Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Arrives April 30 — Day One on Game Pass

A Legend Returns: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Hits Early Access April 30

For anyone who spent entire weekends planning hero routes, managing town development queues, and commanding turn-based armies across hand-crafted maps in Heroes of Might and Magic III — April 30, 2026 is a significant date. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, developed by Unfrozen and published by Hooded Horse and Ubisoft, launches in Early Access on Steam and via Game Preview on Xbox. Better yet: it arrives day-one on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, confirmed in Microsoft's April 20 Game Pass Wave 2 announcement.

The franchise has been effectively dormant for over a decade. Olden Era is not a remaster or a nostalgia cash-in — it is a new entry built around the core turn-based strategy formula the series pioneered, extended with new RPG mechanics, modern multiplayer infrastructure, and a full community creation suite.

Six Town Types and a Richer Hero System

Olden Era ships at Early Access launch with six distinct town types: Temple, Necropolis, Sylvan, Dungeon, Hive, and Schism. Each represents a unique civilization with its own unit roster, upgrade paths, and strategic identity — the foundation of what has always made Heroes games so deeply replayable. No two playthroughs feel the same when the town you draw determines the army you build and the tactics available to you.

The RPG mechanics represent the most ambitious new addition. Unfrozen is extending the hero development system beyond the familiar skill wheel: characters gain new capabilities through a layered progression system that reflects their adventures and decisions rather than just raw stat advancement. Unfrozen has been deliberately restrained about previewing the full depth of this system ahead of Early Access, wanting players to encounter it organically.

Turn-Based Strategy Core, Expanded

The fundamental loop remains intact: explore the map, capture resource nodes, develop your town, recruit armies, and advance heroes through combat. Olden Era builds on this foundation with:

- Multiplayer and co-op support: The series was always excellent in multiplayer. Olden Era ships with full online functionality at Early Access launch — no waiting for a post-launch patch to play with friends

- A map editor: The Heroes III map editor generated decades of community content and was central to the game's longevity. Olden Era includes a modern equivalent, enabling the community to start building custom scenarios immediately after launch

- PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One: The multiplatform launch via Game Pass makes this the most accessible Heroes entry ever for players new to the series

The Early Access Approach

Unfrozen is using Early Access specifically to develop the game alongside player feedback — the studio's communication ahead of launch has been notably direct about which systems are complete and which are still being refined. This is the right approach for a strategy game of this complexity. The community's input on balance, pacing, and feature priorities has shaped the best strategy titles of this era, and Unfrozen's transparency signals they understand that dynamic.

The full feature list will expand during Early Access, with a full release timeline to be confirmed based on community feedback and development progress.

For New Players and Series Veterans Alike

If you have never touched a Heroes game, Olden Era is as good an entry point as the series has ever had — modern UI, fully functional multiplayer at launch, and a map editor that will generate community-created content within days of release. If you lost hundreds of hours to Heroes III or IV and have been waiting fifteen years for a proper successor, this is that game.

Day-one Game Pass inclusion removes any barrier to finding out which camp you fall into. April 30 is seven days away.

Sources: Xbox Wire (April 20, 2026), Steam Early Access Page (April 2026), RPGamer (April 2026), Massively OP (April 1, 2026), Hooded Horse Press Release (April 2026)