If you tuned into this year’s The Game Awards then you’ll probably remember a game by the name of Highguard.
It was the evening’s “one more thing” reveal, and I do think that somewhat dulled the reception surrounding the title.
From the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall, Highguard is an upcoming free-to-play PvP shooter that’s set to land in January.
Given the quality of the dev team, there should be some real hype surrounding it; personally, I just don’t think the game had the wow factor to occupy the “one more thing” position.
As such, it’s perhaps been a tad overlooked since its reveal but with our “one more thing” disappointment having now quelled, it’s perhaps an apt time to really dive into Highguard to see what it has to offer ahead of its launch next month.
Could it be the Next Big Hero Shooter Hit?
Developed by Wildgate Entertainment, Highguard has major potential. Developers have previously struck gold twice with Apex Legends and Titanfall.
As such, you’ll probably see echoes of both of those franchises within Highguard’s gameplay, but this title is set in a sprawling fantasy world, more akin to what you might find in The Elder Scrolls.
Surprisingly, very little has actually been said about the title since its reveal.
“From the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall, comes Highguard: a PvP raid shooter where players will ride, fight, and raid as Wardens, arcane gunslingers sent to fight for control of a mythical continent,” the vague description reads.
“Battle rival Warden crews for possession of the Shieldbreaker, then break into and destroy the enemy base to secure territory in this all-new breed of shooter.”
I’m surprised Highguard hasn’t done more to differentiate itself from other hero shooters, but I’ve watched the trailer for this title umpteen times, and I do sense it may be hiding a few tricks up its sleeve.
There seems to be a key focus on raids, all of which centre around the Shieldbreaker.
Hopefully, more information arrives soon as I sense that Highguard has an uphill battle in order to sell itself to potential players. That reveal trailer doesn’t quite seem to have done the job.
Highguard is set to launch on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S and is, as I said, totally free-to-play.
I’m assuming that means the game will have microtransactions and a Battle Pass, but nothing has been confirmed at this stage.
It’s a risky move to launch a new live-service title with this little build up so it’ll certainly be interesting to see how the game fares.
Let’s hope Highguard kicks 2026 off with a bang on 26 January.
