Steam Gamers Have Until March 12 To Play This Free Game Before It's Gone Forever

1 day ago 9

Published Mar 8, 2026, 7:45 AM EDT

Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there.

Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers.

It is never good news to hear that a game will no longer be receiving support as a result of low player numbers. After all, hundreds of developers have spent the last few years of their lives working on it, and although it was not a success, that is still something worth remembering. That is the case with one recently released title, which will unfortunately be shutting down in just a few weeks' time.

However, in the meantime, players will be able to play it for free courtesy of Steam to see how far they can get before it is gone forever.

This Free Steam Game Is Being Pulled Offline

The game in question is none other than Highguard, a free-to-play hero shooter from the creators of Titanfall and Apex Legends. First announced at December 2025's The Game Awards, the ambitious title was highly praised by Geoff Keighley himself, even bagging itself a slot at the end of the show for maximum impact. However, after launching back on 26 January, it was clear that it was not going to be viable long term. Due to oversized maps, lack of audience testing before release, punishing gameplay loops, and no incentives to keep playing, Highguard shot to the bottom of the Steam charts in mere days. Now, just over a month on, and developer Wildlight has confirmed that Highguard will be permanently shutting down on 12 March. On Twitter, the developers shared the following statement:

"Today we’re sharing difficult news. We have made the decision to permanently shut down Highguard on March 12. Since launch, more than 2 million players stepped into Highguard’s world. You shared feedback, created content, and many believed in what we were building. For that, we are deeply grateful.

"Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term. Servers will remain online until March 12th. We hope you’ll jump in with us one more time to show your support and get those final great matches in while we still can."

Say Goodbye To Highguard While You Can

Highguard character Una summoning a tall tree creature.

However, before it disappears forever, Wildlight is giving players one last incentive to play Highguard. This includes one final update which offers a new Warden, weapon, account level progression, and skill trees. As such, players will be able to dive into a few more matches ahead of 12 March for absolutely free, and despite its failure, it is still a bittersweet feeling. As mentioned, it is never an enjoyable feeling to see games fail so early on in their lifespan, and we wish its team all the best for the future.