Highguard has over 10,000 dislikes on YouTube but it's totally unconic one of my most anticipated games in 2026

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

In addition to rewarding video game developers with trophies, The Game Awards are also known for their exciting world premiere announcements. The final announcement at The Game Awards usually has a lot of hype behind it, so there was a lot of anticipation about what could possibly be revealed at the end of The Game Awards 2025. The show had already seen the return of Leon S. Kennedy, confirmed Casey Hudson as director of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republicand the shocking trailer for Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian's next game, Divinity. As The Game Awards 2025 came to a close, everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting to see what reveal could possibly top the big announcements. Unfortunately, there was no reality there Highguard reveal could live up to such high expectations, and so having it last as opposed to somewhere in the middle of the show did absolutely zero favors and only reinforced the internet hate for it.

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Highguard – Official Reveal Trailer

Don't miss the official reveal trailer for Highguard, a 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 have turned out to be huge hits, OW2 have routinely found themselves at the center of controversy, and elements of those games bleeding into other shooter franchises have not been well received by fans. These factors have led to general disdain for hero shooters, and so when new hero shooters Highguard was the final announcement at The Game Awards 2025, it was met with serious backlash. So far have Highguard reveal trailer has over 10,000 dislikes on YouTubeand a paltry 973 likes. Despite this, it remains one of my most anticipated games of 2026.

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

If you don't like hero-shooter games, I can totally understand why you weren't intrigued Highguard trailer. But I am someone who loves the genre, having played Monitoring religiously since the original game launched in 2016. I met one of my best friends in the game, so it's a special one for me. My positive experiences in Monitoring (wildly toxic chat notwithstanding) has made me appreciate hero shooters in general, and so I'm always interested in giving a new one a try.

I have played a lot Paladinsand also played a lot Apex Legends when it first came out. I was big in Marvel Rivals when it first came on the scene too, and I even enjoyed what I played Harmony. HarmonyPlayStation's ill-fated attempt at a hero shooter, was like a combination of Halo and Monitoringbut with the ugliest characters ever designed and a poorly thought out live service model. I argue that the core game i Harmony was fun and that if it was free to play with nicer characters, it wouldn't have died in two weeks like it did. From the looks of it, hardly anyone cared to play Harmony. Highguardmeanwhile, has to deal with the negative publicity from its announcement trailer, but it has a few things working in its favor.

HighguardThe characters aren't fully detailed yet, but they already look a lot better than what Harmony had to offer. The abilities in the trailer look derived from other hero shooters, but they still look impressive. And while we're still waiting on the details of exactly how each match will play out, what was shown in the trailer looked like an exciting new way to play a hero shooter.

Based on Highguards announcement trailer, the gist of it is that players ride across a large battlefield on horseback (or bear or panther) and fight for a sword that allows them to access and loot the enemy's base. Highguard The game looked very action-packed, and I'm excited to try it out for myself. Even if Highguard becomes another in the end Harmony as opposed to another Monitoringit stands a much better chance of success right out of the gate by releasing as a free-to-play game.

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

Most games announced at The Game Awards take years from when their big reveal trailer is actually released, but Highguard will mark a rare exception to the rule. Barring any unfortunate release date delays, Highguard will 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. Harmonyby comparison, was released as a $40 game and was only available on PC and PS5.

Highguard may still be a bad game, but I'm still very much looking forward to it. Most hero shooter games I've played are fun and engaging Highguard since it's free to play, there's literally zero financial risk in checking it out. I will sit for Highguard release date on January 26th and can't wait to see how it turns out, despite how much hate it's getting right now.