{"id":722821,"date":"2026-01-26T22:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T22:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/722821\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T22:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T22:14:11","slug":"roundup-heres-what-the-reviews-are-saying-about-highguard-out-now-on-xbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/722821\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup: Here’s What The Reviews Are Saying About Highguard, Out Now On Xbox"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Update [Mon 26th Jan 2026, 9:23pm]:<\/strong> As mentioned in the comments here at Pure Xbox, the Highguard reviews on Steam<\/a> are “Overwhelmingly Negative” at launch, so take that for what you will \u2014 there are clearly mixed thoughts on this game so far. Give it a try and see what you think!<\/p>\n

Original Story:<\/strong> There’s been speculation over whether it would launch on time, but the free-to-play release of Highguard<\/a> has officially arrived on Xbox today, and the first reviews have just started going live across the web!<\/p>\n

For those who aren’t aware, this is a PvP raid shooter made by developers behind Titanfall and Apex Legends, and because it’s an online-based game, we’re seeing a mix of “review”, “preview” and “impressions” from various outlets \u2014 nobody seems to know exactly how to categorise their thoughts at the moment!<\/p>\n

We’ve rounded up a bunch of these below, so let’s see what the critics are saying about Highguard so far:<\/p>\n

CNET<\/a> (Positive)<\/p>\n

\n

“I was hurtling across a fantasy landscape on horseback with my two companions, racing toward the enemy base with the opposing team hot on our heels, a magic sword on my back that would win us the match, and all I could think was, Hell yes, this rules. I spent the entire day gleefully queuing back into more sessions to recapture that moment.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

“I\u2019m not saying Highguard is perfect, or that you\u2019ll enjoy every game. But I do think it will be an enjoyable competitive experience that allows you to jump in over and over again with little downtime, making it one of the best shooters out there for those who want something fast, hard-hitting, innovative, and straightforward.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

“I have a few qualms about its balance (which I will get into in a bit), but there is something exciting and fresh about the overall experience. I am not sure if Highguard will thrive in the already crowded live-service shooter market that is dominated by juggernauts with loyal fanbases, but I get the feeling that the concept of Wildlight’s shooter will at least persist and inspire more like it. I think other studios are going to emulate the best parts of Highguard over the next decade.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n
\n

“Highguard has spent the last several weeks being the butt of the internet\u2019s jokes, and it leaves me wondering if players will give it the chance it probably deserves. It\u2019s easy for a developer to claim that they\u2019ve developed something truly new for a genre, and at the same time it\u2019s equally rare for a studio to deliver on that promise. Highguard well and truly feels like something special, and like Titanfall before it I could see it garnering a rabid fanbase. I just hope it\u2019s afforded that chance.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Metro<\/a> (“Promising”)<\/p>\n

\n

“We played Highguard in the best setting possible, in a room alongside fellow press squad-mates with everyone yelling in earshot. We think it will be enjoyable beyond these parameters, though, and will surprise those expecting another run-of-the-mill shooter, but the lingering thought following our session was whether there\u2019s enough hooks to sustain daily, or even weekly, play sessions once the novelty has worn off. We\u2019ll know the answer in the coming weeks, but for now, this shooter\u2019s unique assembly of familiar components strikes a promising first impression.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n
\n

“After playing about six hours of Highguard, I can safely say this is one of the freshest and most fun shooters from one of the most passionate teams I\u2019ve ever met. These are some of the people who have made not just one, but several of the best shooters of the last 15 years. They know what they\u2019re doing, and they want to shake things up, and they have.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As you can see, it’s been an overwhelmingly positive reception for Highguard from the critics so far, with the vast majority of early reviews having plenty of great things to say about it.<\/p>\n

The only question now is whether it’ll resonate with the players \u2014 and as mentioned, you can try the game for free today on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S! Simply go to the Microsoft Store app and search for “Highguard” to find it.<\/p>\n

Excited to try Highguard on Xbox? Tell us down in the comments section below.<\/p>\n

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Related Games<\/dt>\n
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\"Fraser<\/p>\n

Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Update [Mon 26th Jan 2026, 9:23pm]: As mentioned in the comments here at Pure Xbox, the Highguard reviews…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":722822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[211173,419,53,16,15,289,292,291],"class_list":{"0":"post-722821","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-highguard","9":"tag-round-up","10":"tag-technology","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-xbox","14":"tag-xbox-series-s","15":"tag-xbox-series-x"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=722821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/722822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=722821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=722821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=722821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}