Ubisoft is currently working on Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake, a project that aims to recreate one of the big classics of the strategy genre. With such an ambition in mind, the company revealed some of the plans to make it a powerful community experience.
A Revamp With the Fanbase at Its Core
The Heroes of Might and Magic series has surpassed 30 years in the market and has a significant legacy as classic turn-based strategy games in a medieval setting. The franchise had a lengthy period without new entries ever since 2015’s Might & Magic Heroes VII and 2017’s mobile title Era of Chaos, but Ubisoft has spent 2026 working on rekindling the flame.
On one hand, the company has been working with Hooded Horse and developer Unfrozen on Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, which is currently in early access on Steam. However, the company has also been working on a more nostalgic project: remaking the classic Heroes of Might and Magic III, which is well-regarded among fans, has many mods and an active community to this day.
Part of the project is working on keeping its legacy alive in many ways, going beyond the simple scope of a visual revamp. Besides including the expansions from the original, the idea is to make old mods compatible in a simple fashion. The new game will have its own map creator, but importing the community’s fan favorites should be an easy matter in the full game.
An Early Look at the Game
Besides getting to hear a little about the project, Hardcore Gamer also had the chance to play an early build. The game is still a work in progress and will be available in 2027 on PC as well as Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. None of its previous versions have received any ports to consoles before, making this a brand-new way to enjoy the game.
There were two different parts of the game that it was possible to check first-hand. The first of them was an early-game scenario created as a tutorial of sorts. In it, the player controls Queen Catherine Ironfist as she departs to her homeland after receiving news of her father’s departure. This serves as a prologue to The Restoration of Erathia, while letting players learn how to move around and play in a map with reduced scope and a linear structure.
The second part of the hands-on experience was closer to the actual campaigns, having the player choose an initial hero out of the various options. Since multiple factions were involved, instead of going for the same one Catherine is part of (The Castle), the option to play as a member of Necropolis seemed more interesting. This meant having access to undead troops, including Skeletons, Liches, Vampires and the like.
Living Up to the Classic Depth
When it comes to the general concept of the game, Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake is a turn-based strategy experience. It’s possible to control multiple heroes, moving them around the overworld map. These commanders have a troop assigned to them and walking around costs stamina. Once they’re exhausted, it’s necessary to stop, so every movement requires careful planning.
During exploration, it’s possible to get resources and locate and learn more about enemies, providing a general sense of the difficulty to expect before proceeding. Battles take place on a separate map with hex-based positioning. Different units have their own range and specific attributes, like gaining extra damage from moving further or being able to move through obstacles in the environment.
While the tutorial map only demanded going through the map up to the distant docks, passing through various enemies on the way, the actual map was much more complex. Keeping track of resources, buying upgrades to the castles and other heroes, improving troops, exploring maps and looking for the enemies’ bases amidst the fog of war were important parts of the experience.
It's easy to see how the robust systems present here can provide deep campaigns filled with strategic possibilities to keep in mind. No part of it felt trivial, but part of a learning experience that only kept getting better during the limited play period, until it was time to stop with hardly enough done. With an intricate strategy game like Heroes of Might and Magic, it’s easy to spend hours on end just digging ever deeper into the possibilities.
It's easy to see how the robust systems present here can provide deep campaigns filled with strategic possibilities to keep in mind.
Visually, the new experience feels good, though the 3D art is not strictly better than the original, but a new way to see things. There’s also an interesting side to the bases’ Town Hall view, which can be set to 2D, which helps in visualization and strategic evaluation. While the former is an immersive look, the latter gives a better comparison of what the player's options are.
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake is a promising new take on an irreplaceable classic of the strategy genre. The 3D take on the maps is looking good, and Ubisoft’s plan to avoid alienating the community sounds perfect on paper. Now it’s time to wait and see whether the actual release lives up to this promise and the years to come for the franchise and its community.