Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Returns the Series to Early Access With Six Playable Factions

A Beloved Turn-Based Strategy Series Steps Into a New Era

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era entered Steam Early Access on April 30, 2026 — and for the long-running turn-based strategy community that has been waiting since the original Heroes era for a credibly modern continuation, this is one of the most genuinely exciting gaming moments of the year. Developed by Unfrozen, published by Hooded Horse and Ubisoft, and launching simultaneously into Xbox Game Pass for PC, Olden Era brings the series forward with six full playable factions, a 25% launch discount on Steam, and the kind of turn-based strategy depth that the longtime Heroes community has been hoping for.

The Heroes series has been one of the most foundational turn-based strategy properties in gaming history. The original New World Computing era defined a generation of strategy gameplay, and the broader Heroes community has remained one of the most dedicated and patient fanbases in PC gaming through every chapter that followed. Olden Era is Unfrozen's full-throated return to that gameplay foundation, and the Early Access launch is built specifically to invite the longtime Heroes community into the development conversation as the game evolves.

The Six Factions and What They Bring

The Early Access launch ships with six full playable factions, each with distinct buildings, units, abilities, and heroes. Temple is the classical light-aligned faction in the Heroes tradition, anchored by the kind of paladin-and-cleric units that long-time fans expect. Dungeon brings the underground evil-aligned faction with the depth and creature variety that made the Heroes underground factions so memorable. Schism is one of the new factions Olden Era introduces — and the early reaction from the Heroes community has been genuinely positive about how Schism's mechanics fit into the broader faction roster.

Grove is the nature-aligned faction with a strong woodland and ranger emphasis. Necropolis returns as one of the most beloved Heroes factions in the series, bringing back the undead-army gameplay loop that has been a fan favorite since the original entries. Hive is the second of the new Olden Era introductions — an insectoid faction that brings genuinely fresh tactical considerations that the Heroes community has been actively exploring on launch day.

The depth of having six full factions at Early Access launch is meaningful. Many Early Access strategy launches ship with a smaller faction roster and expand over time. Unfrozen's choice to launch with six factions immediately gives the community a full strategic playground from day one, which is the right call for a Heroes-tradition game where the faction matchups are the heart of the gameplay loop.

Early Access for the Right Reasons

Early Access is the right launch model for a turn-based strategy game with this much community heritage behind it. The Heroes community has decades of accumulated tactical knowledge, balance preferences, and design sensibilities — and Unfrozen is using Early Access specifically to invite that community into the iteration cycle. Patches, balance updates, additional faction content, and the broader gameplay refinement work will all happen with the longtime Heroes community actively participating in the conversation.

For Heroes fans evaluating whether to jump in at Early Access or wait for full release, the launch state is meaningfully complete already. Six factions, a working campaign and skirmish framework, multiplayer functionality, and the kind of UI polish and onboarding work that suggest Unfrozen has prioritized Early Access being a real playable experience rather than a debug build. The 25% launch discount on Steam — which Unfrozen has confirmed runs through the launch window — also makes the entry point friendlier for fans who want to participate in the Early Access conversation.

How Olden Era Fits the Spring 2026 Strategy Calendar

The Olden Era launch lands inside a busy spring 2026 strategy and indie gaming calendar. The Triple-i Initiative showcase earlier in April brought an unusually deep slate of indie and AA reveals, Saros from Housemarque ships today as well, and the broader strategy genre has had a stronger run of releases than the past several years combined. Olden Era benefits from launching into a gaming audience that is actively looking for deep strategy experiences right now.

The Game Pass availability is also doing real work. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era launched simultaneously into Xbox Game Pass for PC on April 30, which means a meaningfully larger audience can try it without a separate purchase commitment. For Game Pass subscribers who have been curious about the Heroes series but never jumped in, the on-launch availability is a genuinely friendly entry point. For longtime Heroes fans, the Game Pass option also gives a low-friction path to recommend the game to friends who might be on the fence.

The Multiplayer Question

One of the most-watched questions for any Heroes-tradition game is the multiplayer experience, and Unfrozen has built Olden Era with multiplayer as a first-class concern. Hot-seat multiplayer, online multiplayer with simultaneous turn options, and the kind of network-stability work that turn-based strategy multiplayer specifically requires are all in the Early Access launch state. The Heroes multiplayer community has historically been one of the most active and tournament-organized strategy communities in PC gaming, and Olden Era's multiplayer foundation looks built to support that community's expectations.

What Long-Time Heroes Fans Should Expect

For long-time Heroes fans, Olden Era is the kind of return-to-form moment the series has been building toward for years. The faction design philosophy reflects the original-era sensibility while introducing two genuinely new factions. The hero progression and skill systems carry forward the depth that made the original entries so re-playable. The campaign and skirmish modes are recognizable Heroes structures rather than reinventions. And the visual art direction — which Unfrozen has talked about extensively in pre-launch interviews — leans into the painterly, hand-illustrated aesthetic that anchors the Heroes visual identity.

For new players who do not have Heroes history, Olden Era is also an unusually friendly entry point into the broader turn-based strategy genre. The onboarding tutorials, the faction-tutorial flow, and the gradual skirmish difficulty progression all support new-player learning without sacrificing the depth that long-time strategy fans expect. The Early Access launch state is meaningfully more polished than typical Early Access launches, and the longer-term roadmap suggests Unfrozen is building toward a full release that will be even more accessible.

For the strategy gaming community broadly, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is a constructive moment. A beloved foundational property is back in the hands of a developer who clearly cares about the heritage, supported by a publisher with a strong strategy-genre track record, and launching into an audience that is actively engaged with deep strategy gameplay. Spring 2026 just got meaningfully more exciting for turn-based strategy fans.

Sources: Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era Steam Page (April 30, 2026), Steam Community News (April 30, 2026), Instant Gaming News (April 30, 2026), Massively Overpowered (April 1, 2026), FRVR News (April 30, 2026)