compete in three-person squads to capture control zones. In addition to direct firefights, maintaining a numerical advantage within the zone is also crucial for scoring.This is the fifth game released by Bulkhead. The studio previously published titles such as Soul: Breath of Life and Legion: Legacy, with War Dogs now becoming its most played title in terms of concurrent players.
As of the latest data collection, War Dogs has received over 27,000 user reviews on Steam, with an 84% positive rating, resulting in an overall status of "Very Positive." The game also experienced server issues during its initial launch and remains available in Early Access.