Free-to-Play PvP Raid Shooter Highguard is Out Now for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 26 January 2026 / 3,047 Views
Developer WIldlight Entertainment announced the free-to-play PvP raid shooter, Highguard, is now available for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
"We know there’s a lot of eyes on us after our Game Awards trailer debut, and today is finally the time to show the world what we mean by a player-versus-player raid shooter," said Wildlight Entertainment co-founder and game director Chad Grenier.
"We built Highguard around a loop that doesn’t really exist anywhere else. Every match is about escalation: fortifying, venturing out, clashing, then mounting coordinated raids and defenses until only one base is left standing."
Wildlight Entertainment co-founder and CEO Dusty Welch added, "Launch is a huge moment. But our team builds franchises that stand the test of time, and we’re in this for the long haul. Success for us is a healthy, growing global community that’s enjoying the game—and a team that’s energized by engaging with players and surprising them with new experiences over time."
View the launch showcase below:
Read details on the game below:
Highguard introduces a new competitive structure that blends siege warfare and territory control in an evolving match where power levels escalate until only one base is left standing.
Players step into the boots of Wardens, arcane gunslingers sent to fight for control of a mythical continent where magic, gunfire, and siege warfare collide:
- Teams of three select a unique base and fortify their defenses, then ride out across vast, uncharted lands to loot, harvest resources, and upgrade their gear while clashing with a rival Warden crew.
- As magical storms roll in, teams battle over the Shieldbreaker, a powerful sword required to breach enemy defenses. Carrying the Shieldbreaker to the opposing base triggers a full raid—forcing teams to attack, defend, adapt, and escalate in power as the match continues.
- Most of the time, victory doesn’t come with a single raid. When that happens, the enemy base shields repair, the siege tower dissipates, and the fight escalates as loot, gear, and weapons all upgrade in the field, and a new Shieldbreaker forms in a different location in the world. From there, the fight for control continues—until only one base is left standing.
A Competitive Player-Versus-Player Experience Built for Variety and Replayability
Each Warden is built specifically for Highguard‘s player-versus-player Raid Mode. Wardens combine guns, raid tools, and arcane abilities, each designed to support raiding, destruction, defense, infiltration, resource acquisition, and open-world combat.
Mounts allow teams to move quickly across massive maps, fight on the move, and transport the Shieldbreaker. Magical abilities supplement combat, but Highguard is still a gun game at its core. Gunplay remains central, with abilities and tools adding tactical depth.
At launch, the game features a wide array of content: five large-scale maps, six distinct bases, eight Wardens, three mount types, ten weapons, three raid tools, eleven weapon and raid-tool mods, and a wide range of lootable items. More content will be added via seasonal updates.
Built With Long-Term Play in Mind
Wildlight brings decades of experience operating live-service shooters at scale, applying those lessons to Highguard‘s launch and beyond, with a full year of post-launch content already deep in development. Highguard‘s live service is built around Episodes—each lasting roughly two months and split into two parts—with new core content arriving each month throughout 2026, including content such as maps, bases, modes, Wardens, weapons, mounts, raid tools, and additional loot items.
Core gameplay content—including new maps, bases, Wardens, and modes—will always be free, delivered through regular updates, with the first wave arriving in two weeks following launch. All in-game purchases are cosmetic only, direct purchase only, with no effect on gameplay and no loot boxes or RNG.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
More Articles
The Concord killer.
Debuting at 100k concurrent players— no idea why there is such a rabid brigade of users online hoping this game flops lol. Makes no sense for a game that’s been out for less than 24hr to already have thousands of negative reviews when the game is launching is a stable state.
It's not perfect but yeah the rampant negative reviews is rough.
Jeff killed this game by having it at the end of the game awards. Now people feel like they need to hate on it because it somehow made them mad for a decision even the Devs say wasnt theirs. Once negative sentiment starts it can be hell to stop the bandwagon.
Because its one of thousand other Hero shooters with nothing special. Devs who just chase quick money.
It's not realy a hero shooter ass commonly understood and it's primary game mode isn't really similar to anything else out there right now.
Is it any good?
