WARDOGS PC Requirements — Minimum and Recommended Specs for Early Access

• WARDOGS minimum spec needs an Intel Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500, with a GTX 1660 or RX 590 GPU.
• Recommended spec targets an Intel Core i7-12700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, with an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT.
• Both tiers need 16 GB RAM and at least 50 GB of free storage space.
• DirectX 12 is required. Windows 10 (64-bit) is the minimum OS. Windows 11 is recommended.
• Upscaling (DLSS, FSR, XeSS) is supported — minimum spec targets 1080p Low at 60fps upscaled.
• A “Potato Mode” preset exists for lower-end rigs, added by BULKHEAD during performance optimisation.
• Steam Deck and Linux are not currently supported due to the Elytra kernel-level anti-cheat system.

WARDOGS PC Requirements — Full Spec Breakdown

WARDOGS PC requirements are confirmed on the Steam store page by developer BULKHEAD. The game launched into Steam Early Access on September 10, 2026 and runs on Windows PC only. Below is the full breakdown of what your machine needs to run it.

Unlike a lot of games that publish vague specs, BULKHEAD has been specific. Each hardware tier comes with a real performance target so you know exactly what to expect before buying. Want to know more about the game itself before checking specs? Read our full WARDOGS Review.

wardogs pc requirements

WARDOGS Minimum PC Requirements

The minimum spec targets 1080p Low settings at 60fps using upscaling. This means you will need to use upscaling technology — DLSS, FSR, or XeSS — to hit that frame rate at that resolution. Native rendering at minimum spec will be lower.

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1660 (6 GB VRAM) or AMD Radeon RX 590 (8 GB VRAM)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband internet connection
• Storage: 50 GB available space
• Performance Target: 1080p Low @ 60fps (Upscaled)

If your GPU or CPU falls below these specs, the game is unlikely to run well. A GTX 1060 or an older i5 from 2016 will struggle, especially given the 100-player server load and the large destructible map that WARDOGS renders during matches.

WARDOGS Recommended PC Requirements

The recommended spec gives you two targets. At 1440p Medium settings, you should hit 70fps or better natively. At 4K Medium settings, BULKHEAD targets 60fps or better using upscaling. This is a solid mid-range to upper-mid-range build.

• OS: Windows 11 (64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
• RAM: 16 GB
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 (8 GB VRAM) or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB VRAM)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband internet connection
• Storage: 50 GB available space
• Performance Target: 1440p Medium @ 70fps+ (Native) or 4K Medium @ 60fps+ (Upscaled)

The RTX 3070 and RX 6700 XT are both solid cards from the current mid-range category. If you are running an RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, or RX 6700, you will likely land close to recommended performance, perhaps slightly below the 70fps native target at 1440p.

How Demanding Is WARDOGS on PC?

For a game with 100 players, a destructible 256 square kilometre map, building mechanics, vehicles, and real-time physics, WARDOGS is not as demanding as you might expect. BULKHEAD made performance a priority from early development and added a special low-end preset called Potato Mode specifically to give older machines a playable option.

During the closed beta weekends before launch, players and reviewers consistently noted that optimisation was a pleasant surprise. No major frame rate issues were reported on hardware that met the minimum spec, and the servers themselves remained stable during beta testing — though launch day told a different story with server queues rather than performance issues.

WARDOGS supports three upscaling technologies:

• NVIDIA DLSS — best for RTX 20 series and newer
• AMD FSR — works across most GPUs including NVIDIA and Intel
• Intel XeSS — best for Intel Arc GPUs but works broadly

For minimum spec users, setting upscaling to Quality mode rather than Performance mode is the right starting point. It gives back a useful chunk of frames without a noticeable loss in image quality at 1080p.

WARDOGS Best PC Settings for More FPS

Once you are in the game, these adjustments make the biggest difference if you need more frames.

Display Settings

• Display Mode: Windowed Fullscreen works well and reduces crashes
• Resolution: Set to your monitor’s native resolution
• VSync: Turn off — adds unnecessary input lag
• Frame Limit: Set to your monitor’s refresh rate
• Brightness: Around 105% helps spot enemies in shadowed areas

Quality Settings

• Overall Quality: Custom gives you the most control
• Shadows: Lower this first — it is the heaviest setting in large outdoor maps
• Volumetrics: Reduce or disable — big performance cost, small visual reward
• Textures: Keep at Medium if your VRAM allows — low textures make enemies harder to spot
• Anti-Aliasing: Use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS instead of native TAA

For Minimum Spec PCs

Start with the Low preset or the dedicated Potato Mode setting. Enable FSR on Quality mode. Lower shadows and volumetrics first. Disable any post-processing effects like depth of field or motion blur — in a competitive shooter these hurt visibility as much as they hurt performance.

For Recommended Spec PCs

Start with the Medium preset at your native resolution. Enable DLSS or FSR on Quality mode if you want extra headroom. Shadows and volumetrics can be dropped to Low without a noticeable visual hit. Everything else can stay at Medium or above on an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT.

WARDOGS Anti-Cheat and OS Compatibility

WARDOGS uses Elytra kernel-level anti-cheat. This was switched from Proton anti-cheat shortly before launch, which caused issues for some players. Here is what you need to know:

• Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit): Fully supported
• Steam Deck: Not currently supported due to the kernel-level anti-cheat
• Linux / Proton: Not currently supported for the same reason
• NVIDIA GeForce NOW: Some players reported anti-cheat conflicts at launch — NVIDIA and BULKHEAD were working to resolve this

If you play on Steam Deck or Linux, WARDOGS is not currently an option. This was a source of frustration at launch since the closed beta had worked via Proton. BULKHEAD has not confirmed a timeline for Linux support.

For the full story of what happened at launch, read our WARDOGS Early Access Review Bomb and Server Queue coverage.

WARDOGS Download Size and Storage

WARDOGS requires 50 GB of available storage space on your PC. This is the confirmed figure from the Steam store page. Make sure you have this space free on an SSD rather than a traditional hard drive. A large-scale multiplayer game with destructible terrain, 100 players, and real-time physics will load assets continuously during matches, and an HDD will create noticeable stutters and longer load times.

An SSD with at least 100 GB of total free space is the practical recommendation — 50 GB for the game itself, with extra room for future updates as BULKHEAD plans to add maps, weapons, vehicles, and new systems during the one to two year Early Access period.

Is Your PC Ready for WARDOGS?

Here is a quick way to check without any tools. If your GPU is a GTX 1660, RX 580, RTX 2060, or anything newer, you are likely fine at minimum to recommended settings. If you are running a GTX 1060, RX 570, or older, performance will be rough even with upscaling enabled.

On the CPU side, any Intel 8th generation i5 or higher and any AMD Ryzen 3000 series or higher should run WARDOGS without major issues. The game is not as CPU-heavy as something like Arma, but a 100-player server with building, vehicles, and AI-driven logistics does create sustained CPU load during busy matches.

Ram-wise, 16 GB is both minimum and recommended. If you only have 8 GB, expect stutters and possible memory-related issues during heavy action.

Before buying, you can also check out the official WARDOGS Steam page where the full system requirements are listed. And if you want to know what the game is actually like to play once you get in, our WARDOGS Review and our WARDOGS Closed Beta Details have you covered.

WARDOGS PC Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions