High guards can make a big difference

Hero shooter released less than a week ago High guard We've already added an experimental 5v5 playlist to shake things up as we continue to battle rapidly declining player counts. After debuting on Steam with less than 100,000 concurrent players, High guard Already, the number of active players on the platform was regularly dropping below 10,000 at any given moment, prompting quick action from developer Wildlight Entertainment.

Launch Strategy High guard It was definitely unconventional. The game was initially revealed as the final major announcement at The Game Awards 2025. Marketing for the game has barely hit the airwaves leading up to its January 26 release date, and studio co-founder Dusty Welch recently revealed that the plans are as follows: High guard adopt shadow drop Apex Legends Strategy. When all is said and done, High guard It received a lot of attention on Steam after its release, with tons of reviews and a high number of players. Unfortunately, many of these reviews were negative, resulting in the game currently being rated “Mixed” on Steam. Only 43% of the game's reviews were positive, which led to the game's immediate setback.

All High Guard characters and how to use them

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All characters in High Guard

Highguard is a challenging PvP shooter arena, and knowing every Warden on your roster will help you reach the top! Check out our full character guide!

Highguard adds an experimental 5v5 mode as player count decreases.

After launch, High guard's player count has plummeted to a 24-hour high of 13,119 at the time of this writing. That compares to an all-time high of 97,249 just six days ago. Recently High guard According to the patch notes, Wildlight Entertainment has moved quickly to address criticism and win players back by adding a new experimental 5v5 raid mode playlist. Previously, High guard is a 3v3-only game, so trying something new could already mean a significant change for the future of the title. A full party of five is possible in 5v5 mode, and some balance changes have been made to take this into account. Raids now have 10 lives instead of 6, and respawn times are slightly longer to allow for placing and disarming spawners. This 5v5 mode is purely experimental, so it remains to be seen if it will be available long-term. The patch notes state that it's “weekends only,” suggesting gamers will have very limited time to try it out. High guardThis is 5v5 mode. Wildlight Entertainment reiterates that this is a separate playlist from the standard 3v3 mode and says “3v3 Raids still exist for those who enjoy them.”

5v5 game mode High guard It makes a lot of sense. Some of the early criticism aimed at the game stated that the maps were too large for 3v3, leading many to call for larger lobby sizes. So while this may be a definite step forward, the damage may already have been done. Considering the negative early reviews High guardEspecially in an increasingly crowded space for live service games, it's important to remember that first impressions are everything. These titles need to impress gamers right from the start. Otherwise, I'd be unreasonably abandoning this title in favor of the numerous live service offerings currently out there. If the 5:5 experiment is successful High guardI hope it continues.

Shoot your enemies on horseback in Highguard (Preview)

Despite initial difficulties, Wildlight Entertainment did not give up. High guard. Following the launch, the developer revealed an ambitious year for 2026. High guard The roadmap has tons of free content planned throughout the year across a variety of episodes. If we can deliver on the promises outlined in this roadmap, this will be a very exciting time. High guard Pan.