Highguard announces that 5v5 Raid Mode is permanent

After a weekend surge in which Highguard's players counted on PCs jumping from the deep into something buildable, thanks in large part to the introduction of a 5v5 Raid Mode that was originally billed as a “limited time event,” developer Wildlight Entertainment has opted to make the 5v5 mode a permanent fixture in Highguard going forward.

In a post shared on social media, the team acknowledged the mode's popularity, which helped inform their decision.

“We appreciate everyone who jumped in over the weekend to try out the mode. We saw a pretty even split between 3v3 and 5v5, which helped inform our decision.”

The need for anything bigger than 3v3 or the introduction of bots or other fodder was one of the biggest talking points after Highguard's release on Monday. At the end of the week, Highguard introduced the mode amid a flurry of negative reviews and a free-falling player base.

Something changed over the weekend, however, as the live service title was able to maintain a somewhat steady count on PC.

highguard character in front of a weak opencritic emblem.

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Good news Highguard fans, it's not the worst reviewed game of 2026

The Highguard reviews are starting to hit, and while they are bad, they could be a lot worse.

After launching with 97,249 players and then finding himself bottoming out in the thousands, Highguard saw consistent concurrent counts in the 11 to 13,000 range. Make no mistake, it's still nowhere near where things were at launch, but it's clearly better.

Those who have played Highguard are happy with the news

On Reddit, fans celebrated that 5v5 would be a permanent fixture going forward. That should come as no surprise, as the players who have really gotten into the game seem to be enjoying it.

“It definitely made a very big difference,” wrote one user. “The matches were more fast and frantic. There are still a lot of issues I have with the game, but this is a good step.”

“This is really super impressive,” wrote another player. “The ability of the developers to keep their finger on the pulse of the community and make changes accordingly and quickly is something you simply don't see in the industry these days. They deserve credit for their response.”

Elsewhere, it has seen its once 'Negative' status on Steam shift to 'Mixed', the result of more people engaging with the game. There's undeniably a lot of work ahead, but it's a positive step for one of the game's biggest stories to date.