Highguard Launches Strong on Steam but Faces Heavy Player Backlash

image via Wildlight Entertainment

The free-to-play shooter Highguard burst onto the scene on Steam with a ton of players jumping in on day one. But that awesome start got quickly overshadowed by a flood of negative reviews, making people wonder about the game's future.

Developed by Wildlight Entertainment, Highguard officially launched on January 26, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox. The game was revealed earlier at The Game Awards, where it closed out the show—an honor usually reserved for major franchises. That high-profile reveal created big expectations, especially since the studio stayed quiet for months afterward.

When the game finally launched, people were definitely interested. SteamDB reported that Highguard hit a peak of about 97,000 players at the same time on its first day which is pretty impressive for a new game. However, even though a lot of players showed up many didn’t stay happy for long.

Right now, the game’s Steam review score isn’t looking too great. Only about 32% of the reviews are positive, with over 13,000 negative ones overshadowing the roughly 6,000 positive ones. This has given Highguard a “Mostly Negative” rating on Valve’s platform.

Most of the complaints are about the game’s main design choices rather than its concept. Players mention that the big maps feel empty and slow, especially with the game’s 3v3 PvP setup. A lot of gamers think the maps would be better with bigger team sizes like 5v5 or 6v6. There are also reports of performance issues on PC, even on high-end rigs, plus some server problems during the first few hours after launch.

Despite the rocky start on Steam, reception hasn’t been entirely negative everywhere. On the PlayStation Store, Highguard currently holds a 3.3 out of 5-star rating, suggesting console players may be having a smoother experience overall.

Wildlight Entertainment includes developers who previously worked on Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty. Despite that experience, Highguard’s launch shows how difficult it is for new live-service shooters to get everything right at release.

It’s still very early, and many reviews are based on only a few matches. How the developers respond with updates and fixes in the coming weeks will likely decide whether Highguard can improve its reputation or continue to struggle.

For now, Highguard stands as a clear example of a launch that is strong on player interest, but struggling on player satisfaction. The next few weeks will be critical.

Highguard is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.