Highguard is already a strong contender for the title of worst game of 2026. It’s a mistake by Wildlight studio that’s 10 years too late

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Highguard had a rocky start. Though made by the talented team behind Apex and Titanfall, its announcement at The Game Awards 2025 fell flat for many players. That event is typically used to reveal major, unexpected games, and fans were hoping for something truly new, not just another online shooter trailer.

Because of this, players became unhappy with Highguard and started jokingly calling it “Concord 2.” After the announcement, Wildlight Studio didn’t respond for a while – not until January 23rd – which created more confusion and increased people’s curiosity.

Despite the initial hype, it was too early to say if Highguard would be a disappointing game. We had to wait for its release, which happened last night, to find out. While the game received a lot of attention, early reviews indicate the developers need to address several issues to keep players engaged.

Highguard’s terrible reception

Within an hour of its launch, Highguard hit its highest player count, reaching just over 97,000 according to SteamDB. Currently, the game has significantly fewer players – less than 16,000 are playing at the time of this report.

Despite these points, the game’s Steam reviews are largely negative – only 28% of players have given it a positive rating. This score will likely improve as many reviews mention common problems with new game releases, such as server instability. Some negative reviews also come from players who simply dislike the game or the circumstances surrounding its launch.

However, most detailed reviews aren’t favorable. Many players feel the maps in Highguard are too big for 3v3 battles, which makes the game feel empty and slows down the action. The problem is made worse by players frequently leaving matches mid-game, adding to the frustration.

Players have also reported technical issues with the game. Many mention that it doesn’t run smoothly and the graphics aren’t very clear. Additionally, the game requires specific PC settings – TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot must be enabled, and it uses anti-cheat software that operates deeply within the system. These kinds of requirements and software are often unpopular with players, so it’s not surprising they’ve expressed frustration.

The developers are releasing an update tonight to fix several problems that were causing the system to be unstable.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-60959

Just another online shooter

The main problem with Highguard is that it largely delivers what everyone predicted: it’s a fairly standard online shooter that borrows elements from other popular games. The result isn’t very impressive. Players haven’t found anything particularly innovative, and many describe the game as dull, unoriginal, and noticeably outdated – feeling like it’s a decade behind current titles.

It’s especially disappointing because many players noticed the developers put a lot of effort into the game, with impressive visuals and animations. As a result, people quickly deleted it and criticized Geoff Keighley, who had jokingly predicted they’d be apologizing to him just two days before launch. Now, based on reviews from Highguard, players are actually expecting an apology from him for building up the game’s hype.

These are just initial thoughts, but it’s possible that Highguard could eventually attract a dedicated player base and succeed despite the many other online shooters already available.

If you’re interested, Highguard is available for free on PC, PS5, and XSX/S.

Highguard – Minimum PC requirements

  1. Operating system: Windows 10 (64-bit)
  2. Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K / AMD Ryzen R5 1600
  3. RAM: 8 GB
  4. Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060 (6 GB VRAM) / AMD RX 580 (8 GB VRAM)
  5. DirectX version: 12
  6. Storage: 25 GB (SSD)

Highguard – Recommended PC requirements

  1. Operating system: Windows 11 (64-bit)
  2. Processor: Intel Core i5-9600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  3. RAM: 12 GB
  4. Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2080 (8 GB VRAM) / AMD RX 6650 (8 GB VRAM)
  5. DirectX version: 12
  6. Storage: 25 GB (NVMe SSD)

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2026-01-27 14:04