Highguard, a new free-to-play hero shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game was released right after it was shown at The Game Awards, giving players instant access without any long build-up or early marketing.
The studio skipped a long marketing build-up and instead revealed the game without warning. The idea was to let players experience it for themselves rather than judge it based on months of trailers. On the same day it was announced, players were already able to download and play Highguard.
Highguard is a fast-paced 6v6 hero shooter that focuses on quick movement and clean gunplay. Matches are short and depend heavily on teamwork, good timing, and coordination between players. The gameplay style will feel familiar to players who have spent time with Overwatch or Apex Legends, but the developers say their main focus was making controls feel clean and responsive.
Wildlight Entertainment is a new studio made up of former developers from Respawn Entertainment. One of the key figures is Mohammad Alavi, who previously worked on Titanfall and Apex Legends. The team has said the studio was created to stay independent and focus on making games without pressure from large publishers.
Gamers reactions on Reddit’s r/HighGuardgame are mixed. Gamers are genuinely excited and hopeful, joking about constantly refreshing the subreddit before launch.
A few fans are pleased that there was no big marketing campaign, saying the surprise drop gave them “Apex Legends shadow drop vibes,” which made the launch feel fun instead of annoying.
Others are sharing memes and posting about how excited they are to try something new.
Gamers reaction on X (Twitter) to Highguard’s announcement was practical, not overly hyped or negative.
A users said the game is worth trying simply because it’s free, pushing back against the idea that new games should fail before people even play them.
https://x.com/Jollyrancherbot/status/2015857646306250958
One user also expressed frustration with online gaming discussions, where new games are quickly judged as either terrible or perfect.
https://x.com/_runescimitar/status/2015836488903041238
Many players said they’d spend an hour or so with the game and judge it based on actual gameplay, not trailers, comparisons, or early opinions.
https://x.com/AndreiAchziger/status/2015848947491709422
The game is fully free-to-play and will be updated through seasonal content over time. Highguard also supports full cross-play, so players on console and PC can play together from day one.
The launch comes at a difficult time for hero shooters. Some recent games in the genre have struggled, including Sony’s Concord, which launched with a paid price tag. Highguard takes a different path by removing any upfront cost and letting players try the game freely.
Highguard is built only for current-generation consoles and PC. By skipping older hardware, the developers aimed to keep performance stable, especially with the game’s fast movement system. The game is now available to download on all supported platforms.
