Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is the next entry in the legendary turn-based tactics franchise set in a mysterious new continent. Featuring new factions, biomes, and creatures, the lands of Jadame have been referenced but never explored in the main Heroes of Might and Magic series. 

Returning to the world of Enroth, Olden Era not only brings back the beloved elements of the classic Heroes series but also reimagines them for a new generation, offering fresh adventures in a land that fans have long cherished. Heroes Of Might And Magic: Olden Era returns to the origins of the legendary saga, inviting both veterans and new players to go on a new strategic quest on Jadame, a mysterious continent in turmoil, never before explored in the main Heroes of Might & Magic series, with its unique factions, biomes and creatures. 

Olden Era's turn-based gameplay is split between exploration, with players taking control of a hero to find resources, build towns and castles, and gather armies of mythic creatures; and tactical battles, in which players pit those armies against opposing forces. Expanding on the classic fundamentals of the series, Olden Era will introduce a number of new features: Players will have more control over how they level up heroes and their factions, for example, with faction-specific abilities, new systems for learning skills and magic spells, and artifacts that now impart bonuses if players equip more than one piece from a set. Additionally, the units players command during battles now have secondary abilities that can be activated when a new energy meter fills.

Olden Era ushers in a new era for the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise, bringing players to explore a vibrant and living fantasy world full of wonders and dangers, build magnificent castles, raise massive armies and clash in epic and highly tactical battles of heroes and mythical creatures. Play solo with a new campaign, single maps and limitless randomly generated scenarios, or engage in battle of wits and magic with other players in various multiplayer modes offering a variety of gameplay, from quick Arena matches to the strategic depth of a single-hero mode or classic Skirmish. One of the main features coming during early access includes creative tools that will allow players to create their own Heroes of Might & Magic single maps and multiplayer templates.

Hooded Horse, Unfrozen Studio, and Ubisoft are excited to announce the news that everyone has been waiting for – Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will release on PC via Steam Early Access and the Microsoft Store (via Game Preview) on April 30, 2026 and will remain in Early Access for a year, but that could change depending on how the design develops with player feedback.

It will also be coming to PC Game Pass day one.

“The Early Access version is fully playable, featuring 6 unique factions and three different game modes available to play in both single and multiplayer. Players can also engage with the opening act of the narrative campaign, design their own maps using the map editor, and explore scenarios featuring self-contained stories.”

“We plan for the full version of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era to have additional content influenced by community feedback during the Early Access period. We plan to add additional scenarios and map templates alongside improvements to the map editor and an additional Underground map layer. Players will also be able to experience the full story of Olden Era across all acts of the narrative campaign.”

In a nod to the series' history, these skirmishes trade the rectangular grids of more recent Heroes of Might and Magic games for a battlefield of hexagonal spaces. This - like much of Olden Era - is inspired by fan-favorite Heroes of Might and Magic III (which still retains an active player base and community after 25 years).

Heroes Of Might And Magic: Olden Era will feature multiple ways to play, including a story-driven campaign as well as single maps for solo players, and classic multiplayer matches (which support one-on-one duels, but will allow up to eight players in the lobby and enable players to set custom rules). In addition to pre-made maps , Olden Era will also be able to randomly generate new ones, ensuring players can always have something new to discover. Players can also create their own maps and campaigns with an in-game editor.

Players looking for a more streamlined combat fix can also tackle Arena, a new multiplayer mode in which two players draft heroes, artifacts, skills, and creatures before jumping straight into a tactical battle.

Olden Era's nonlinear story campaign will let players choose from six new and returning factions, each with their own heroes, creatures, aesthetics, and playstyles: the knightly Temple; the Sylvan fey folk and forces of nature; the dark elves and subterranean dwellers of Dungeon; the vampires and undead of Necropolis; the demon-corrupted insectoids of Hive; and another faction that will be unveiled later.

Additionally, Olden Era introduces a system of Faction Laws, which let you level up your kingdom as well as your heroes by choosing perks. Each faction has a specific set of Faction Laws to choose from, however, and these won't change even if you conquer castles or recruit creatures from other factions during a match.

Heroes are central to every Heroes of Might and Magic game: they're the protagonists you control while exploring the world, and each faction has several. While they don't necessarily take an active role on the battlefield, they can intervene with spells and special attacks, and impart passive buffs to certain kinds of troops.

Heroes will level up as maps unfold, battles are won, and bonuses are discovered, and Olden Era gives players new ways to fine-tune their hero's build. Artifacts - weapons, pieces of armor, and other items that can be found throughout the world and equipped on your hero - return in Olden Era, and now impart extra bonuses if you equip more than one item from a set; the more pieces from that set you equip, the more bonuses you unlock. You can also adjust your build with subskills, a new addition that can augment a hero's "main" skills (once those are unlocked) with passive buffs and perks. 

Mage Guilds return in Olden Era, she says, but their randomness will be smoothed out a bit, ensuring players have better opportunities to grab the spells they need to complete a build, while still not being able to learn everything. More about magic and Olden Era's other new features will be revealed in the near future, so stay tuned.

Heroes Of Might And Magic: Olden Era is coming to PC (Steam) in 2027.