Heroes of Might and Magic (sometimes abbreviated HoMM), known as Might & Magic Heroes from 2011 to 2024, is a series of video games created and developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing.

As part of the Might and Magic franchise, the series changed ownership when NWC was acquired by The 3DO Company and again when 3DO closed down and sold the rights to Ubisoft. The games feature turn-based, fantasy-themed conflicts in which players control armies of mythical creatures. The series began in 1995 with the release of the first title. A seventh installment, Might & Magic Heroes VII, was released on September 29, 2015.

New World Computing closed after the production of Heroes of Might and Magic IV, and since then the rights to the franchise have been owned by Ubisoft. Nival Interactive developed the first game in the series since the changeover, Heroes of Might and Magic V. Black Hole Entertainment developed its sequel Might & Magic Heroes VI, but Limbic Entertainment developed later patches and the DLC for it, while Virtuos developed the Shades of Darkness standalone expansion for Heroes VI. Limbic Entertainment developed its sequel, Might & Magic Heroes VII. Olden Era was released in 2026, developed by Unfrozen, and was published by both Ubisoft and Hooded Horse.

The early games were initially released for MS-DOS, then later Microsoft Windows, with sporadic support for Mac. Heroes II was ported to RISC OS, and Heroes III was ported to Linux. GameTap carried the first four games in the series beginning in 2006. Remakes of the first two games were released for the Game Boy Color. The 2015 remake Heroes of Might and Magic III: HD Edition, a remaster of Heroes of Might and Magic III, was ported to iOS and Android, the first time the series was supported on mobile.

Games

Precursors King's Bounty, produced by New World Computing in 1990, largely anticipated the design of Heroes and is included in some Heroes anthologies as the series forerunner. It was remade for the PlayStation 2 in 2001 under the new title Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff. Multiple sequels to King's Bounty unrelated to the Heroes series have been released by 1C Company starting in 2008 with King's Bounty: The Legend.

The release of the first Heroes of Might and Magic was preceded by the first five entries in the Might and Magic series, but Heroes took place on the planet Enroth, which had not been featured in the parent series at the time. The sixth through eighth Might and Magic games were also set on Enroth and featured storylines overlapping or connecting with the first three Heroes titles. Heroes IV and Might and Magic IX are both set on the planet Axeoth, following Enroth's destruction, but their storylines are independent of each other.

Main series

Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest (1995) Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars (1996) The Price of Loyalty (1997), expansion Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (1999) Armageddon's Blade (1999), expansion The Shadow of Death (2000), expansion Heroes Chronicles (2000-2001), additional campaigns released individually Remake (2027) Heroes of Might and Magic IV (2002) The Gathering Storm (2002), expansion Winds of War (2003), expansion Heroes of Might and Magic V (2006) Hammers of Fate (2006), expansion Tribes of the East (2007), expansion Might & Magic Heroes VI (2011) Pirates of the Savage Sea Adventure (2012), free DLC Danse Macabre (2012), free DLC Shades of Darkness (2013), expansion Might & Magic Heroes VII (2015) Lost Tales of Axeoth: Unity (2016), DLC Lost Tales of Axeoth: Every Dog Has His Day (2016), DLC Trial by Fire (2016), expansion Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era (2026)

Portable games Heroes of Might and Magic (Game Boy Color, 2000) Heroes of Might and Magic II (Game Boy Color, 2000)

Online games Heroes of Might and Magic Online (MMO, 2008) Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdoms (MMO, 2009) Might & Magic Heroes Online (MMO, 2014) Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos (mobile, 2017)

Spin-offs Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006), first-person action RPG continuing the story of Heroes V Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (2009), puzzle RPG serving as a prequel to Heroes V Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes - I am the Boss (2011), DLC Might & Magic X: Legacy (2014), continues the story of Heroes VI

Anthologies and special editions Heroes of Might and Magic Compendium (1997), known as Heroes of Might and Magic Full Fantasy Funpack in Germany, includes King's Bounty and first two Heroes games including the Price of Loyalty expansion pack. Released by 3DO/Ubisoft. Heroes of Might and Magic II Gold (1998), includes Heroes II, its expansion pack, and 31 additional single-map scenarios by various authors. Released by 3DO. Heroes of Might and Magic Millennium (1999), includes King's Bounty, Heroes I, Heroes II Gold and Heroes III, but no expansion packs to Heroes III. Released by 3DO, in a 3 CD-ROM disc set. Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete (2000), a special edition that includes Heroes III and its expansion packs (all updated to latest versions) and a custom title screen. Released by 3DO. Heroes of Might and Magic Trilogy (2000), Heroes I, Heroes II and Heroes III, but no expansion packs to Heroes II nor Heroes III. Released in a joint venture by 3DO and Ubisoft, in a 3 CD-ROM disc set. Heroes of Might and Magic: Platinum Edition (2002), includes Heroes I, Heroes II Gold and Heroes III Complete. Released by 3DO, in a 4 CD-ROM disc set. Heroes of Might and Magic III+IV Complete (2002), includes Heroes III Complete and Heroes IV Complete. Released by Ubisoft, in a 1 DVD-ROM disc set. Heroes of Might and Magic IV Complete (2004), includes Heroes IV and all of its expansion packs. Released by Ubisoft. Heroes of Might and Magic V: Silver Edition (2006), includes Heroes V and the expansion pack Hammers of Fate. Heroes of Might and Magic V: Collector's Edition (2007), includes Heroes V and all of its expansion packs. It also includes three bonus DVDs including Storyline Trailers for the main game and its expansion pack, Developer Diaries, Heroes V Universe Album, Exclusive Monsters Test Videos, Fan-Made Heroes Game Encyclopedia and more. Released by Ubisoft. Heroes of Might and Magic: Complete Edition (2007), includes the first five Heroes games and their expansion packs. The included games are accompanied by extras and goodies, such as soundtracks DVDs, a faction booklet, a Heroes of Might and Magic V T-shirt or The Art of Might and Magic artbook. Released by Ubisoft. Might and Magic Heroes V: Epic Collection (2009), includes Heroes V and both of its expansion packs. Released by Encore Games. Heroes Pack (2009), includes Dark Messiah and Heroes V and its expansion packs. Available on Steam. Might & Magic Heroes Collection (2011), includes all five Heroes games and their expansion packs - like the 2007 Complete Edition, without the extras. It was released in most parts of the world by Ubisoft, as a 3 disc set, and in the UK, by Mastertronic Games in a 4 disc set. Might & Magic Heroes VI: Limited Edition (2011), includes Heroes VI and Heroes III along with one extra item (Staff of Asha) and hero (Kraal) for Heroes VI. Released by Ubisoft. Might & Magic Heroes VI: Deluxe Digital Edition (2011), includes a digital copy of Heroes VI, two .pdf documents (164-page concept art book and an A2 format double sided poster), the game's soundtrack and one month subscription on Heroes Kingdoms. Released by Ubisoft. Might and Magic Franchise Pack (2012), includes Dark Messiah, Heroes V and its expansion packs, Clash of Heroes and its DLC, Heroes VI and its two adventure packs. Available on Steam. Might & Magic Heroes VI: Gold Edition (2012), includes Heroes VI and its two adventure packs. Released by Ubisoft. Might & Magic Heroes VI: Complete Edition (2013), includes Heroes VI (version 1.5.1) and its standalone expansion pack and two adventure packs.

Gameplay The Heroes series is within the genre of turn-based strategy. The titular heroes are player characters who can recruit armies, move around the map, capture resources, and engage in combat. The heroes also incorporate some role-playing game elements; they possess a set of statistics that confer bonuses to an army, artifacts that enhance their powers, and knowledge of magical spells that can be used to attack enemies or produce strategic benefits. Also, heroes gain experience levels from battle, such that veteran heroes are significantly more powerful than inexperienced ones. Experienced heroes may persist through a campaign, but generally do not carry over between scenarios.

On a typical map, players begin a game with one town of a chosen alignment. The number of different alignments varies throughout the series, with the lowest count of four appearing initially in Heroes I and peaking at nine in the Heroes III expansion packs Armageddon's Blade. Each town alignment hosts a unique selection of creatures from which the player can build an army. Town alignment also determines other unique traits such as native hero classes, special bonuses or abilities, and leanings toward certain skills or kinds of magic.

Towns play a central role in the games since they are the primary source of income and new recruits. A typical objective in each game is to capture all enemy towns. Maps may also start with neutral towns, which do not send out heroes but may still be captured by any player. It is therefore possible, and common, to have more towns than players on a map. When captured, a town retains its alignment type, allowing the new owner to create a mixed army, although Heroes VI introduces the ability to change a town's alignment to the capturing player's. A player or team is eliminated when no towns or heroes are left under their control, or they do not control a town for seven consecutive days. Barring any special conditions, the last player or team remaining is the victor.

A side objective commonly appearing in the series is the acquisition of a powerful object called the "ultimate artifact" (Heroes I and II), grail (III and IV), or Tear of Asha (V, VI, and VII), buried somewhere on the map. In all games except Heroes VI, heroes visit special locations (called obelisks, or oracles in Heroes IV) to gradually reveal a map of the location of the artifact; in Heroes VI, a hero must instead collect four Fragments of the Moon Disc, which then causes the Tear of Asha to appear somewhere on the map. The ultimate artifact provides immense bonuses to the hero that carries it; the grail or Tear of Asha allows the hero to construct a special building in one of their towns that confers immense bonuses to the player.

Time and resource model Each turn (consisting of all players' moves) is represented as a single day, and days are organized into cycles of weeks and months (measured as four weeks). The primary resource is gold, which is generated by towns on a daily basis. Gold alone is sufficient for obtaining basic buildings and most creatures. As construction progresses, increasing amounts of secondary resources such as wood, ore, gems, crystals, sulfur, and mercury are required. These resources, as well as gold, are produced at mines and other secondary structures, which are located on the map and require heroes to capture them. As with towns, mines can also be captured by enemy heroes, presenting an additional avenue for conflict.

At the start of each week (each day in Heroes IV), creature dwellings produce new recruits, and in most cases neutral armies will increase in size (by default; can be turned off if desired). In some of the games, the start of a new month causes neutral armies to spawn all over the map, providing fresh challenges and opportunities.

Combat