After nearly a decade of silence, the franchise that defined an entire genre is back. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era launched into Early Access yesterday on Steam and PC Game Pass, marking the series’ 30th anniversary with a brand-new entry built from the ground up by developer Unfrozen.
If you grew up commanding angel armies across hex grids or racing rival heroes to pick up resource caches before the AI snatched them, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. Olden Era doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel — it takes what made Heroes III an all-time classic and rebuilds the experience with modern visuals, quality-of-life improvements, and a fresh setting rooted in the original Enroth lore.
Six Factions, Three Modes, One Obsession
The Early Access build ships with six fully playable factions: Temple, Dungeon, Schism, Necropolis, Hive, and Grove. Each faction features unique units, heroes, and spell schools, giving the kind of strategic variety the series was always known for. Whether you’re raising the dead with Necropolis or swarming with Hive’s insectoid legions, there’s a distinct flavor to every army.
Three game modes are available at launch: a story-driven campaign, skirmish battles against AI, and online multiplayer where you can test your builds against other players. The multiplayer component is particularly interesting — simultaneous turns are supported, which cuts down on the agonizing wait times that plagued earlier entries in the series.
Pricing and Game Pass
Olden Era is priced at $39.99 on Steam, though a 25% launch discount running through May 13 drops it to just under $30. If you’re on PC Game Pass, you can dive in at no extra cost through Xbox Game Preview — making it one of the best Game Pass additions this month alongside Forza Horizon 6.
The Road Ahead
Unfrozen plans to keep Olden Era in Early Access for approximately one year, though the studio has said that timeline could shift based on community feedback. Additional factions, campaign content, and multiplayer features are all on the roadmap. The developers have been transparent throughout the game’s development, hosting regular community Q&A sessions and incorporating player suggestions into the design process.
For longtime fans of the series, this is as good a starting point as you’re going to get. The foundation is solid, the nostalgia hits hard, and there’s a clear plan for growth. Whether Olden Era can ultimately stand shoulder to shoulder with Heroes III remains to be seen — but the early signs are promising.
