The Highguard Full Release is here, but the players are not!
Wildlight Entertainment’s newest hero shooter has hit consoles and PC for free!
But why is a game hitting 100K peak players getting called a dead game?
Highguard Full Breakdown
Firstly, the Highguard Full release came out on January 26, 2026. Meaning it’s been out for less than 24 hours in total. Although this is the case, it has shot up to an overwhelming 100K players peak on Steam DB!
However, it has shot down to less than half of that, to a respectable 17k players. But why the sharp drop in players in such a small window, you may ask?
Overall, a lot of this can be attributed to negative hype built around last year’s Game Awards show. Players were expecting a new exciting release as per the usual with the final release trailer. However, what players got was another hero shooter.
Although Mr Keeley claims this was picked because of his passion for the game, many thought otherwise. To be frank, not many people liked it. Because not many people like hero shooters in general right now.
Also the High-Guard Full Release is competing with the likes of Marvel Rivals, Overwatch and really just about everything else.
But there are some other factors contributing to the sharp dip in players apart from the meme itself.
Firstly, the gameplay itself, consisting of 3v3 matches, has left some players underwhelmed. The map itself has been reported as being far too big for the playcount, and the lack of NPC interaction makes rounds feel a bit empty. Although players can traverse with a trusty steed a bit quicker, the map itself still takes a bit to fully traverse.
Imagine Summoner’s Rift in LOL with just 6 players or Cobblestone with just 4 players. Also, the Highguard Full release has yet another kernel-level anti-cheat. So yet another release that wants to spy on the inner layer of your PC. Privacy is the small price to pay for mad multiplayer action!
Lowblock
Overall judging by the overall negative review on PC players are not vibing with it. And it appears the biggest concern is that the game is just overall underwhelming.
It has a few unique ideas but the main bread and butter is spread thin and may contain doo doo! Also to note that many players, even on high-end rigs, experience visual blur. Not as in their blur filter is on, but the visuals are not actually rendering properly. Even with no upscaling, 100% render, many are saying it looks like a horse’s blurry behind!
Although I’m dunking on the Highguard full release, I do pity the team. They really might have thought they had cooked on this one because there are some not half-bad designs and concepts. It’s just the main draw; the 3v3 aspect is what breaks the game.
Some players have even noted that upping the player count even just a smidge can bolster its interest. However, even with this, you have to deal with some subpar aiming and just kind of cringe dialogue.
But it is not the worst thing out there, and it is no Concord! Because that game barely even broke 10K, and this one some people actually enjoy! Also to note you really had to pay for Concord while this is a free to play.
