Highguard now available

I’m so excited! Highguard, that free-to-play raid shooter everyone’s been talking about, is finally here! It just launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC through Steam. And the best part? We can all play together, no matter what platform we’re on, thanks to full cross-play!

Following the positive response to our trailer at The Game Awards, we’re excited to finally share what we mean by a player-versus-player raid shooter,” said Chad Grenier, co-founder and game director at Wildlight Entertainment. “Highguard offers a unique gameplay loop. Each match builds as players strengthen their base, explore the world, fight each other, and launch coordinated raids and defenses until only one base remains.”

Dusty Welch, CEO of Wildlight Entertainment, said the game’s launch is exciting, but his team is focused on building a lasting franchise. Their goal is to create a thriving global community of players who love the game, and to keep them engaged with ongoing updates and surprises. He emphasized that they’re committed to long-term success and a strong relationship with their players.

Here is an overview of the game, via Wildlight Entertainment:

About

Highguard features a unique competitive format combining castle sieges and area domination. Matches progress dynamically, with increasing strength and stakes, until a single base remains.

Players take on the role of Wardens – powerful magic users who fight with guns – in a battle for a legendary continent. Here, magic, firearms, and large-scale battles all come together.

Teams of three select a unique base and fortify their defenses, then ride out across vast, uncharted lands to loot, harvest resources, and upgrade their gear while clashing with a rival Warden crew.
As magical storms roll in, teams battle over the Shieldbreaker, a powerful sword required to breach enemy defenses. Carrying the Shieldbreaker to the opposing base triggers a full raid—forcing teams to attack, defend, adapt, and escalate in power as the match continues.
Most of the time, victory doesn’t come with a single raid. When that happens, the enemy base shields repair, the siege tower dissipates, and the fight escalates as loot, gear, and weapons all upgrade in the field, and a new Shieldbreaker forms in a different location in the world. From there, the fight for control continues—until only one base is left standing.

A Competitive Player-Versus-Player Experience Built for Variety and Replayability

Wardens are specialized characters created for Highguard’s player-versus-player Raid Mode. They use a mix of guns, tools, and magical skills to excel at all aspects of raiding – from attacking and defending, to gathering resources and fighting in the open world. They’re designed to support teams in every situation.

Mounts help teams get around the large maps quickly, letting them fight while moving and carry the Shieldbreaker. While magical abilities are useful, Highguard is fundamentally a game about shooting. Strong gun skills are still the most important thing, and abilities and other tools just add more strategy to battles.

When the game releases, players will have plenty to explore and do, including five large maps, six different bases, and eight unique Wardens. They’ll also be able to choose from three types of mounts, ten weapons, and three tools for raids, along with eleven modifications for both weapons and raid tools. Plus, there will be regular seasonal updates adding even more content.

Built With Long-Term Play in Mind

The team at Wildlight has a long history of successfully running popular online shooting games, and they’re using that knowledge to support Highguard, both when it launches and in the years to come. They already have a year’s worth of new content planned! Highguard will be updated with ‘Episodes’ – each lasting about two months and released in two parts – bringing fresh content every month in 2026. This will include things like new maps, bases, game modes, playable characters (Wardens), weapons, mounts, equipment for raids, and more items to collect.

We’ll regularly add new free content like maps, bases, characters (Wardens), and game modes, starting with our first update just two weeks after launch. Anything you can buy in the game will be purely cosmetic – meaning it changes how things look, but doesn’t affect gameplay – and you’ll buy it directly with no random loot boxes or chance-based systems.

Wildlight Entertainment shared several new trailers highlighting what players can expect in the game, including its core features, environments, characters, rideable creatures, and available weapons.

Base
- Bellringer
- Frosthold
- Hellmouth
- King’s Lair
- Smuggler’s Den
- Wellspring
Maps
- Dustline
- Kingdom
- Rivermark
- Summit
- Vesper City
Mounts
Wardens
- Atticus
- Condor
- Kai
- Mara
- Redmane
- Scarlet
- Slade
- Una
Weapons
- Big Rig
- Blast Hammer
- Corsair
- Dynasty
- Kraken
- Longhorn
- Paladin
- Ranger
- Rocket Launcher
- Saber Rifle
- Vanguard
- Viper
- Warden’s Axe
- Zipline Gun