You’ll do well to find a more intriguing shooter than Highguard in 2026. The game’s skeleton features work from former Respawn Entertainment and Apex Legends devs, and Highguard’s release date serves as one of 2026’s curtain openers.
Needless to say, everyone was shocked when Highguard was given the honor of closing out The Game Awards 2025, where game announcements and trailers were concerned. However, when you take a step back and assess, it’s a new IP, and the team behind it has some experienced heads, it would be fair to say.
If you’re keen to give Highguard a chance, read on for launch details.
When Is Highguard Coming Out?
Wildlight Entertainment’s Highguard has an official release date of January 26, making it one of 2026’s first huge AAA titles.
This means it’s barely a one-month turnaround from Highguard being revealed to the world at TGA 2025 for the first time and launching globally! Logically, Wildlight Entertainment has to be confident in the game and believe it’s more than ready to go.
It’s been in development for over four years, and its reveal trailer boasts some incredible-looking gameplay.
What Is Highguard From Former Respawn Entertainment & Apex Devs?
Highguard is a high-intensity PvP shooter featuring the signature Apex Legends and Titanfall brands of fast-paced action, an emphasis on mobility, powers and abilities, and the curveball of horseback combat.
The FPS title is literally a mix of Apex and Titanfall, with new ideas thrown into the melting pot. Highguard is a delicate hybrid, factoring in ability-based gameplay, precision shooting mechanics, and the idea of traversing the environment efficiently.
Highguard literally embraces its heritage, even on the official website: “From the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall, comes Highguard.”
Wildlight Entertainment’s main leaders include the following, with a look at what they did previously:
- Chad Grenier: 12 years at Respawn, including as a game director.
- Dusty Welch: COO of Respawn Entertainment & GM of the Apex Legends dev team.
- Jason McCord: Design director on Apex Legends and former level designer for Call of Duty.
If you have doubts, there are years of senior-level experience behind Highguard. The game might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it would be foolish to write off its hype until you’ve had a chance to play. The jury is out for now.
What have you made of Highguard so far? Does it look decent and different enough to stand out from a heated selection of shooters in 2026? Head to the Insider Gaming Discord Server.
There are many other guides here at Insider Gaming. Check out if Hytale will be on PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S, the release date, and start times for Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 & Switch 2 Edition, and the top 10 lowest-rated games of 2025.
Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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