Highguard’s “secure boot” requirement is about a PC security feature, not a separate app you install. It means your system’s UEFI Secure Boot (and usually TPM 2.0) must be enabled in BIOS for the game to launch properly.

What “Highguard secure boot” Actually Means

  • Highguard is a new free‑to‑play hero shooter from ex‑Apex/Titanfall devs, and on PC it requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be turned on before it will run.
  • If they’re off, you get launch errors like “Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 must be enabled to play Highguard” or “machine integrity failed… secure boot disabled” and the game won’t start.
  • The game’s anti‑cheat (similar to what other competitive titles use) ties into Secure Boot so it can verify the system hasn’t been tampered with at a low level.

In plain terms: Highguard refuses to run unless your PC boots in a trusted mode (UEFI + Secure Boot + TPM).

How Secure Boot Works (Quick Non‑Technical View)

  • Secure Boot lives in your motherboard’s UEFI (modern BIOS) firmware and checks the bootloader at startup to ensure it’s signed and trusted, so malicious bootkits can’t easily hijack the system.
  • When it’s enabled, Windows and certain drivers need to be properly signed; this is part of why anti‑cheat vendors like it, because it raises the bar for cheat loaders that try to hook in at boot time.
  • This doesn’t mean the game gets “full kernel control” just because Secure Boot exists; it means the boot chain is verified so only trusted boot code runs, which indirectly helps anti‑cheat integrity.

Why Highguard Forces Secure Boot (Pros and Cons)

Pros

  • Makes it harder for kernel‑level or boot‑time cheats to operate, because unsigned or modified low‑level components are less likely to load successfully.
  • Aligns with a broader trend: other competitive shooters (and even some anti‑cheat drivers like Riot’s Vanguard) have already pushed toward Secure Boot / TPM requirements for integrity checks.

Cons / Criticisms

  • Locks out players whose hardware, BIOS, or OS setup doesn’t support Secure Boot (older PCs, legacy BIOS, or certain dual‑boot and Linux setups).
  • Some PC gamers are wary of giving anti‑cheat deeper hooks into system security features, even if technically Secure Boot itself is just a verification mechanism.
  • Setting it up can be confusing: people report digging through BIOS menus, converting disks from MBR to GPT, and dealing with cryptic messages like “Secure Boot can be enabled when the system is in user mode. Repeat operation after enrolling Platform Key”.

Typical Errors Players See

  • “Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 must be enabled to play Highguard” when launching the game.
  • “Machine integrity failed error… secure boot disabled. Please enable and restart the game” (sometimes with error code 0xE0760402).
  • A generic “Fail to Launch” or “Secure Boot Launch Error (Easy Anti‑Cheat)” message that points back to the same BIOS setting.

These all trace back to: UEFI mode not set, Secure Boot off, CSM/Legacy boot still enabled, or TPM/fTPM turned off.

High‑Level Fix Overview (No Deep BIOS Walkthrough)

If your only goal is “get Highguard working,” the usual high‑level path is:

  1. Check current Secure Boot state in Windows – use the System Information tool (msinfo32) and look for “Secure Boot State: On/Off”.
  1. Verify disk partition style is GPT – in Disk Management or drive properties, check that your Windows drive uses GPT; Secure Boot generally needs UEFI + GPT, not legacy MBR.
  1. Switch BIOS to UEFI mode and disable CSM/Legacy boot – many guides show you must disable CSM (Compatibility Support Module) so full UEFI and Secure Boot can work.
  1. Enable Secure Boot and TPM/fTPM in BIOS – find the Secure Boot option under Boot/Security, set OS type to UEFI, and enable TPM 2.0/fTPM/PTT depending on your CPU/motherboard vendor.
  1. Enroll default keys if prompted – some boards require “Enroll all factory default keys” and a switch from Custom back to Standard mode before Secure Boot actually turns on.

Because toggling these options can affect bootability (especially if you need to convert MBR → GPT), it’s wise to back up data and follow an official or vendor‑specific guide for your motherboard.

Forum and Community Discussions Around It

  • PC and gaming forums are already debating whether the Secure Boot requirement is justified: some players accept it as part of modern anti‑cheat, others see it as anti‑consumer or an unnecessary barrier for legitimate users.
  • Linux and dual‑boot users feel especially excluded, since Secure Boot + Easy Anti‑Cheat combinations often don’t play nicely with Wine/Proton or custom kernels, leaving them “out in the cold” unless official support appears.
  • There’s also a recurring theme where players compare Highguard’s move to earlier controversies (like Battlefield 6 or Riot Vanguard) that tied stronger security/anti‑cheat to kernel‑adjacent features and caused pushback.

One common compromise players mention: enabling Secure Boot only on a dedicated Windows gaming install, while keeping a separate setup for more “open” use, though that’s more advanced and hardware‑dependent.

TL;DR: “Highguard secure boot” is shorthand for Highguard requiring you to run Windows in UEFI mode with Secure Boot and TPM enabled, so its anti‑cheat can trust the system’s boot chain; this improves cheat resistance but complicates life for older, Linux, and power‑user setups and has sparked a lot of debate in PC gaming communities.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.