Lower than every week after its launch, hero shooter Highguard has already added an experimental 5v5 playlist to shake issues up because it continues to battle in opposition to quickly declining participant rely numbers. After debuting at just below 100,000 concurrent gamers on Steam, Highguard has already fallen usually under 10,000 energetic gamers at any given second on the platform, prompting fast motion from developer Wildlight Leisure.
The discharge technique for Highguard was definitely unconventional. It was initially revealed as the ultimate main announcement at The Sport Awards 2025. Advertising and marketing for the sport was largely radio-silent till its January 26 launch date, and studio co-founder Dusty Welch lately revealed that the plan was for Highguard to shadow-drop, adopting the Apex Legends technique. When all was stated and achieved, Highguard drew major attention on Steam following its launch, with tons of evaluations and a big participant rely. Sadly, although, many of those evaluations have been destructive, placing the sport at a “Combined” score on Steam in the mean time. Simply 43% of the sport’s evaluations are constructive, which has instantly put the sport on the again foot.
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Highguard Provides Experimental 5v5 Mode As Participant Depend Declines
Since launch, Highguard‘s player count has collapsed, with a 13,119 24-hour peak on the time of writing, versus the all-time peak of 97,249 set simply six days in the past. Within the newest Highguard patch notes, Wildlight Leisure has moved shortly to deal with criticism and draw gamers again in by including a brand-new experimental 5v5 Raid Mode playlist. Beforehand, Highguard was a 3v3-exclusive sport, so attempting one thing new might already signify a major shift for the title’s future. The 5v5 mode permits for full events of 5, and a few stability modifications have been made to account for this. Raids now have 10 lives, reasonably than six, and respawns at the moment are barely longer to permit turbines to be planted and defused. This 5v5 mode is only experimental, so it stays to be seen if it is right here for the lengthy haul. The patch notes state that it is solely “for the weekend,” suggesting players could have very restricted time to check out Highguard‘s 5v5 mode. Wildlight Leisure reiterates that it is a separate playlist from the usual 3v3 mode, and says “3v3 Raids are nonetheless there for individuals who take pleasure in it.”
A 5v5 sport mode for Highguard does make quite a lot of sense – among the preliminary criticism aimed on the sport talked about that the maps felt a bit too large for 3v3, prompting many to name for larger foyer sizes. So whereas this may very well be a strong step ahead, the harm might already be achieved. Given the negative early reviews of Highguard, it is necessary to keep in mind that first impressions are all the pieces, particularly in an more and more crowded area for live-service video games. These titles must impress players from the off, or they may abandon them in droves in favor of the opposite numerous live-service choices on the market proper now. If the 5v5 experiment works out for Highguard, hopefully it is right here to remain.
Regardless of the early struggles, Wildlight Leisure is much from giving up on Highguard. Within the wake of its launch, the developer unveiled an ambitious 2026 Highguard roadmap, with tons of free content material deliberate all year long in varied episodes. If it will possibly stay as much as the on-paper promise of this roadmap, then it will be an thrilling time to be a Highguard fan.


