Highguard Launch Sparks Player Surge And Backlash

Highguard, the latest multiplayer shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, hit the gaming scene with a bang on January 26, 2026. The much-anticipated launch was accompanied by a dedicated showcase event streamed on YouTube, promising a deep dive into gameplay, year-one plans, and a glimpse of what sets this new title apart. But as the dust settles, the game’s debut is proving to be a complex tale of high hopes, technical hiccups, and divided community sentiment.

Unveiled as the showstopper at The Game Awards in December 2025, Highguard’s reveal was met with skepticism. The final reveal slot at the awards is typically reserved for industry heavyweights, and for some, Wildlight’s new IP didn’t quite live up to the billing. As GAMINGbible pointed out, previous years saw major franchises like Final Fantasy XVI and Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet take the stage, setting a high bar for newcomers. Still, anticipation simmered thanks to Wildlight’s pedigree—many on the team previously worked on Titanfall and Apex Legends—and the promise of something fresh in a crowded genre.

When launch day arrived, the numbers spoke volumes. Within just an hour, Highguard saw a peak of 97,249 concurrent Steam players, a figure that would have landed it comfortably among the platform’s top ten most-played titles, as reported by Gameranx and corroborated by SteamDB data cited in GamesRadar. Even thirteen hours later, during off-peak hours for U.S. players, more than 10,000 were still in-game. Clearly, curiosity wasn’t in short supply.

Yet, beneath the surface, trouble was brewing. The early wave of Steam reviews was overwhelmingly negative. By the end of January 27, just a day after release, 14,062 out of 18,152 reviews were unfavorable, with only about 20% positive according to GamesRadar. This “Mostly Negative” rating placed Highguard among the lowest-rated games on Steam at launch, a distinction no developer wants. Observers, however, were quick to note that many of these reviews came from players who had spent less than an hour in-game, raising suspicions of review bombing—a phenomenon where coordinated groups flood a game’s review page with negative feedback, often for reasons unrelated to gameplay itself.

Much of the criticism centered on technical issues. Players cited server instability, poor performance on certain systems, and frustration with the game’s use of kernel-level anti-cheat software—a controversial measure that’s become increasingly common in competitive multiplayer titles but remains divisive among gamers. The official Highguard Twitter account didn’t shy away from the backlash, acknowledging the performance woes and promising a client update later on January 27, with more patches slated for the coming week.

But technical bugs weren’t the only sore point. Some players took aim at the game’s core design. Complaints ranged from maps that felt too expansive for the 3v3 format, to a time-to-kill (TTK) that seemed unbalanced, to gunplay that some found inconsistent. Others, as GamesRadar noted, seemed to be latching onto memes or vague accusations of the game being “woke,” though these criticisms were often harder to pin down or took on a life of their own in online discourse.

Despite the negativity, there are voices urging patience. As Gameranx observed, “it’s too early to make a judgement call.” The game isn’t for everyone, but with thousands still playing well after launch, there’s a chance that Highguard could find its footing once initial issues are ironed out and players spend more time with its mechanics.

So what exactly does Highguard bring to the table? At its heart, the game is a PvPvE raid shooter—a blend of player-versus-player and player-versus-environment action. Teams of three, dubbed Wardens, face off not only against each other but also against NPC enemies and formidable raid bosses. One of the game’s most distinctive features is horseback traversal, allowing players to charge across vast maps in a manner reminiscent of epic fantasy battles. This mechanic, highlighted by GAMINGbible, gives Highguard a unique flavor, even if it’s not enough on its own to silence all doubters.

Highguard’s main mode, Raid Mode, offers a structured, multi-phase experience. As described in IGN’s hands-on preview, matches begin with a defensive phase where teams choose loadouts and reinforce their bases, followed by exploration and looting. The real action kicks off during the Intercept phase, when the coveted Shieldbreaker sword appears, prompting inevitable clashes. The team that secures the sword can then initiate the Raid phase, breaking through enemy defenses to plant bombs and destroy generators. Matches can last anywhere from eight to thirty minutes, depending on the ebb and flow of battle.

The game launches with eight playable characters, each with distinct abilities, and a compact but well-tuned arsenal of weapons. While not revolutionary in its hero shooter elements, Highguard’s focus on teamwork and its castle-siege-inspired raids set it apart. Players can vote on which fortress to defend, each offering unique strengths and weaknesses, from lava-moated castles to multi-leveled dens with layered defenses. The arsenal includes tools like ziplines, rocket launchers, and blast hammers, encouraging creative assaults and tense defensive stands.

IGN’s reviewer, who spent five hours with the game at a pre-release event, praised the polished gunplay and the clarity of objectives in each phase, noting, “Having my crew always be on the same page about how we were supposed to be spending our time was great, and helped build suspense as we inched ever closer to the absolute mayhem that is the Raid phase.” However, the review also pointed out areas for improvement, such as the lack of PvE opponents during exploration and the loot system’s tendency to keep both teams evenly matched, which could make progression feel less impactful.

Highguard’s free-to-play model leans heavily on a paid season pass for exclusive cosmetic rewards, but the developers have promised that non-paying players will still have plenty of enticing loot to chase. Crossplay and cross-progression are available across PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, with all platforms launching on January 26. The game’s roadmap, as teased during the launch showcase, includes new characters, maps, and weapons, with fresh content planned every month for the first year—an ambitious schedule that, if met, could help sustain player interest beyond the initial launch window.

For now, Highguard’s fate hangs in the balance. Its launch has been marked by both impressive player interest and significant backlash, a testament to the high expectations and fierce scrutiny that greet any new entry in the live-service shooter space. Whether Wildlight Entertainment can turn early turbulence into long-term success remains to be seen, but with a committed team and a roadmap full of promise, the next few months will be crucial for this embattled new contender.