Highguard launch hits server problems and mostly negative Steam user reviews

Polygon reports that Highguard, the new free-to-play PvP “raid shooter” from Wildlight Entertainment, has had a rocky launch: its Steam user score is listed as “mostly negative,” with 32% of nearly 15,000 player reviews positive, and players reporting long queue times, being kicked from the tutorial, and frame-rate and performance problems on Windows PC.

The game’s debut has also been shaped by pre-launch backlash and review-bombing after its reveal at The 2025 Game Awards, with some comparisons on Reddit to the 2024 shooter Concord. Highguard peaked at 97,249 concurrent players on Steam one hour after launch but fell to fewer than 20,000 as of this writing, according to SteamDB. Console reception is mixed too: Xbox users rate it 2.9/5 (31% five-star, 39% one-star), while PlayStation users give it 3.1/5 (41% five-star, 37% one-star). It has also become a meme, with creators sharing exaggerated concurrent-player claims such as 5.3 million.

Critics have generally been positive, with outlets like IGN and GameSpot praising the game’s gunplay and genre mix, but player sentiment ranges from praise to boredom. Wildlight unveiled a first-year roadmap Monday that promises a new playable Warden roughly every two months and no new mode until July; whether those updates will expand and retain the player base remains to be seen.