Highguard paired responsive shooter combat with mounted fights over objectives and coordinated base raids. That combination gave it a memorable identity, but the game’s free-to-play online service permanently shut down on March 12, 2026, so it can no longer be played through its announced service.
What was Highguard?
Highguard was a free-to-play PvP raid shooter released on January 26, 2026. Players took the role of Wardens in teams that fortified a base, rode into the surrounding map to gather resources and improve their gear, then fought over the Shieldbreaker. Carrying that sword to the enemy base lowered its shields and opened a raid, while the other team tried to destroy your own base.
The official Xbox Wire launch overview described mounts as more than transport: they helped players cross large maps and carry the Shieldbreaker. Teams could also contest loot and upgrade weapons, armor, saddles, and amulets. In the launch announcement, Wildlight co-founder and game director Chad Grenier summarized the intended escalation: “Every match is about escalation: fortifying, venturing out, clashing, then mounting coordinated raids and defenses until only one base is left standing.”
How did the horseback gunplay and raids work together?
The central appeal was the shift between phases. Players began by preparing and gathering, then moved into open-map combat as they pursued better gear and the Shieldbreaker. Mounts made that journey part of the fight: teams could move quickly between objectives, contest the sword, and attempt to deliver it under pressure. A successful delivery turned the match into an attack on the opposing base, making the objective contest consequential rather than a detached side activity.
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#1 Best Overall
That structure offered a different rhythm from a straightforward team shooter built around repeated control-point fights. Mounted traversal created tactical choices about when to travel, engage, or commit to the objective; base raids gave the match a larger payoff than simply winning a skirmish. The trade-off, reflected in launch-period reviews, was that the layered loop could feel busy and slow to reach its next decisive fight.
What did reviewers like—and what held it back?
Gunfeel and movement
TechRadar described the gunplay as crisp and responsive, and GameSpot likewise praised the responsiveness of weapons and movement. Those are reviewers’ assessments, not a performance test across hardware or conditions. TechRadar disclosed that its PC review was based on 15 hours of play during the game’s first week.
Mounted objective fights
PC Gamer singled out the mounted contest for the Shieldbreaker as especially enjoyable. That finding supports the game’s most distinctive promise: riding was woven into objective play rather than added only as a way to cross the map.
Complexity, repetition, and pacing
The same layered structure drew criticism. TechRadar found the rounds repetitive and the match structure complicated. PC Gamer questioned how much time the game devoted to looting and to its multi-raid format. GameSpot said the game did not explain its mechanics clearly and criticized the overall execution, even while praising the gunplay and movement.
Rank #3
For players comparing team shooters, those reviews point to useful questions rather than a simple ranking: how clearly a game teaches its objectives, how much time it gives looting versus direct fights, whether match pacing sustains tension, and whether unusual traversal changes tactical decisions. In Highguard, horseback movement and the Shieldbreaker gave the format an identifiable twist; reviewers’ concerns suggest that the surrounding systems did not work equally well for everyone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why is Highguard no longer playable?
Wildlight Entertainment announced on March 3, 2026, that it would permanently shut down Highguard on March 12. The official Steam shutdown announcement said the servers would remain online until that date and that the studio planned one final update for the game’s remaining life. Because online play was required, the shutdown ended access through the announced service.
Rank #4
Wildlight said in that notice that more than 2 million players had joined since launch. That is the studio’s cumulative player claim, not a concurrent-player count or an independently audited figure. The closure also sits in contrast with the ambition expressed at launch: CEO Dusty Welch described success as “a healthy, growing global community that’s enjoying the game—and a team that’s energized by engaging with players and surprising them with new experiences over time.” The shutdown announcement, rather than that earlier aspiration, determines the game’s present status.
Was Highguard worth trying?
As a game that could be played at launch, Highguard had a clear hook: responsive gunplay, mounted contests, resource gathering, and raids on enemy bases all belonged to one escalating match. Reviews indicate that the shooting and mounted objective fights were its strongest elements, while the complex structure, looting, and unclear teaching could interrupt that momentum. It is now best understood as a short-lived experiment in team-shooter design, not as a currently available recommendation.
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