Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era - Everything you need to know

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era launches in Early Access on Steam on April 30, 2026. Here in our release overview, with the best trailers, system requirements, and learn more about the content available at the Early Access launch.

What is Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era? Story and Gameplay

The Heroes of Might and Magic series is one of the most influential strategy game series of all time. Turn-based world map exploration meets tactical battles on hex-based grids, spiced with RPG elements, city-building, and magic. Part 3, released in 1999, is still considered a milestone in the genre today. Ubisoft subsequently acquired the license, and the quality of the sequels fluctuated greatly—the series most recently concluded with Heroes of Might and Magic 7 (2015), which received mixed reviews.

Now, more than ten years later, Heroes of Might and Magic is officially making a comeback under the banner of publisher Hooded Horse—the publisher that recently made a name for itself with Manor Lords and other ambitious strategy titles: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is being developed by Unfrozen, the creators of Iratus: Lord of the Dead. Olden Era is neither a remaster nor a direct sequel, but rather a prequel set in Enroth on the continent of Jadame—a location mentioned in the series’ lore but never previously visited—prior to the first installment of the series.

The game's return has already been well received by critics: IGN awarded the return an impressive 7/10 for the Early Access version. "Every faction’s cast of soldiers is an expressive joy to field." While the game is launching in an Early Access state you can expect a few rough edges but the core remains solid for all players (new and old), "this Early Access starting point can satisfy both New World Computing-era yearners and newbies curious to see what the fuss is about alike."

In terms of gameplay, HOMM Olden Era is a classic turn-based strategy game: You explore the world map with heroes, gather resources, expand cities, recruit armies of mythical creatures, and engage in tactical battles on clearly laid-out hexagonal battlefields. The core gameplay is clearly inspired by the series’ heyday, enriched with modern mechanics such as active abilities for units and heroes, as well as a Focus system that lets you unlock special actions in battle. You can command vampires to revive fallen enemies, have griffins counterattack multiple times, or teleport a Slime Slayer right into the heart of the enemy ranks.

There are six factions to choose from (more on this below in our video playlist)—including the classic Temple Knights, the Necropolis with its undead and vampires, the nature-loving Forest Fortress, the Dungeon with dark elves and subterranean creatures, and the Swarm, a faction of demonically corrupted insectoids. Each faction brings its own units, heroes, and faction abilities to the table, which greatly increases the game’s replay value. And there are also more than a hundred customizable heroes available.

Who is this game for? For veterans of the series who have been waiting years for a worthy sequel—but also for newcomers to the genre, as Olden Era is explicitly designed for both groups, according to the developers. The game won’t overwhelm you with its complexity, unlike, for example, the grand strategy games from Paradox. In Olden Era, everyone should be able to get into the game quickly and easily, thanks in part to a tutorial. An included, intuitive map editor and support for random maps and community-created maps ensure that the fun doesn’t end after the campaign.

The Best Trailers for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

Get to know the factions in the game, learn more about the creation of Olden Era, and enjoy the imaginative graphics and background music—our playlist features the best (official) trailers for the game.

What will be playable at the start of the Early Access phase?

According to developer Unfrozen, there will be plenty of content available right from the start of Early Access. The following content is scheduled to be included in Olden Era starting April 30:

• Six different factions to choose from: Temple, Dungeon, Schism, Grove, Necropolis, and Hive
• Act 1 of the campaign is playable; with additional chapters to follow in the full version
• Pre-made scenarios with complete stories, which will be continuously expanded during Early Access
• Numerous templates for the random map generator ensure high replay value
• An early version of the map editor allows you to create your own adventures
• The game modes “Classic,” “Single Hero,” and “Arena” are available in both single-player and multiplayer
• Online features such as matchmaking, ranked matches, and leaderboards for all three modes
• Various puzzle-style challenges await you
• In Hotseat mode, multiple players can take turns competing on a single PC
• An integrated tutorial makes it easy to get started

System Requirements for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

The isometric view of the game areas probably won’t push your PC to its limits anytime soon. This type of strategy game is very undemanding in terms of hardware requirements. As always we'd recommend making sure you have the latest drivers for your Graphics Card to ensure the smoothest experience at release - AMD / Nvidia.

Minimum Requirements
Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit) or newer
Processor: Intel Core i3-10300 (quad-core) | AMD Ryzen 3 3100 (quad-core)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB) | AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB) | Intel Arc A580 (8 GB)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 8 GB (SSD required)

Recommended System
Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit) or newer
Processor: Intel Core i5-12400T (hexa-core) | AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (hexa-core)
RAM: 16 GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (6 GB) | AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (6 GB) | Intel Arc A750 (8 GB)
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 8 GB (SSD required)

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era - Release Date

There is no preload for HOMM Olden Era, as the download won’t be too large. However, the exact release date is known:
Early Access Start: April 30th 2026 at 6am PT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST

Having trouble with Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era? We're here to help!

Having technical issues with the PC version of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, or questions about purchasing or activating your Steam key? Our support team is here to help. Check out our First Aid Kit in the FAQ or email us at [email protected], ideally including your order number and a brief description of the issue.

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will be available on Gamesplanet right on time for its release on April 30.