Highguard is finally here, and if you love fast-paced titles with plenty of guns and bullets flying, you'll want to start getting your download button ready. If you missed its big reveal during The Game Awards 2025 showcase, Highguard is a new first-person shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, a studio staffed by former Respawn vets, many of whom helped shape some of the best FPS games like Titanfall and Apex Legends.
After its reveal during The Game Awards, there was a lot of discussion around Highguard; however, you may be wondering about what is going on with the shooter, now that it is out in the wild. Well, that's where we come in. Below, you can find out everything we know about the new game, including the first gameplay details, update information, and more.
Highguard release date
Highguard may have only been announced on December 12, 2025, but it is already out now!
The game was officially released on January 26, 2026 and is free-to-play as well. At the time of writing, reviews aren't super positive at the moment. In fact, hours after its launch, it ended up with a Steam rating of "mostly negative". With some players commenting that the current 3v3 setup feels too small for the large maps, and others commenting that there are a lot of interesting ideas that just don't seem fully realized yet.
Hopefully, updates will fix concerns, as there is still a lot of promise with this competitive shooter.
Highguard platforms
Highguard is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X as of January 26.
The good news is that Developer Wildlight Entertainment has confirmed that Highguard comes with full cross-play and cross-platform support, meaning that you can dive into this FPS online with your friends across all available platforms straight away.
Highguard trailer
The first Highguard trailer landed at The Game Awards 2025, where Geoff Keighley positioned the PvP shooter as the final reveal of the night. It's a huge vote of confidence from the show's producer, and you can view the first gameplay trailer above to see why!
Highguard gameplay
Highguard is a PvP first-person shooter where you assume the role of a Warden, an "arcane gunslinger sent to fight for control of a mythical continent." Highguard has two key components that set it apart from shooters like Apex Legends, Valorant, and other fast-paced arena shooters, which appear on the surface to share so much DNA with. The first is that the initial stages of combat have you engaging in direct combat with rival Warden crews, pushing to gain control of the 'Shieldbreaker'.
Once the Shieldbreaker is in your possession, the shape of the game changes. It's here where Highguard introduces its 'raid' elements, pushing your crew to break into and destroy an enemy base to secure their territory. It's a neat concept, and certainly adds a new wrinkle to the FPS genre for anybody growing a little tired of traditional battle royales and hero shooters.
Outside of this unique setup, you can expect a blend of futuristic weapons and medieval-looking mounts/vehicles, an array of powers to wield, and a degree of destructibility to the environments.
Highguard updates
Despite its recent release, there is already a Highguard roadmap and multiple updates planned for the title. In fact, 2026 is planned to see seven different updates drop, with each bringing in a new Warden at least. Each planned update is titled as different episodes and broken into two parts, meaning that you'll get something new every month of the year.
Above, we've attached an image of the planned roadmap for you that details all the upcoming content and timelines. The picture shows new bases, game modes, mods, and strategic tools to look forward to. Hopefully, no changes are made given the lukewarm reception of the game so far. We'll keep you posted if any delays or cancellations occur.
Highguard development
Highguard is the debut game from Wildlight Entertainment, a studio founded in 2021 by former Respawn Entertainment veterans who worked across the likes of Apex Legends and Titanfall. The studio has been quietly working on Highguard for the last four years, revealing the title at The Game Awards 2025.
For more information on new releases, you can check out our guides on all the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games on the way.
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