BULKHEAD’s new FPS, WARDOGS, has climbed to 5th place on Steam’s global top sellers list as pre-orders for its Early Access launch went live. It seems the developer’s cheeky '10 Reasons Not to Buy This Game' promo video, combined with a promise of transparent monetization, has piqued the curiosity of gamers everywhere.

Pre-orders kicked off on the 12th for this title, which is slated for an Early Access debut on September 11th. WARDOGS positions itself as a large-scale military sandbox where up to 100 players duke it out across a 256km² map to hold random capture zones. The objective is simple: the team with the most players in a zone gains points, and the first to 100 points takes the match. It’s already drawing comparisons to titles like Call of Duty: Warzone, which has certainly caught the eye of the tactical FPS crowd.

What really grabbed everyone's attention, however, is the developer’s refreshingly blunt advice: 'If you play the closed beta and it’s not up to your standards, we highly encourage you to get a refund.' By leaning into this counter-intuitive marketing—effectively laying bare the game’s potential flaws—the developer has generated quite a buzz, resulting in a rapid climb up the sales charts.

The developer has confirmed that during the Early Access period, WARDOGS will steer clear of all monetization; there will be no selling in-game currency or content for real cash. Everything is earned through gameplay. The only exception is a 'Supporter Edition,' which acts as a way to tip the developer while netting players a few cosmetic items and a Headhunter Bobblehead.

Buyers will also gain guaranteed access to the upcoming closed beta, running from the 21st to the 23rd. The developer noted that previous tests were hampered by Steam key limitations, leaving many out in the cold. By opening pre-orders this way, the developer hopes to get a much more accurate handle on server stability and total player capacity.

Elsewhere on the charts, Phantom Blade Zero has snatched the top spot following its own pre-order launch ahead of an October release. Big Walk sits steadily in 2nd place, while Black Myth: Wukong holds 4th place as it continues to run a 30% discount.

In the daily peak concurrent players charts, Peak climbed to 11th place with 122,714 concurrent players following the addition of a new biome. Meanwhile, Overwatch proved it still has plenty of life left in it, jumping from outside the top 20 to 16th place, largely thanks to the launch of Season 4 and the arrival of the new hero, Demon.