Highguard has officially announced that it is making its new 5v5 mode permanent. Read on to learn more about the developers’ reasoning and why the 3v3 mode still matters.
Highguard Makes 5v5 Mode a Permanent Feature
An Even Split With 5v5 and 3v3
Highguard has made it official that its newly released 5v5 mode is now permanent. What many initially assumed would be a brief experiment or limited-time event ended up becoming a lasting addition, making the decision feel like a fairly likely outcome for the hero shooter.
In a short official announcement posted on Steam, developers Wildlight Entertainment noted, "We saw a fairly even split between 3v3 and 5v5, which helped inform our decision."
While the exact player numbers between 3v3 and 5v5 remain unclear, recent activity and a shift in player reception have clearly impacted Highguard following the 5v5 announcement. According to SteamDB data, the game’s daily player count has consistently hovered between seven and ten thousand players. Its Steam user reviews have also improved, moving from "Overwhelmingly Negative" to "Mixed."
Players now have two distinct ways to play. The 3v3 mode caters more to competitive and sweatier matches due to its smaller number of respawns, while 5v5 leans toward a more casual experience with friends, largely due to its chaotic nature.
3v3 Remains Highguard’s Core Game Mode
In the same announcement confirming 5v5 as a permanent mode, Wildlight Entertainment assured fans that while the new mode is here to stay, its "3v3 [game mode] remains our core mode."
Some players have also been calling for a 4v4 mode, which many see as a potential sweet spot given 5v5’s unpredictable chaos. So far, however, Wildlight Entertainment has not commented on the request.
Highguard’s Future Plans (or something like that)
In the meantime, players are still waiting for the upcoming Ranked Mode update, which is expected to arrive later this February according to the game’s ambitious 2026 roadmap. Based on that roadmap, Episode 2 of Highguard will be split into two parts.
Part one introduces the highly anticipated Ranked Mode, which arrives in February, alongside a fresh wave of content that includes a new hero, a new map, and a new mount.
Part two, however, is more modest in scope. It is slated for a March 2026 release and features only a new base and a new raid tool. These additions focus on weapons designed to break through enemy walls and bases.
Future episodes on Highguard’s roadmap follow a similar pattern. Part one of each episode consistently introduces a new hero, while part two focuses on revamping the game’s tower-defense system through new loot and items.
With more content planned for Highguard’s future, Wildlight Entertainment appears hopeful that its hero shooter will continue to receive long-term support, as evident with its consistent updates and speedy response to feedback.
The permanent addition of 5v5 shows that the developers behind one of 2026’s most polarizing games are actively listening to their community. While Highguard still has plenty of work ahead, the game is slowly turning a corner, and only time will tell whether this gamble ultimately pays off.
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