Expected Highguard release time – When you can play free on PS5, PC Steam and Xbox

Today marks the release of Highguard. It was revealed at The Game Awards 2025 as a free-to-play PvP raid shooter from the creators of Titanfall and Apex Legends, developed under a new studio called Wildlight Entertainment. The expected release time has been revealed via SteamDB, and the game is set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.

What time does Highguard come out?

According to SteamDB, the release time for Highguard is 10AM PST / 1PM EDT / 6PM GMT on January 26, 2026. This is when the game is expected to launch on PC for Steam, and it should also mark its arrival on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Coinciding with the reported release time, Wildlight Entertainment will host a Launch Showcase on YouTube. The showcase will “share an in-depth look at Highguard direct from the studio, featuring a full gameplay deep dive, year one plans, and much more”.

Ahead of its release, the game is not available on either the PlayStation or Microsoft Store, meaning it cannot be preloaded on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. Highguard will only become available to download from the PSN and Xbox digital storefronts once the release time has passed.

It is also unavailable to preload on Steam, as all you can currently do is wishlist the title, which means receiving a notification to let you know when it launches.

Is Highguard free to play?

Highguard is free to play on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. The developers have remained silent since the game’s reveal at The Game Awards, meaning everything that we know to expect comes directly from the reveal trailer.

The game is a first-person PvP “raid shooter” featuring Wardens, the characters you control. Gameplay centers on objective-based team combat, with the unique addition of mounts that you can ride across a large arena.

Its primary objective involves two teams competing for control of a “Shieldbreaker”. Assuming your team acquires possession of the Shieldbreaker, you can then infiltrate the enemy’s base to destroy and secure their territory.

Wildlight Entertainment will share more details about the gameplay and characters during their Launch Showcase, but you can observe the leaked list of trophies on PS5 to uncover more information.

There is a lot of skepticism surrounding Highguard, largely due to the heavy number of dislikes its reveal trailer received. This was partly because it served as the final announcement at The Game Awards, and also because of comparisons to other live-service hero shooters, with critics pointing out that the title Highguard is basically a synonym for Overwatch.

Breaking into the live-service market is brutally difficult. A recent report noted that most new live-service games released in 2025 lost over 90% of their player base, and skeptics have already labeled Highguard as “Concord 2.0,” even though it is extremely unlikely to repeat Concord’s failure of shutting down in a week, as Highguard is free to play and Wildlight Entertainment serves as both publisher and developer.

Fortunately, the skepticism is matched by intrigue. With the developers remaining quiet since the game’s December reveal, anticipation has grown through word-of-mouth, and it will be interesting to see how Highguard performs once we all actually get our hands on the game.