Wardogs has become one of Steam’s biggest recent hits, putting up to 100 players into large-scale battles across a huge map. Players earn in-game cash through kills, assisting teammates and causing destruction, but an unrestricted team-switching feature is now being used to cheat, spy and grief.
That problem is particularly serious because Wardogs centres on building and defending forward operating bases (FOBs). Teams can construct walls, gates and other fortifications, then stockpile ammunition and resources. A well-prepared FOB with enough defenders can be difficult to capture through a straightforward attack.
At present, players can move between the game’s three teams whenever they choose during a match. Some are exploiting the system by entering an opposing FOB, destroying its defences and giving friends or former teammates an easier route into the base. Community reports describe some people switching teams, then entering a well-guarded FOB to dismantle walls and defensive positions.
Other complaints involve players changing sides to help a preferred team, create confusion or deliberately cause chaos. Some losing players have reportedly switched teams and started teamkilling players back at the main HQ, where players spawn. There are also reports of team-switchers scouting enemy positions and relaying information to friends in real time.
One reported incident involved a team building a barrier around a vehicle that provides fast travel to the area. Enemy players changed sides and began breaking down the wall, forcing the defenders to teamkill the apparent infiltrators. Further discussion of the issue can be found on the game’s subreddit.
The likely reason for the feature is practical: Wardogs does not yet have the modern lobby and party system offered by many other shooters. Friends can join the same server and try to move onto the same team, while a player joining later can switch sides to play with them. That flexibility makes sense in theory, but it becomes highly disruptive in matches that can last an hour or more.
The situation has now drawn a response from executive producer Joe Brammer, who replied to a player’s complaint on September 13, 2026:
“We’re deciding on a design fix for this at the moment.”
A Steam roadmap confirms that changes to team switching are planned for a future update. Until those changes arrive, players must account for the possibility that a teammate could be helping the opposition. The lack of a vote-to-kick option, which the community is also requesting, makes suspected spies and griefers harder to remove.
For more coverage of games and arcade news, explore RETROCADE’s editorial archive. Readers comparing modern shooters with dedicated hardware can also browse arcade light-gun games, review the arcade machine buying guide or see the latest arcade machines.
Since launching earlier this month, Wardogs has attracted more than 400,000 concurrent PC players, according to SteamDB. Developer Bulkhead has also confirmed that the game has sold two million copies. With such a large player base, trolls and cheaters are more likely to emerge, making a future redesign of team switching important to the health of its long multiplayer battles.
Leave a Reply