Highguard Makes 5V5 Mode Permanent After Positive Player Feedback

Highguard has had a strange and busy launch month. After its reveal at The Game Awards 2025, the game had a nearly marketing-free rollout, leading to a wave of negative reviews.

Developer Wildlight Entertainment reacted quickly to the initial feedback. Ahead of the last weekend, the studio released the first patch, which addressed some of the most pressing criticisms. Alongside the patch, the developer experimented with a limited-time 5v5 mode.

This mode was designed to make the large maps in Highguard feel less empty outside of the main attack and defense phases of a match. The experiment proved successful. Players responded positively to the more frenetic and brutal version of the shooter, and the game's reviews on Steam have climbed to "Mixed."

As a result of this positive reception, the 5v5 queue will remain in the game permanently. While the sentiment on Steam is improving, the conversation around the game on social media and YouTube remains more negative. Some online personalities have been using the game as a subject for negative content. There is a larger conversation to be had about the live-service model in the games industry, which many feel has reached a saturation point. However, much of the online criticism does not approach the game in good faith. The reality is that Highguard is struggling after a confusing launch and remains undercooked.

The game blends elements from several shooters, but not all of them work well together. The new 5v5 mode is promising because it feels good to play and offers a glimpse of what the game could become in the long run. The question is whether Highguard will have a long run. Wildlight Entertainment has a full-year roadmap planned for the game, but it remains to be seen if the game can sustain itself for that long. The player numbers on PC paint a grim picture.

According to SteamDB, the concurrent player count has been steadily declining since the game's launch on January 26th. At the time of writing, there are 3,252 players in the game, with a 24-hour peak of 8,404. While positive reviews are now surpassing negative ones, these player numbers are not ideal for a new online shooter with big ambitions, especially just a week after launch. Data for the game's performance on consoles is not yet available. However, the crossplay feature ensures that matchmaking is quick, which might indicate a larger player base on consoles. For now, the future of Highguard remains uncertain, but the permanent addition of the 5v5 mode is a step in a more positive direction.

Read also, Highguard has become the worst game of 2026 on Metacritic. Released this Monday, Wildlight Entertainment’s Highguard has become one of the most discussed video games this year so far, and, as many thought, the game is still having mostly negative reviews on Steam.