WARDOGS sours dream start as fans leave mixed reviews for an unexpected reason
The military FPS WARDOGS attracted over 300,000 concurrent players on Steam for its launch, but a rocky rollout has left the game with "mixed" reviews. Server capacity proved too low to cope with demand, leaving many paying customers unable to get in, while streamers were reportedly fast-tracked past queues so they could market the game, deepening the sense of unfairness among ordinary players.
Reviews have begun to improve as more players get into matches and server capacity increases, but a fresh problem has emerged: the game's sudden switch to Elytra anti-cheat software, which does not support Linux, has locked out players who use Proton to run Windows titles on that operating system. Developers are reportedly working on a fix, but negative reviews from affected Linux users continue to mount even as overall sentiment recovers.
- WARDOGS launched to 300,000+ concurrent Steam players but servers buckled.
- Streamers reportedly skipped queues, angering paying customers.
- New Elytra anti-cheat now blocks Linux/Proton players entirely.
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WARDOGS is a military first-person shooter that launched on the PC platform Steam, where it quickly drew huge numbers of players logging on at the same time. Steam allows anyone to leave a public review of a game, and these are grouped into an overall rating, which is watched closely by developers and players alike as a sign of how well a launch has gone.
Big game launches often strain the servers that let players connect and play together, and shortfalls in that capacity can leave people who have already paid unable to get into the game. Streamers, who broadcast themselves playing games online to build an audience, are sometimes given preferential access by developers because their broadcasts act as free advertising, which can create friction with ordinary customers facing queues or delays.
Anti-cheat software is a separate layer of protection that developers add to stop players from using unfair tools such as aimbots, but different anti-cheat systems support different operating systems, and some do not work with Linux, an alternative to Windows used by a smaller but often vocal group of PC gamers. Issues like these matter because a shaky launch can shape a game's reputation and sales long after the initial hype fades.