Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era launched into Steam Early Access on April 30, 2026, peaking at over 41,000 concurrent players. With six factions, three game modes, a campaign, and the original series creator onboard as advisor, the legendary strategy series is back.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era entered Steam Early Access on April 30, 2026, marking the first new entry in the legendary turn-based strategy series in over a decade. Developed by Unfrozen and published by Hooded Horse alongside Ubisoft, the game peaked at 41,412 concurrent players on launch day according to SteamDB. Before release, it had climbed to 1.5 million Steam wishlists, making it the ninth most wishlisted title on the platform.
Why This Launch Matters: A Decade of Waiting
The Heroes of Might and Magic series defined an entire generation of turn-based strategy gaming, with Heroes III (1999) widely regarded as one of the greatest strategy games ever made. The franchise went quiet after a controversial seventh entry, and fans spent years wondering whether a worthy successor would ever arrive. Olden Era is not a remake or reboot. It is an official prequel set on the world of Enroth, specifically the continent of Jadame, placing it before the events of the original trilogy.
The announcement came at Gamescom in August 2024, and anticipation built quickly. A demo launched on Steam on October 9, 2025, drawing 24,157 concurrent players at its peak and receiving “Very Positive” reviews. By September 2025 the game had hit 750,000 wishlists, topping the turn-based strategy category. The count doubled to 1.5 million by late April 2026, just days before release.
What Is Included in Early Access?
Despite its Early Access label, Olden Era ships with a substantial amount of content. Six unique factions are available from day one: Temple, Dungeon, Schism, Grove, Necropolis, and Hive. Each faction features distinct units, heroes, city designs, and upgrade paths. The Temple fields armored knights and griffins, the Necropolis raises undead armies of vampires and liches, the Dungeon commands dragons and underground creatures, the Grove draws on nature spirits, the Hive deploys insectoid swarms, and the Schism (a splinter group from the Dungeon lore) blends arcane magic with ancient technology.
Three core game modes are included:
- Classic: The traditional HoMM experience with multiple heroes, castle building, resource management, and map exploration.
- Single Hero: A faster, higher-stakes variant where each player controls only one hero. Losing that hero means game over.
- Arena: A draft-style mode where players build a hero loadout and army, then fight immediately in tactical combat.
All three modes support both single-player and multiplayer, with matchmaking, ranked play, and leaderboards for online. A Hotseat mode allows local multiplayer on a single PC. The first act of a narrative campaign is playable, alongside standalone scenarios with self-contained stories, a random map generator with multiple templates, puzzle-style challenges, and a beta map editor.
Jon Van Caneghem Returns as Creative Advisor
One of the most significant developments behind Olden Era is the return of Jon Van Caneghem, the original creator of the Might and Magic franchise. Unfrozen announced in January 2026 that Van Caneghem had joined the project as Creative Advisor. His involvement helped guide key design decisions, including the “Fun AI” difficulty approach that replaced the demo’s punishing enemy scaling with more engaging, fair encounters. GamesRadar reported that community manager Bart Podress-Leszek credited Van Caneghem’s advice as instrumental in rebalancing the game’s PvE difficulty for Early Access.
What the Critics Are Saying
Early Access reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. GamesRadar+ called it “a triumphant return for the legendary strategy RPG series” and the best entry since 1999’s Heroes III, praising its wide range of modes and the depth hidden beneath simple fundamentals. PC Gamer was equally enthusiastic, writing that it “isn’t a reimagining or a divisive reinterpretation, it’s just a brilliant strategy game” and singling out the magic system and proc-gen maps as highlights. Polygon described it as “a deeply nostalgic and soothing gaming experience rendered with exactly the right amount of modern polish.”
Gamereactor’s review noted that the campaign missions already exceed expectations, with genuine RPG elements and optional side objectives that elevate the storytelling beyond previous entries. The reviewer described it as “practically everything I could have asked for in a new game in the series.” Strategy and Wargaming echoed this sentiment, praising the old-school simplicity and “pick up and play” feel while highlighting dozens of hours of content even in the initial Early Access build.
Pricing and Availability
The base price is $39.99 USD, but an introductory 25% discount brings it to $29.99 until May 14, 2026. Unfrozen has indicated the price may increase during Early Access as more content is added. The game is also available on the Microsoft Store and through Xbox Game Pass (PC) as a day-one Game Preview title, meaning subscribers can play at no additional cost.
A Hooded Horse Strategy RPG Bundle is available on Steam, packaging Olden Era with MENACE and Heart Of The Machine at a combined discount. The larger Hooded Horse Publisher Bundle includes 27 titles such as Manor Lords, Against the Storm, and Old World.
How Long Will Early Access Last?
Unfrozen plans to remain in Early Access for approximately one year, though the timeline may shift based on player feedback. The full release will add the remaining acts of the narrative campaign, additional scenarios and map templates, an underground map layer, and improvements to the map editor. The studio is actively engaging with the community through Discord and Steam forums and has emphasized that player input will directly influence the game’s direction.
What Players Want to Know
Is this actually like Heroes III?
Yes, and that is very much by design. Olden Era builds directly on the formula that made Heroes III iconic: turn-based combat on hex grids, castle building and resource management, hero levelling with skills and spells, and exploration of fog-covered maps. New additions include a Focus mechanic (earned through combat to activate unit abilities), a Law Points system for faction-wide upgrades, and branching unit upgrade paths that let players choose between two evolution options per creature.
Can I play on Steam Deck?
Olden Era has a “Playable” rating from Valve and a Platinum rating on ProtonDB. Steam Deck HQ reported it runs fairly well, though some in-game text is small and a keyboard may be needed for certain functions. For a turn-based strategy game, the Steam Deck is a viable platform even in Early Access.
Is multiplayer working at launch?
All three game modes (Classic, Single Hero, Arena) support online multiplayer with matchmaking and ranked play. Hotseat mode is also available for local pass-and-play sessions. Early streams showed active matchmaking on launch day, though the community is still establishing itself.
What platforms is it on?
PC only for now, available on Steam and the Microsoft Store. Xbox Game Pass provides access on PC as well. No PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, or Xbox console versions have been announced. The developer’s website lists PC as the confirmed platform focus.
A Strong Foundation for What Comes Next
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has arrived with more content, more community goodwill, and more critical acclaim than most Early Access launches can claim. Over 41,000 concurrent players on day one, backed by 1.5 million wishlists and the personal involvement of series creator Jon Van Caneghem, make this the most significant moment for the franchise since the late 1990s. The coming year of Early Access will determine whether Olden Era can sustain that momentum, but based on what is already playable, the legendary strategy series is firmly back on track.
