HoMM: Olden Era isn't out yet, and players already sink 200 hours into it. The secret lies in its „probably unlimited replayability”

In the gaming world, demos usually just give you a little taste of the game—like a short bit of the campaign or a single map. However, in the case of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, the situation is entirely different. The strategy demo is so replayable that you can easily treat it like a full game, spending dozens or even hundreds of hours on it.

As revealed by Denis Fedorov, the CEO of the Unfrozen studio responsible for the game, there are players who have already logged over 200 hours just in the trial version. The secret lies in a random map generator, which provides "an incredible, possibly unlimited replayability." According to the developer, we can play for "tens or even hundreds of hours on different templates and still not get bored," and the multiplayer mode is all about that endless variety too.

The popularity of the demo is also confirmed by hard data. The demo for Olden Era became the most-played strategy demo ever on SteamDB, hitting a peak of over 24,000 players at the same time.

Despite the community's immense enthusiasm, Fedorov once tried to temper expectations. The CEO of the studio emphasized that not everything would run perfectly in Early Access.

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is heading exclusively to PC. The release was originally planned for this year but has been postponed to 2026.

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

2026

Want It!

• Overview

• demo / trial versions
• Heroes of Might and Magic (franchise)
• turn-based strategies
• Unfrozen