12 clones of Heroes of Might and Magic: what to play if you're a fan of the series

Heroes of Might and Magic is one of the most beloved game series. Gamers still replay the third, fourth, and fifth installments, create mods, and make fan expansions. In this ranking, we've collected the best games similar to Heroes of Might and Magic based on key mechanics: moving across a global map, turn-based tactical battles, and RPG elements. The selection is relevant for 2025–2026, including the freshest genre analogs.

Russian developers have made a significant contribution to the genre of tactical turn-based strategies. King's Bounty, Eador, and Demiurges were clearly influenced by the genre of turn-based strategies and specifically by Heroes of Might and Magic—yet each managed to bring something unique and original to the formula.

It was King's Bounty that once inspired the creators of the very first Heroes of Might and Magic. The original project amazed gamers with its tactical possibilities, but the plot was not particularly impressive.

In 2008, the Russian company Katauri Interactive released a remake intended to restore the series' former popularity. The result was unexpectedly cool. While Heroes of Might and Magic 5, released a couple of years earlier, was a serious and mature project, King's Bounty: The Legend charmed with its humor, vibrant visuals, and overall fairy-tale atmosphere. A million references to modern culture and a touch of non-linearity made the game stand out from its closest competitors.

The success led to the release of several expansions, which were also warmly received. The new King's Bounty quickly developed its own style, and the lore could be expanded endlessly.

However, the release of a full-fledged sequel was delayed. King's Bounty 2 finally launched in 2021. Many elements underwent significant changes, and the top-down view remained only during battles. The increased focus on RPG elements with animated dialogues and consequences for choices required more resources from the developers.

Not all players liked the sequel, but since we haven't seen a new Heroes of Might and Magic since 2015—when part seven was released—there are practically no serious competitors for this "fairy tale" strategy.

All games in the series deserve attention. Despite their apparent simplicity and the lack of city-building, King's Bounty can deliver a wealth of impressions, and its battles are in no way inferior to those of its famous counterpart.

Another domestic analog of Heroes of Might and Magic, brought to life thanks to the efforts of a single person—Alexey Bokulev. The developer also acted as the writer and artist, which is certainly worthy of respect. You play as a bodiless deity piecing together its own world. The story isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s not boring either. You’ll also have to choose between good and evil.

From the very first minutes in Eador: Masters of the Broken World, you’ll recognize familiar features of the older sibling—a global map, turn-based battles in side-view arenas, city development, and resource gathering. However, in many ways, Eador managed to surpass Heroes of Might and Magic, adding depth and detail to familiar aspects. The measured gameplay may not suit everyone, but if you consider yourself a fan of turn-based strategies, you shouldn’t skip this game.

One of the most successful domestic "clones" of Heroes of Might and Magic was the Etherlords series. The second installment was especially successful, earning recognition from both players and critics. The game combined familiar turn-based strategy mechanics with RPG elements and a collectible card game.

The developers were mainly inspired by Magic: The Gathering—the hugely popular tabletop game that laid the foundation for hits like Hearthstone and Gwent. This unusual approach allowed for much more variety in the combat system, expanding players' options.

Key advantages of Etherlords 2 included a variety of available races, four full campaigns, and multiplayer. All this helped the project remain popular for a long time and become one of the best "Russian games" ever. Even now, more than 20 years after its release, Etherlords 2 still looks interesting, and its core ideas can be found in modern hits.

Not all fans of the genre want a fairy-tale atmosphere. For those who prefer gloom, hopelessness, and moral dilemmas instead of cheerful adventures—this section is for you.

For a long time, the main alternative to Heroes of Might and Magic was the Disciples series. It's much more serious and grim than its competitor, and the subdued gothic visuals appealed to many fans of dark fantasy.

In 2021, the series saw the release of Disciples: Liberation, which, like King's Bounty 2, changed both visually and mechanically. The battles, in particular, were heavily reworked. Previously, you controlled a small army, which you needed to position before each fight.

This aspect was especially important because, once placed, the soldiers did not move. The arenas were very compact, saving the game resources on animations and variety. However, it never got boring. The AI would shred unprepared commanders. Every battle felt like a game of chess, but with static pieces.

In Disciples: Liberation, the proven concept was abandoned. Instead of an army, your hero commands a small squad of fighters who can move freely around the arena. Unfortunately, the Disciples series currently lags far behind King's Bounty, but if you're a fan of Heroes of Might and Magic and, for some reason, missed Disciples 2, now is the perfect time to fix that. The simple graphics don't detract from the gameplay, and the unique design still won't leave you indifferent today.

If you're not ready to dive into old-school projects, try Disciples: Liberation. Despite all the controversial innovations, it's still a quality project capable of delivering plenty of great experiences.

The Banner Saga is steeped in Scandinavian mythology. If King's Bounty is a cheerful and kind fairy tale, then everything in "The Saga" is as grim and depressive as possible. Players take on the role of the leader of a caravan of refugees, consisting of humans and giants.

Unexpected events will constantly occur, affecting not only the composition of your troops but also the story. Your party will also constantly experience a shortage of resources, leading to many moral dilemmas — something you won’t find in Heroes of Might and Magic.

Players will have to communicate with characters, complete quests, negotiate, lie, and make questionable alliances. Over time, the scale of the story will only grow and become comparable to a fantasy epic like "Game of Thrones".

If for some reason you missed this journey, it’s important to know that a single storyline develops throughout all three games. This approach sets The Banner Saga apart from other games in this list, making its story the most captivating and complex of all.

You control a squad and take on various contracts. However, one important difference completely changes the feel of the gameplay — quests in Battle Brothers, including story quests, are generated randomly. Each time you start a new adventure, you’ll find yourself in a new world with entirely different stories.

The graphics in the game are schematic — character models look like toy dolls, and everything is drawn in a two-dimensional style. However, this is a case where visuals take a back seat.

Your combat squad isn’t just a bunch of sword-wielding dummies. Each brother has a set of characteristics and traits, which only increase as you progress. For example, you can lose a nose or develop alcoholism. In addition to contracts, you’ll participate in random events, some of which directly depend on your squad’s composition. This approach is somewhat reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon, where hero stats influenced their behavior.

The combat deserves special mention. As in Heroes of Might and Magic, battles take place in a turn-based format on simple arenas. However, don’t be fooled: Battle Brothers has a very high entry threshold, so you can lose almost immediately after starting.

The Age of Wonders series and its spiritual successors combine the familiar mechanics of Heroes of Might and Magic with deep strategic elements in the spirit of "Civilization": diplomacy, city building, and technology development. All this—in addition to turn-based battles. Check out the best fantasy strategies in the VGTimes catalog.

The Age of Wonders games have always stood out for their variety. There were amazing races in Age of Wonders 3, and space battles on distant planets in Age of Wonders: Planetfall.

The gameplay remains unchanged. It's conventionally divided into two stages—a global strategy map and turn-based battles. The first mode is very reminiscent of the strategy hit Sid Meier's Civilization. You form alliances, build settlements, and develop technologies. The battles, on the other hand, are similar to the good old Heroes of Might and Magic. Squads move in turns, gain experience, and characters support armies with individual skills.

In 2023, Age of Wonders 4 was released—currently the best entry in the series and one of the top 4X strategies of the year according to most publications. Creating your own race from scratch, choosing their appearance, magic, and culture—such a level of customization is rarely seen in the genre.

Thanks to its complexity, various parts of Age of Wonders still attract players from all over the world, and the lore can compete with many modern fantasy works.

Another successful blend of "Civilization" and Heroes of Might and Magic. The project features perhaps the greatest number of factions in conflict—seventeen races in total.

Constant fighting is not required. Many tasks can be solved through diplomacy and well-crafted policies.

In Endless Legend, you’ll have to think through every step. Opponents often outnumber you, but you can always defeat them using various tactical solutions.

If you’re looking for a game that most accurately captures the spirit of Heroes of Might and Magic, it’s Songs of Conquest. Indie studio Lavapotion has created a hex-based turn-based strategy where Wielder-heroes travel across the global map, capture mines and cities, and then lead armies in tactical battles—just like in the classic favorite. The game left early access in May 2024 and received rave reviews: it’s called "the best spiritual successor to Heroes of Might and Magic and is recommended to all fans of the genre.

The magic system is based on elements, units level up and gain new abilities, and the campaigns offer several factions with unique lore. Special mention should be made of the map editor—it lets you create your own adventures and share them in the Steam Workshop, which makes the game's lifespan virtually endless.

If "Heroes" impresses with the scale of its armies and creature variety, the games in this section focus on deep role-playing immersion and detailed development of each fighter. A small squad, personal stories of the characters, and a high price for every decision — that's what sets these projects apart.

No heroes, miracles, or magic — just ordinary people and a huge, brutal world. You can’t command armies here — at your disposal is a small squad of mercenaries, each representing a single combat unit. You won’t be able to take a hundred swordsmen with you.

Traveling on the global map occurs in real time, so you can simply run away from some dangers. But battles, as expected, are turn-based.

The main feature of Wartales is unprecedented freedom of choice. You can be whoever you want and make any decisions. Each fighter also has their own background, habits, and stats, which you’ll need to monitor. The game left early access in April 2023 — and in its full version turned out to be even deeper and richer in content than many expected.

Legends of Eisenwald is a wandering knight simulator and one of the most interesting games in our list. Despite the similarity of mechanics to Heroes of Might and Magic, this project puts much more emphasis on RPG elements. You regularly find new equipment, and the story and ending largely depend on your decisions.

At the same time, Legends of Eisenwald is an example of realistic fantasy. There will be no dragons or vampires in your army — only different types of knights. However, this does not mean fewer troops — the variety of units is dazzling.

Tactics and strategy are also very important in the project. You can find a way out of almost any situation and defeat superior enemy forces if you distribute your soldiers wisely.

The game was released back in 2003, but is still being updated. It doesn’t have fancy graphics or cinematic CGI dialogues, but the source code is open access. This allowed fans to get creative and make their own adventures. In addition to several campaigns, you’ll find many stories that expand the lore. The main thing is to have a compatible version of the game, otherwise you might run into some unpleasant bugs.

In Battle for Wesnoth, there’s no global map as in Heroes of Might and Magic, so all gameplay is focused on battles. You also control not just one hero, but all the squads you’ve purchased at once. The game has multiplayer, which will add some adrenaline if playing through scenarios seems too boring.

Which game is most similar to "Heroes 3"?

The closest modern analog is Songs of Conquest: hex-based map, tactical battles, hero progression, and resource capturing—everything just like in the classic. Among older projects, King's Bounty: The Legend and the Age of Wonders series are especially close.

Have any new Heroes of Might and Magic games been released?

The latest official installment remains Heroes of Might and Magic 7 (2015). Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era by Unfrozen studio is in development—early access starts on April 30, 2026, and a demo is already available on Steam. Until its release, the best alternative is Songs of Conquest.

Are there any free games similar to Heroes of Might and Magic?

Yes—Battle for Wesnoth is completely free and distributed with open source code. The game has been actively updated since 2003 and offers several campaigns and multiplayer. You can find more free game options in our list The Best Free PC Games in 2026.

Which "Heroes" analog is best for beginners?

King's Bounty: The Legend is the most beginner-friendly option with a clear tutorial and light atmosphere. Songs of Conquest is also suitable, though it may take a bit more time to master.

Are there any "Heroes" analogs with multiplayer?

Yes: Songs of Conquest supports full online and hot-seat, Battle for Wesnoth—multiplayer over the network, Age of Wonders series—co-op and PvP. The Banner Saga and most other games on the list are single-player only. You can find more games to play in co-op in our article 60 Best Co-op Games for Low-End PCs.

The genre of turn-based tactical strategies similar to Heroes of Might and Magic continues to evolve. In 2024, Songs of Conquest was released—arguably the best modern analog of the series, and on April 30, 2026, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will enter early access, which may return the iconic series to the top of the genre. If you know of other interesting "Heroes" analogs not listed here—share them in the comments!