Highguard has over 10,000 views on YouTube I don't like it, but it's definitely one of my most anticipated games of 2026

High Guardianthe upcoming free-to-play multiplayer shooter in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S has been inundated with disfavor, but shooter fans should definitely give it a shot. Developed by Wildlight Entertainment, a studio comprised of former Respawn Entertainment developers who worked on successful games such as Titanfall and Apex Legends, High Guardian is a bold new take on the hero shooter genre, though it was unfortunately set up to fail at The Game Awards.

In addition to awarding video game developers with trophies, The Game Awards is also known for its exciting world premiere announcements. The final announcement at The Game Awards usually has a lot of hype behind it, so there has been a lot of anticipation for what might be revealed at the end of The Game Awards 2025. The show has already seen the return of Leon S. Kennedy, confirmed Casey Hudson as the film's director Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republicand a shocking trailer for Baldur's Gate 3 another game from developer Larian, Divinity. As The Game Awards 2025 drew to a close, everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what kind of revelation might top these big announcements. Unfortunately, there was no reality where High Guardian reveal could have lived up to such lofty expectations, so having it go on as a final spot somewhere in the middle of the show did absolutely zero favors and only intensified the internet's hatred for it.

Highguard – Official Reveal Trailer

Don't miss the official reveal trailer for Highguard, the PvP raid shooter from the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall.

The hero-shooter genre has always been divisive. While Overwatch 2, Apex Legendsand Marvel Rivals turned out to be massive hits, OW2 has routinely found itself at the center of controversy, and elements of those games seeping into other shooter franchises have not been well received by fans. These factors fueled a general disdain for the hero-shooter, and so when the new hero-shooter High Guardian was the final announcement at The Game Awards 2025, it was met with stiff opposition. To date, High Guardian reveal trailer has over 10,000 dislikes on YouTubeand a measly 973 likes. Despite that, it's still one of my most anticipated games of 2026.

Highguard looks like a fresh take on the Hero-Shooter genre

If you don't like hero shooter games, I totally understand why you weren't interested High Guardian trailer. But I'm someone who loves the genre because I played Overwatch religiously since the original game launched in 2016. I met one of my best friends in the game so it's special to me. My positive experiences in Overwatch (despite the wildly venomous chat) made me appreciate hero shooters in general, so I'm always interested in trying out a new one.

I played a lot Paladinsand also played a lot Apex Legends when it first came out. I was big Marvel Rivals when it first came on the scene and I even enjoyed playing it Concord. ConcordPlayStation's ill-fated attempt at a heroic shooter was like a combination Halo and Overwatchbut with the ugliest characters ever designed and a poorly thought out live service model. I insist that the core of the game v Concord was fun and that if it was free to play with better looking characters it wouldn't have died in two weeks like it did. At present, almost no one bothered to play Concord. High Guardianmeanwhile, he has to deal with the negative publicity from his announcement trailer, but some things are working in his favor.

High Guardian's characters have yet to be fully detailed, but they already look a lot better than what Concord had to offer. The abilities in the trailer look like derivatives of other hero shooters, but they still look impressive. And while we're still waiting for concrete details on exactly how each match plays out, what was shown in the trailer looked like an interesting new way to play the heroic shooter.

Based on High GuardianIn the announcement trailer, the gist is that players ride around a large battlefield on horseback (or bearback or pantherback) and fight for a sword that allows them to access and raid an enemy base. High Guardian the game looked very action packed and I'm excited to try it out for myself. Even if High Guardian ends up being different Concord unlike another Overwatchit has a much better chance of success right out of the gate by releasing it as a free-to-play game.

Highguard's release date is just around the corner and it's free

Most games announced at The Game Awards take years from their big reveal to actually release, but High Guardian will mark the rare exception to the rule. Barring unfortunate release date delays, High Guardian is set to launch on January 26th as a free-to-play experience. It will be available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S at launch, which should do wonders for player numbers. Concordin comparison, released as a $40 game and was only available on PC and PS5.

High Guardian it may still be a bad game, but I'm still very much looking forward to it. Most of the hero shooters I've played are fun and with them High Guardian since it's free, there's literally zero financial risk in checking it out. I will sit behind High Guardian release date of January 26th and I can't wait to see how it turns out, despite how much hate it's currently garnering.