As The Game Awards 2025 came to a close, we got one more surprise: Wildlight–a team of devs led by folks who previously worked on Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends–announced its new game: Highguard. Not only that, the game will be playable in a few weeks.
A gameplay trailer showcased that Highguard leans into Apex Legends’ hero shooter formula but takes it in a different direction, opting for an objective-based raid shooter as opposed to a kill-or-be-killed battle royale. The narrative direction of the game is different too, opting for something that looks more high fantasy (like horses, magic, and pet familiars) while still maintaining that science-fiction flair when it comes to the various characters’ abilities and firearms.
On Steam, Highguard is described as a “PvP raid shooter where players will ride, fight, and raid as Wardens, arcane gunslingers sent to fight for control of a mythical continent. [Players will battle] rival Warden crews for possession of the Shieldbreaker, then break into and destroy the enemy base to secure territory in this all-new breed of shooter.”
Highguard isn’t pulling an Apex Legends and launching as it was announced, but it is coming very soon. The shooter is scheduled to launch for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on January 26. Like Apex Legends, the game will be free-to-play.