Today, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era from Unfrozen, Ubisoft and Hooded Horse is launching on PC via Early Access. This marks the return of one of the most popular turn-based strategy series in over a decade. Interest is high, with the game having been added to over 1.5 million wishlists.
The first new Heroes of Might and Magic game in over ten years is set to be one of the biggest PC launches of the year, as the game by Unfrozen, Ubisoft and Hooded Horse has surpassed 1.5 million wishlists, making it the 9th most-wishlisted game on Steam. Previously, Olden Era reached the one million wishlist milestone in October 2025, following a hugely successful demo launch with 24,000 concurrent players - the 16th most-played Steam demo of all time. "We're deeply grateful to all fans of the legendary Heroes of Might and Magic franchise for their incredible support and kind feedback," says Unfrozen CEO Denis Fedorov. 'It's wonderful to see fans respond so strongly to the vision of the amazingly talented team at Unfrozen,' says Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is built on the familiar foundations of one of the most popular strategy series of all time. It introduces new and classic game modes, allowing players to experience the game alone or with friends, whether they are veterans of the series or newcomers.
The game is broadly modelled on Heroes of Might and Magic III, but it also incorporates elements from the fifth instalment, such as the initiative system used to determine turn order. It is a turn-based strategy game with substantial RPG elements that returns to the original world of Enroth, but it is set before the events of the first Heroes game. Players explore the continent of Jadame, which is under threat from a swarm of insectoids corrupted by a demon lord. Okay, the campaign's storyline hasn't been particularly memorable so far, but the classic Heroes of Might and Magic gameplay is back in full force. It is divided between a world map and combat on separate battlegrounds, both of which are turn-based.
On the world map, players can move their hero(es) around to explore the world, gather resources and items, capture mines and dwellings, expand cities and recruit troops. There is plenty to discover, improve and collect throughout the fantasy world, so exploration is a key part of the fun. With limited movement points per turn, every choice becomes a strategic decision. The game features the resources Crystal, Gems and Mercury, as well as Alchemical Dust, which is primarily used to upgrade spells, artefacts and dwellings. There are also Law Points and Law Seals, which are used to enact Faction Laws. Each faction has a set of special bonuses that can improve the economy, strengthen creatures or even alter the rules of the game.
The cities of Temple and Dungeon © Unfrozen, Ubisoft, Hooded Horse
Cities can be expanded using resources, mostly in a fairly linear fashion, to unlock new units/creatures and upgrades. Creatures replenish themselves in cities and creature buildings at the start of each new week - on the world map, one day equals one turn. However, it is also possible to seek out dwellings across the map to recruit creatures from other factions into armies, which unlocks new opportunities and synergies. The hero can be developed and upgraded extensively with passive skills and artefacts that come in various quality tiers. Players can only control a limited number of heroes at a time. However, capturing new cities increases this limit. What is summarised here quite briefly actually encompasses a wide variety of options for hero progression, specialisation and in-game possibilities with plenty of room for experimentation.
Other units or creatures require a hero in order to go into battle. They are essentially attached to the hero. When an enemy is encountered on the world map, a turn-based battle begins on a separate, hex-based battlefield. There, the creatures fight each other while the hero stands on the sidelines and casts spells. At the start, players place their troops on the battlefield. The distinct characteristics of the factions and their units come into play more strongly in these tactical battles, especially since the variety of units and their strengths and weaknesses add a lot of depth. As in the rest of the game, everything is clearly explained with helpful tooltips and context menus. Attack and movement ranges are also visualised clearly, as are stats and abilities — a lot has improved here since the demo.
During their turn, heroes can use their spellbook to cast any combat spell they have learnt that could turn the tide of the battle. Casting spells costs mana, which does not automatically restore between battles, so it's important to plan its usage carefully. During combat, Focus is gained by dealing and taking damage. It can then be spent to activate powerful unit abilities, ranging from stronger attacks and improved defence to higher initiative and mobility. Special guarded objects and city sieges are unique combat scenarios. It would still be nice to have a little more variety in the battlefields. Not only is the game easy to pick up, it also offers a wide variety of combinations, builds and customisation options. Overall, the game has successfully captured and preserved its classic charm while also giving it a modern makeover.
There are six playable factions in Early Access: Temple, Necropolis, Grove, Hive, Schism and Dungeon. With its well-rounded troops, which benefit from buffs, the Temple faction is probably the best for getting to know the game. Necropolis consists of deadly but fragile Necromancers and Vampires who drain their opponents' strength and life force in order to raise fallen warriors. Hive relies on fast and aggressive tactics. Dungeon, on the other hand, depends on subterfuge and versatility, with each unit having two types of attack. However, the designs and the look of the factions and creatures are somewhat conventional, almost generic.
The cities of Sylvan and Necropolis © Unfrozen, Ubisoft, Hooded Horse
At launch, the game will include the first act of the non-linear campaign, with more acts to be added in future updates. Pre-made scenarios with self-contained stories are also planned. Classic Mode, Solo Hero Mode and Arena Mode (a faster-paced mode designed for direct duels) are available in both single-player and multiplayer modes, along with matchmaking, leaderboards and high-score rankings for all three modes. Free mode offers a variety of predefined maps and templates with five difficulty levels for AI players and one specifically designed for multiplayer matches. There is also a hot-seat mode.
A beta version of the map editor for creating custom adventures is also included. Alongside a detailed tutorial, there are also challenge scenarios designed to prepare players for various aspects of the game, including the weekly increase in creatures in cities, the effective use of spells in combat, minimising troop losses and the impact of world map spells on gameplay. The game is expected to remain in Early Access for about a year, depending on player feedback. The developers plan to add more scenarios and map templates, as well as improvements to the map editor and an additional Underground map layer - so far, only the upper world can be explored. They also intend to tell the full story of the Olden Era across all acts of the narrative campaign.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is being developed by Unfrozen. The studio was founded in Russia in 2016 and is now headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. By 2026, the team had grown to over 50 people, with remote working representatives in Tarragona (Spain), Belgrade (Serbia), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Poznań and Prudnik (Poland), and Iași (Romania). The studio has specialised in tactical and strategic games from the outset. Their first game, Iratus: Lord of the Dead, was released in April 2020 and sold over 500,000 copies. The game, published by Daedalic Entertainment, is a turn-based tactical roguelike RPG set in a dark fantasy universe (similar to Darkest Dungeon), in which players take the side of the (evil) necromancer Iratus.
Denis Fedorov is the CEO of the company. Unfrozen is now part of Nova Assembly, a holding company founded by Sad Cat Studios, Unfrozen, VEA Games, Game Garden and Weappy. It is co-owned and run by the participating studios and led by Fedorov. Rather than merging teams or centralising projects, Nova Assembly maintains the creative freedom of the studios while enabling them to support each other across development and marketing. The five studios that founded Nova Assembly have several things in common. They are all headquartered in Cyprus, having previously been based in Russia or Belarus but having relocated due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. All of the studios are also part of GEM Capital's portfolio. In 2021, Unfrozen received a $1.7 million investment from GEM Capital.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era © Unfrozen, Ubisoft, Hooded Horse
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is the second game from Unfrozen. At the beginning of the year, they announced that Jon Van Caneghem, the creator of the Might and Magic and Heroes of Might and Magic series, had joined the team as a creative advisor on the game. This marks Jon Van Caneghem's return to the Heroes universe for the first time since Heroes of Might and Magic IV (2002). He will be bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the creative direction of the game and its world-building. Van Caneghem: "Olden Era is a work of passion that truly captures the spirit of the original series. The Unfrozen team truly understands what made Heroes special, and I'm excited to help carry that legacy forward and introduce it to a new generation of players."
"We are incredibly honoured to be granted an opportunity to work with Jon Van Caneghem. Many people from our team grew up playing the games he made so many years ago and so - to us - having a chance to work with a living legend that shaped our childhoods in such a significant way is a dream come true. Our partnership with Jon is a huge step for us as a team - it means that we’re doing a lot of things right in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era by capturing the essence of the classics and focusing on bringing that 'One more turn ...' feeling back. It’s also a huge blessing for the community as Jon is beloved by all the fans of the series who cherish his work as much as we do." - Denis Fedorov, Unfrozen CEO
The publisher of the game is Hooded Horse. It is a US-based publisher specialising in strategic and tactical games. Its portfolio includes Manor Lords, Against the Storm, Endless Legend 2, Menace, Old World, Norland and 9 Kings. The company has a catalogue of over 50 titles and has many more planned for release in 2026. Titles released this year include Terra Invicta by Pavonis Interactive, Menace (Early Access) by Overhype Studios, Heart of the Machine by Arcen Games, Nova Roma (Early Access) by Lion Shield, and Xenonauts 2 by Goldhawk Interactive. Mars Tactics by Takibi Games is scheduled for release in May. The publisher recently announced that they will publish the medieval strategy RPG Kinstrife with physically simulated combat from Finitude in Germany and the pirate-themed city builder Corsair Cove from Limbic Entertainment.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era © Unfrozen, Ubisoft, Hooded Horse
Until mid-2025, Ubisoft was the publisher of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, as the brand belongs to the French publisher anyway. In early July 2025, it was announced that Ubisoft had entered into a partnership agreement with Hooded Horse, most likely because Hooded Horse has significant experience with the early access releases of complex strategy games. "Heroes of Might and Magic is a legendary series, one that has a place in the hearts and childhoods of many gamers," said Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender when announcing the collaboration. "We're honoured to be teaming up with Ubisoft and Unfrozen on this project," Alain Corre, Chief Publishing Officer at Ubisoft, said. "We are thrilled to welcome Hooded Horse aboard to support the next chapter of Heroes of Might and Magic. Their passion for the franchise and strong connection with strategy communities make them the perfect complement to Unfrozen’s creative talent. Together, we'll reignite Heroes of Might and Magic and bring players to exciting, unexplored realms." Unfrozen CEO Denis Fedorov: "The entire Unfrozen team is very excited that Hooded Horse is joining the project. We firmly believe that their expertise, combined with Ubisoft’s legacy, will allow us to make Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era truly successful and introduce the game to even more fans of tactical turn-based strategies from all over the world."
Heroes of Might and Magic (HoMM, or Heroes for short) is one of the most influential franchises in the world of turn-based strategy role-playing games. Its gameplay was inspired by King's Bounty (1990), which was also developed by Jon Van Caneghem at New World Computing. Originally launched as a spin-off of the Might and Magic role-playing game series in 1995, Heroes of Might and Magic was developed by New World Computing and published by 3DO. The first three games in the series, Heroes I through III, were released between 1995 and 1999 and were all developed by New World Computing. Heroes III is widely regarded as the most popular instalment in the series.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era © Unfrozen, Ubisoft, Hooded Horse
Heroes IV (2002), on the other hand, was not as well received, as significant changes had been made to the established formula. For instance, heroes could now participate directly in battles (and die), armies could move without heroes and there was a limited variety of factions and strategic possibilities. Furthermore, the game felt unfinished at the time of its release, with the multiplayer mode being added later. However, this was due to the fact that 3DO was in financial difficulty and could not delay the release any further. Following 3DO's bankruptcy, the French publisher Ubisoft acquired the rights to the Might & Magic series for $1.3 million in 2003. Under Ubisoft, the series was relaunched with the fifth instalment, set in the new world of Ashan and developed by Nival Interactive in 2006. Might & Magic: Heroes VI, developed by Black Hole Entertainment, was released on 13 October 2011. The seventh game in the series, developed by the German company Limbic Entertainment, was released on 29 September 2015. Limbic had previously developed the CRPG Might & Magic X: Legacy for Ubisoft. This makes Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era the first game in the series following a hiatus of over a decade.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era releases into Early Access for PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store on 30 April 2026. It will also be available via PC Game Pass on day one.
Fans of Heroes III have been waiting a long time for the release of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era. And rightly so. The classic gameplay is back in full force, and the Early Access version of the game is great fun — especially given its impressive scope.
