HoMM: Olden Era, a new title that returns to the roots of the legendary time-sink series Heroes of Might and Magic (HoMM), has announced its early access date and is gearing up for launch.

Developer Unfrozen Studio and publisher Hooded Horse released a new trailer on the 1st, officially announcing the early access schedule. The game will be available via Steam and the Microsoft Store Game Preview.

When Ubisoft previously acquired the HoMM series, it shifted the setting to the planet Ashan. However, Olden Era returns to the planet Enroth, the stage for the series' most popular entries, including the continents of Antagarich and Enroth. As the title suggests, the game serves as a prequel, exploring stories from the continent of Jadame and the planet Enroth hundreds of years in the past.

The early access version will be packed with content, featuring six playable factions: Temple, Dungeon, Schism, Grove, Necropolis, and Hive, along with the first chapter of the campaign. Given that replayability is core to the experience, the game will support various modes—including Classic, Single Hero, and Arena—all of which will be available in both single-player and multiplayer. Furthermore, multiplayer modes will feature matchmaking, ranked play, and leaderboards.

Players will also be able to enjoy randomized maps tailored to their preferences via a random map generator template. A map editor will also be included in the early access version, allowing players to create their own custom maps.

Unfrozen has been steadily developing the game under a licensing agreement with Ubisoft. Notably, Paul Romero, the original series' lead composer, is participating in the project. The development team has also bolstered the series' authenticity by bringing on Jon Van Caneghem—who pioneered the genre with King's Bounty and the early HoMM titles—as a creative advisor.

The game will enter early access on April 30 via Steam and Xbox PC, and will also be available through Game Pass.