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ValheimPC Requirements and Performance
Wardogs needs at least 64-bit Windows 10, an Intel Core i5 8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500, 16 GB of RAM, an Nvidia GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 590 and 50 GB of storage for 1080p Low at 60 fps upscaled. The recommended spec (Core i7 12700k or Ryzen 7 5700x, RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT) targets 1440p Medium at 70 fps. Windows only; Steam Deck and Linux are unsupported.
Wardogs runs on PCs from an Intel Core i5 8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500 with 16 GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 590 on 64-bit Windows 10, with 50 GB of free storage, and Bulkhead's minimum spec targets "1080p Low @ 60fps (Upscaled)" (Steam, read Oct 26, 2026). The recommended spec, a Core i7 12700k or Ryzen 7 5700x with an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT on Windows 11, targets 1440p Medium at 70 fps or more at native resolution. Wardogs is sold only on Steam for Windows, in Early Access since Sep 10, 2026; it does not run on Steam Deck or Linux. To tune what you have, see Best Settings. The clip is Bulkhead's July video showing the Core i5 8600 and GTX 1660 PC its team played on until the game reached 60 fps at the lowest settings.
Quick facts
| Platform | Windows (Steam) only |
| Minimum target | 1080p Low at 60 fps, upscaled |
| Recommended target | 1440p Medium at 70 fps+ native, or 4K Medium at 60 fps+ upscaled |
| RAM | 16 GB (both tiers) |
| Storage | 50 GB |
| Launch download | 41.7 GB (the Sep 9, 2026 preload) |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 with Bulkhead's War Dynamics Framework |
| Anti-cheat | Elytra, kernel level |
| Steam Deck | Unsupported |
| Linux and SteamOS | Unsupported |
Sources: Steam, read Oct 26, 2026; PC Gamer, Sep 9, 2026; Bulkhead, Feb 18, 2026; Steam Deck report, read Oct 26, 2026.
System requirements
These are the two tiers on the Steam store, exactly as listed on Oct 26, 2026. There is no separate ultra or 4K tier.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Target | 1080p Low @ 60fps (Upscaled) | 1440p Medium @ 70fps+ (Native) or 4k Medium @ 60fps+ (Upscaled) |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| Intel CPU | Core i5 8600 | Core i7 12700k |
| AMD CPU | Ryzen 5 3500 | Ryzen 7 5700x |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Nvidia GPU | GeForce GTX 1660 | GeForce RTX 3070 |
| AMD GPU | Radeon RX 590 | Radeon RX 6700 XT |
| Network | Broadband | Broadband |
| Storage | 50 GB | 50 GB |
Source: Steam, read Oct 26, 2026.
Both tiers ask for the same 16 GB of RAM and 50 GB of storage; what changes is the processor, the graphics card and Windows 11. Note that the minimum target depends on upscaling, so a GTX 1660 is expected to reach 60 fps at 1080p only with DLSS or FSR doing part of the work.
Download and install size
The Steam store asks for 50 GB of storage. The download itself was 41.7 GB when the preload opened on Sep 9, 2026, the day before launch (PC Gamer, Sep 9, 2026). Each season's update adds to that: Season 2 (update 0.2.0, Oct 15, 2026) brought new weapons, vehicles and rain weather (see Season 2), and Bulkhead has not published a current install size. If you played the betas, the old builds sit in a separate Steam app called "WARDOGS Playtest" (app 4809930), which you can uninstall to free space (Steam, read Oct 26, 2026).
How it performs
Before launch, Bulkhead said playtesters were consistently surprised by how well Wardogs performs and that its graphics options let players "tune the experience to YOUR PC" (Bulkhead, Jul 16, 2026). No full technical analysis of Wardogs from an outlet such as Digital Foundry had been found as of Oct 26, 2026. The fullest press measurement is Game Rant's: on an RTX 5070 Ti with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D at 1080p, low settings averaged about 205 fps, High with DLSS Quality about 140, and the top "Overkill" preset without DLSS about 110 (Game Rant, Sep 11, 2026). At 4K, Game Rant says cards weaker than an RTX 5080 stay above 60 fps but may lose their competitive edge.
Wardogs supports Nvidia DLSS, including Frame Generation, which can be switched off without a restart since the launch changelog. That changelog also reduced shadow cache refreshes to cut hitching and made the render target pool configurable (Bulkhead, Sep 9, 2026). Bulkhead's stated Early Access priorities name stability and performance first, then balancing, bug fixes and community feedback (Game Developer, Aug 13, 2026). In the clip Bulkhead's developers say they always put performance first.
Known performance issues and fixes
The launch changelog fixed two frame generation crash paths, and Patch 0.11 addressed more GPU crashes and made GPU crash reports more detailed (Bulkhead, Sep 12, 2026). The WD-L020 crash, caused by the Windows 11 update KB5124010, was fixed in update 0.1.2 on Sep 30, 2026 (Bulkhead, Sep 30, 2026). For every error code and its fix, see Crashes and Errors.
Steam Deck, Linux and Mac
Steam's compatibility report marks Wardogs Unsupported on Steam Deck and SteamOS (Steam, read Oct 26, 2026). The betas ran under Proton with Easy Anti-Cheat, but the switch to the kernel-level Elytra anti-cheat at launch stopped that, so Steam Deck and many Linux players who had played the beta could not play the full game (TheGamer, Sep 10, 2026). Bulkhead said on Sep 5, 2026: "We do not officially support Linux and we cannot commit to having support for launch," and asked anyone who bought it for Proton to refund it (GamingOnLinux, Sep 5, 2026). Brammer called Linux a priority, "in part for Steam Deck. But not at the expense of security" (Game Rant, Sep 8, 2026). There is no Mac version. More on the anti-cheat is on Anti-Cheat and Bans, and on consoles on Consoles and Crossplay.
Frequently asked questions
What are the minimum requirements for Wardogs? Wardogs needs 64-bit Windows 10, an Intel Core i5 8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500, 16 GB of RAM, an Nvidia GTX 1660 or AMD RX 590 and 50 GB of storage, for 1080p Low at 60 fps with upscaling.
What are the recommended specs for Wardogs? Steam lists 64-bit Windows 11, an Intel Core i7 12700k or AMD Ryzen 7 5700x, 16 GB of RAM and an Nvidia RTX 3070 or AMD RX 6700 XT, targeting 1440p Medium at 70 fps or 4K Medium at 60 fps upscaled.
How big is the Wardogs download? Wardogs' launch preload was 41.7 GB, and the Steam store asks for 50 GB of free storage; later season updates add to it.
Can I run Wardogs on a GTX 1660? Yes, the GTX 1660 is Wardogs' minimum Nvidia card, and Bulkhead expects 1080p on Low at 60 fps with upscaling on it, alongside a Core i5 8600 or Ryzen 5 3500 and 16 GB of RAM.
Does Wardogs work on Steam Deck or Linux? No. Steam marks Wardogs Unsupported on Steam Deck and SteamOS, and its Elytra kernel-level anti-cheat stopped it running under Proton at launch; Bulkhead does not officially support Linux.
Does Wardogs need an SSD? The Steam store does not list an SSD as required for Wardogs, only 50 GB of storage; Bulkhead has not said whether a hard drive causes problems.
Sources
- WARDOGS - TOP QUESTIONS, Bulkhead (Steam news), Feb 18, 2026
- WARDOGS | Level Design & Performance, Bulkhead (Steam news), Jul 16, 2026
- WARDOGS IS COMING TO STEAM EARLY ACCESS ON 10 SEPTEMBER, Game Developer (Games Press), Aug 13, 2026
- WARDOGS developers clarify Linux support via Proton may come later, GamingOnLinux (Liam Squires-Hand), Sep 5, 2026
- New Steam Game Like Call of Duty Only Supports Some PCs, Game Rant (Mohsen Baqery), Sep 8, 2026
- Pre-Load Live & Season 1 Changelog, Bulkhead (Steam news), Sep 9, 2026
- Wardogs release date and launch times, PC Gamer (Sean Martin), Sep 9, 2026
- Wardogs Is Being Review Bombed For Having Hour Long Queue Times, TheGamer (Steven Garrard), Sep 10, 2026
- Best Optimization Settings for WARDOGS, Game Rant (Mehrdad Khayyat), Sep 11, 2026
- SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE & PATCH 0.11, Bulkhead (Steam news), Sep 12, 2026
- WARDOGS | Update 0.1.2 (Minor Patch), Bulkhead (Steam news), Sep 30, 2026
- WARDOGS appdetails, Steam, read Oct 26, 2026
- WARDOGS Playtest appdetails, Steam, read Oct 26, 2026
- Steam Deck compatibility report for WARDOGS, Steam, read Oct 26, 2026
- WARDOGS | Level Design & Performance, Bulkhead, Jul 16, 2026 (video)
Moments
WARDOGS | Level Design & Performance
BULKHEAD
- Wardogs runs on PCs from an Intel Core i5 8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500 with 16 GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 or…
- Before launch, Bulkhead said playtesters were consistently surprised by how well Wardogs performs and that its…
- Wardogs supports Nvidia DLSS, including Frame Generation, which can be switched off without a restart since the launch…
Related
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AchievementsWardogs has 10 Steam achievements, one of them hidden ("That was rude": punch Kristopher in the Tutorial). "Top Dog" asks you to finish a match as the top cash earner across all three teams; "Big Spender" ($100,000 on one loadout) is the rarest, held by 0.0% of players on Oct 26, 2026.
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Gold Bars and the Gold MarketGold Bars are Wardogs' endgame currency: you get them by exchanging in-game cash, and leftover cash turns into Gold Bars at the end of a season, so they survive wipes. They are spent on camos in the Gold Market, which unlocks at Wardog level 35 for $150,000 in Season 2. Bulkhead has pledged never to sell cash, Gold Bars or camos for real money.
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Progression and UnlocksWardogs has seven progression tracks: the Wardog career track and six roles (Assault, Medic, Recon, Support, Driver, Pilot). Using a role's gear earns that role XP; reaching a level makes an item available, and you then pay a one-time cash unlock (the Havoc costs $650,000 at Pilot 35 in Season 2). Every track resets at a season wipe; Season 2 (Oct 15, 2026) made level 20 take less than half the Season 1 playtime.
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FactionsWardogs has three factions: Lonestar (blue), a Western paramilitary company; Valkyra (red), out to restore the Soviet People's Republic; and Manticore (green), Persia's shadow army. They play the same, but blue has lost more often since the betas, and Season 2's one-day Lonestar bonus did not fix it.
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See also
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Best SettingsThe guides agree on the core of a Wardogs setup for frame rate and visibility: Motion Blur, Depth of Field, Lens Flare and Bloom off, shadows and reflections at their lowest, view distance kept high, Nvidia Reflex on and an upscaler (DLSS or FSR) for frames. They disagree on VSync and on Reflections (Potato or Low).
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Crashes and ErrorsMost Wardogs launch errors (the WD-L0 codes such as WD-L014) are fixed for some players by repairing the Elytra anti-cheat from the game's folder; WD-L020 was a Windows 11 update clash fixed in update 0.1.2 on Sep 30, 2026; errors 1147405308 and 1413677057 point to the servers. Official help is Team17 support at support.team17.com.
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Anti-Cheat and BansWardogs uses the kernel-level anti-cheat Elytra, per its Steam store page; the betas used Easy Anti-Cheat, and the switch is why Wardogs does not run on Linux or Steam Deck. Bulkhead bans cheaters and exploiters (cash and XP reset to 0, timed or permanent bans), turned off Steam Family Sharing on Sep 18, 2026 to stop ban evasion, and capped official servers at 175 ms ping on Oct 21.
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Consoles and CrossplayWardogs is on Windows PC through Steam only; PlayStation 5 and Xbox versions are planned for 2028 with the 1.0 release, and both can be wishlisted. There is no crossplay because there is only one platform, and Bulkhead has not said whether PC and consoles will play together; Steam Deck, Linux and Mac are not supported.
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Controls and KeybindsWardogs' default PC keys are W, A, S and D to move, Left Shift to sprint and hold breath, F to interact, R to reload, Tab for the inventory, M for the map, J for squad push-to-talk and K for proximity push-to-talk. Helicopters fly on Shift or Space and Ctrl (sources differ). Gamepads work, with an aim assist slider since Season 2, though Steam lists no controller support.