Highguard Launches to “Mostly Negative” Reviews Despite 97,000 Peak Players on Steam

Highguard made a puzzling entrance at The Game Awards in December, showcasing a brief trailer that failed to clearly differentiate it from other FPS titles. With the gaming landscape witnessing numerous live service failures in recent years, many players seemed to preemptively write off Highguard, and early Steam reviews indicate that this skepticism may be turning into a reality.

Just hours after its launch, Highguard has amassed over 9,000 reviews on Steam, with only 20% of them being positive, resulting in a “Mostly Negative” rating. This score is currently one of the lowest for any game on the platform. The game peaked at 97,249 concurrent players, according to SteamDB, placing it alongside the daily highs of popular titles.

A significant number of negative reviews cite common launch day issues, such as server problems, performance hiccups on various systems, and the use of a controversial kernel-level anti-cheat system that many modern multiplayer games employ. Some reviews also lean into meme culture, with a vague sentiment labeling the game as “woke,” a critique that seems particularly hard to unpack.

However, there are numerous reviews that focus on the gameplay itself. Many players feel that the map is excessively large for the 3v3 format, leading to a sluggish pace. Others have pointed out issues with time-to-kill (TTK) balance and the overall feel of the gunplay. It’s worth noting that many of these critiques come from players who have logged less than an hour of gameplay.

As someone who doesn’t typically engage with competitive shooters, I can’t definitively say whether Highguard is good or bad. I’ve certainly encountered games that I recognized as subpar within minutes of playing. Yet, there’s a certain negativity surrounding Highguard that feels unsettling, and I hope the game can eventually showcase its strengths beyond the cloud of criticism that has followed it since its reveal.

“I wish Highguard had been received better,” the CEO remarked, following the cancellation of a planned surprise launch similar to Apex Legends after Geoff Keighley expressed interest in taking the lead.