29 January 2026

Highguard Twitch Viewership is Already Way Down

By newsgame

Despite a lot of viral intrigue, Highguard‘s Twitch viewership already seems to be drastically falling. After being the last game announced at the 2025 Game Awards, many were eager to find out what Highguard was all about, but interest in the new free-to-play hero shooter seems to be dwindling fast.

Highguard has only been out since January 26, and it’s inspired a lot of discourse across the internet. From being review bombed on Steam to its servers being overrun with gamers eager to see what the game is all about, it’s been a busy few days for developer Wildlight Entertainment. Streamers and casual hero shooter fans have been trying out the game since its launch, but the downward turn in interest has become more clear with each day. Earlier this week, Highguard‘s Steam player count plummeted, and now it looks like Twitch viewers are beginning to quickly fall, as well.

Devs from other studios defend Highguard amid widespread criticism.

‘Game Development Runs on Optimism’ Devs Defend Highguard Amid Negative Reviews

Game developers from across the industry rush to Highguard’s defense as the hero shooter faces widespread backlash from fans and critics alike.

Highguard’s Twitch Viewers See a Big Decline in Just a Few Days

sully gnome highguard twitch viewer data

Highguard‘s Twitch numbers can be found on SullyGnome, and the data isn’t looking great. The hero shooter was off to a really strong start, so the sudden dip might surprise some. In its first 24 hours, Highguard reached an impressive peak of 382,943 Twitch viewers. However, in just three days, that viewership has gone down to wildly lower numbers. At the time of writing this article, Highguard‘s peak Twitch viewer count was around 2,500 viewers. Highguard‘s gameplay has been praised by some and mocked by others. Regardless of how one views the game, though, it’s clear that there were a lot of gamers eager to see in-game footage for themselves. Also, with Highguard being free-to-play, it’s been easy for both big-name streamers, like Ninja, and streamers with smaller followings to capitalize on the hype and controversy surrounding Highguard.

Highguard’s Concord Comparison and Uncertain Future

After the notorious launch of Concord back in 2024, the game has been used as an ongoing meme that gets attached to any game that the internet deems to be a failed project before the title is even released. The reason Highguard was quickly branded the second coming of Concord after its announcement was because of its hero shooter identity. Many who have tried the game think that Highguard is a solid hero shooter, but opinions that it lacks newness have convinced others that the game won’t reach any significant heights. However, just because Highguard‘s Twitch viewership has dropped for now doesn’t mean that it won’t rise again. Being free-to-play gives Highguard an edge that Concord didn’t have, and developers have already announced plans for updates this year.

Wildlight Entertainment has released Highguard‘s 2026 roadmap, and it’s promising a lot of content. Episode 2 will launch in February, and the developer plans for seven in total. Episode 2 is already aiming to add to Highguard‘s content in a big way. The upcoming update will add a new Warden, Map, Ranked Mode, and Mount. Every month, Highguard players will have a variety of new content to look forward to, which could really help its player count over time. There’s no way to know for sure, but strong post-launch support is important for any live-service game. So, if Highguard begins to build a reputation as a free-to-play game that does its updates well, it could really help its longevity in the long run. Highguard‘s dwindling player count and Twitch viewers are troubling, but the hero shooter isn’t out of the race quite yet. Player and viewer counts rise and dip all the time, so it will be interesting to see how Highguard‘s player base evolves as the year continues.