Highguard: Wildlight Entertainment's Latest PvP Raid Shooter, What's the Review?

Highguard is a breakthrough in the PvP raid shooter genre, developed by Wildlight Entertainment, Inc., a studio staffed with industry veterans.

The team behind the game has an impressive track record, having been involved in the development of major titles like Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty, promising solid shooting mechanics.

Highguard's core concept is an ambitious blend of several popular genres.

Players will experience fast-paced first-person shooter action, MOBA-style lane combat strategy, and the tension of base raids reminiscent of Rainbow Six: Siege.

This creates a gameplay dynamic that demands teamwork and tactical adaptation.

As "Wardens," players are challenged to explore and conquer a mythical continent, engaging in fierce battles for dominance.

Highguard officially launched on Monday, January 26, 2026, marking its debut in the global gaming market.

This launch spans across major platforms, ensuring accessibility for a wide swath of the gaming community.

The game is available for PC via Steam, as well as next-generation consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

One of Highguard's key features is full support for cross-play and cross-progression.

This means players can play alongside their friends regardless of platform, and their account progress will sync across all devices.

This feature is highly appreciated for its enhanced flexibility and enhanced gameplay experience.

In an effort to reach the widest possible audience, Highguard has adopted a free-to-play business model, meaning the game can be downloaded and played without any initial cost.

This approach is expected to attract a wide range of players to experience the PvP raid shooter it offers.

Despite being free, the game relies on monetization through in-game purchases, also known as microtransactions.

Players can purchase a virtual currency called "Highguard Gold" for various purposes, such as cosmetics or other items that don't impact the core gameplay.

Examples of prices available on the PlayStation Store include 900 Highguard Gold for $8.99, 1600 Highguard Gold for $14.99, and a large bundle of 11800 Highguard Gold for $99.99.

This monetization model is common in free-to-play games, allowing developers to continue supporting and developing new content for Highguard.

Wildlight Entertainment has stated its commitment to keeping microtransactions cosmetic only, with no “pay-to-win” or “pay-for-power,” with the most expensive item in the launch store costing $20.

Highguard's launch in January 2026 was met with mixed reactions from the gaming community and critics.

On the one hand, the game received harsh criticism, particularly on Steam, where it received "Mostly Negative" reviews, with only 30% of the 13,190 user reviews being positive. It has 5/10 score from Steam.

Some even called it "Overwhelmingly Negative," with over a thousand negative reviews flooding the store page.

The main criticisms included poor optimization and low performance, even on high-spec PCs, where frame rates often fell below 100 FPS.

Furthermore, the map size, considered too large for the 3v3 format, resulted in a slow pace of play, while Time-To-Kill (TTK) balance and "strange" shooting mechanics were also highlighted.

Launch issues such as server instability and the use of a controversial kernel-level anti-cheat added to the list of complaints.

However, not all reviews were negative.

Early media previews showed promising potential, with Metacritic recording around 8 positive reviews, including an 86-point score from GAMES.CH.

Highlighted among the positive aspects was Highguard's unique PvP raid shooter gameplay, blending elements of MOBA, survival shooter, and Capture the Flag.

Its team-based combat was described as engaging, with "sharp" and "great" shooting mechanics, thanks to the developer's experience.