Highguard release time, trailer, platforms, and all you need to know about the magic-filled shooter

Highguard is a new first-person shooter made by Wildlight Entertainment. If you like fast shooters with unique characters, the game might be on your radar. The new studio has several Respawn developers on board, many of whom have worked on Apex Legends and Titanfall. 

Announced at the 2025 Game Awards, Highguard didn’t have the smoothest of unveilings. Player sentiment isn’t kind towards “hero shooters” these days, especially after debacles like Concord. Highguard already has a steep hill to climb, and its marketing is making it steeper. 

The Escapist recaps

• Highguard’s release date is January 26, 2026, and it’s coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. 
• The game is a hero shooter with a first-person perspective. 
• Highguard’s marketing has been absent since its December 12, 2025 announcement trailer. 
• The shooter is made by Wildlight Entertainment, composed of many former Respawn developers. 

Highguard release time and platforms

Highguard got the final reveal spot at The Game Awards 2025 with a lengthy trailer. The PVP shooter is an entirely free-to-play title with no early access. The Highguard release date is set on January 26, 2026, and it will be released as a complete game. 

The game is getting a reveal showcase in just a few hours (10 AM PT or 6 PM GMT), and you can see it below when the time comes:

Expect the game to go live at the same time, potentially a little after the showcase event.

The Highguard game release will cover PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms. The game will also launch with proper cross-play and cross-platform support. Players from all platforms will be able to play the game together. Those with multiple consoles can also hop on any device and continue where they left off. 

Highguard trailer and gameplay analysis

Wildlight Entertainment released a two and a half minute cinematic Highguard trailer at The Game Awards. 

The trailer showed a highly edited mix of gameplay with plenty of “Wardens” with different abilities. The debut trailer also highlighted arcane abilities, gunplay, mounts, and environmental destruction. 

The debut Highguard video game trailer refers to its playable characters as “Wardens,” who are sent to capture an island. The trailer features multiple wardens with unique abilities.

The high-fantasy setting and stylized graphics make Highguard look similar to other games in the genre. Notably, elements of Paladins, VALORANT, and Overwatch are present in the first trailer. 

The Highguard trailer follows a team of heroes as they ride their mounts to the battlefield, fight the enemy Wardens, capture the “Shieldbreaker,” and, in the end, breach and destroy the enemy base. While not confirmed, the trailer showed a typical Highguard match, albeit in an edited and shortened form. 

What is Highguard?

Highguard is a player-versus-player first-person shooter with a high-fantasy setting. The game is described as a PvP raid shooter, so some raiding elements against the enemy team will be present at launch.

With just one trailer and no developer commentary as of yet, many players are still theorizing what the game might look like. It’s not a battle royale or an extraction shooter. It’s a hero shooter at its core, with gameplay mechanics that set it apart from other games in the genre.

Elements of successful hero shooters are present throughout the trailer. Many facets of the free-to-play shooter remain unexplained by Wildlight Entertainment. 

The gameplay loop features two phases. The first phase pits teams of Wardens against each other as they try to secure a magical artifact called the “Shieldbreaker”. Once one team acquires the Shieldbreaker, the second phase with massive siege engines begins. One team gets on the offensive while the other defends its base. 

The game has fluid movement inspired by Titanfall and Apex Legends. There are destructible environments to open up new routes and shortcuts. Players can use their arcade gunslingers to fight either on foot or on mounts. 

Why has the developer gone quiet?

Wildlight Entertainment hasn’t released any more Highguard game news since the debut trailer. In fact, the Highguard page on Steam shows minimal information and a few screenshots of the game. PlayStation and Xbox pages for Highguard are entirely missing, a week away from release. 

The Highguard official website provides no additional information about the game, characters, or gameplay beyond the first and only trailer. The Highguard socials are linked on the website. The Highguard X handle has zero posts, while the YouTube channel only has the official reveal trailer. 

As we previously noted, this could be either a brilliant marketing move or something seriously gone wrong at the studio. Gamers are rightfully worried about the game, as this type of marketing is seldom deployed for video games. With just under a week remaining until launch, the silence is getting louder. 

Ask the Escapist 

References

1. Planned Release Date: 26 Jan, 2026 (Steam)
2. Wishlist Today (Highguard)
3. Highguard | Launching Jan 26 2026 (X)
4. Highguard (YouTube)