Yes. In WARDOGS, your cash and XP progression reset at the end of every season, and your remaining cash is automatically converted into Gold Bars. Your Gold Bars and cosmetics stay on your account permanently, so the season wipe takes your bankroll and levels but not the rewards you earned with them. Season 1 ends when Season 02 starts on October 15, 2026.
Below we break down exactly what wipes, what survives, what BULKHEAD has said about unlocks, and how to get the most out of the weeks before a reset.
What BULKHEAD Has Confirmed
The rules come straight from BULKHEAD’s “Early Access and Beyond” devlog, which laid out the season structure before launch. In the studio’s words: at the end of a season, “your cash and XP progression will reset with your cash auto converted into gold bars,” and “your gold bars and cosmetics from a season will stay permanently on your account across seasons.”
The stated reasons are to level the field between new and veteran players and to give the team room to overhaul progression between seasons. The date for the first reset is official too: the Season 02 teaser names October 15, 2026.
What Resets and What Carries Over
| Resets at season end | Stays on your account |
|---|---|
| Cash balance (converted to Gold Bars) | Gold Bars |
| XP on every progression track | Cosmetics bought with Gold Bars |
| Levels and level-based unlocks | Cosmetics earned during the season |
Unlocks reset too, and may change. Asked on X whether class perks and progression reset, CEO Joe Brammer answered that each season BULKHEAD will “change the order of progression and implement new weapons and vehicles,” and “rotate out existing ones.” The official Season 1 changelog says the same about XP: “Each season we will have a different XP curve with different item orders.” So the item you unlocked at Driver 30 this season could sit at a different level next season, or be rotated out.
Brammer has also said that “as we build the meta, more and more of the game will be persistent” on your account, so expect the list of things that survive a reset to grow over Early Access.
Gold Bars: The Part That Survives
Gold Bars are the endgame currency. You can exchange cash for them at any time during a season, and BULKHEAD says the exchange rate fluctuates daily. They buy permanent cosmetics in the Gold Market, and co-founder Howard Philpott has said one Gold Market item per season will be a limited “I was there” unlock, while the rest are additive and persist across seasons.
Because unspent cash converts automatically, you do not lose your bankroll’s value at the reset. You just lose the ability to spend it on gear. Our money guide covers how to build that balance.
Did Beta Progress Carry Over?
BULKHEAD’s pinned Steam FAQ states that cash earned during the early pre-alpha playtests would not carry over. The August and September betas ran as a separate “WARDOGS Playtest” app on Steam, and players report their beta progress did not carry into the Early Access launch either.
How to Prepare Before Season 2
- Spend on fun, not on hoarding. Cash converts to Gold Bars either way, so a late-season tank run costs you less than it would mid-season.
- Convert deliberately. If you want a specific cosmetic, watch the daily exchange rate rather than waiting for the automatic conversion.
- Do not chase exploit servers. Per Patch 0.11, exploit abuse resets your cash and XP to zero and XP-farm servers earn permanent bans. A reset you choose to risk is worse than the one BULKHEAD schedules.
- Level the tracks you enjoy. Our progression guide explains how each track earns XP, which helps you climb again quickly after the wipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does WARDOGS Season 1 end? Season 02 starts on October 15, 2026, per BULKHEAD’s official teaser, so Season 1 runs until then.
Do I lose my money when the season ends? Your cash balance resets, but it is automatically converted into Gold Bars, which you keep permanently.
Do Supporter Edition items carry over? BULKHEAD has not addressed it specifically. They are cosmetics, and cosmetics stay on your account across seasons, but we have not seen an explicit statement about Supporter items.
How long are WARDOGS seasons? Brammer said Season 1 would be about a month and that later seasons “could be whatever we decide,” so lengths may vary. Our beginner guide covers the Early Access roadmap, and our WARDOGS guides hub lists every guide.
Is Season 2 adding new content? Brammer has said Season 2 brings features that were cut from the Early Access launch. PCGamesN also reported he is unhappy with the current state of vehicles and team balance, so expect changes there.