Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era vs Slay the Spire 2
A nostalgic turn-based strategy revival versus an early-access deckbuilder with the genre's best co-op — pick based on whether you want map exploration or card synergy.
Updated 13d ago
Olden Era revives the HOMM3 formula with modern flair, but its PvP-driven balance and single-player wonk make it a wait-for-full-release unless you're multiplayer-bound.
Still the best in its genre — the new multiplayer co-op alone justifies the buy even in early access.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 26; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 26.
| Measure | Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era | Slay the Spire 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Value Slay the Spire 2 wins on value | ||
| Price now | $29.99 −25% · Nuuvem | $24.99 Steam |
| All-time low | $27.69 | $24.99 |
| Cost / hour | $2.57/hr $29.99 · 12 h main story | $2.61/hr $24.99 · 10 h main story |
| Off its low | +8% low was May 2026 | At its low low was Mar 2026 |
| Main story | 12 h | 10 h |
| Health Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 87% 23k reviews | 61% 204k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 77% 709 votes · vs 87% lifetime · souring | 72% 4k votes · vs 61% lifetime · improving |
| Peak players | 8,316 Sep 2026 · ↓ 7% MoM | 101,134 Sep 2026 · ↓ 4% MoM |
| Launch peak | — | 18% of Mar 2026 launch peak · as of Sep 2026 |
| All-time peak | 60,562 May 2026 · now at 14% | 574,638 Mar 2026 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 9 days ago | 8 weeks ago |
| Patch cadence | 7 in last 90 days | 4 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Platinum | Platinum |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era
The HOMM3-inspired feel hooks veterans—builds feel varied, magic synergies shine, and randomly generated maps keep hundreds of hours fresh.
Balance and load times frustrate long-haul players—AI steamrolls on higher difficulties, templates are a gamble, and crashes mar sessions.
from our August 2026 verdict
Slay the Spire 2
The new four-player co-op hooks even skeptical friends, and regular updates keep the card pool evolving
Ascension 10 balancing draws consistent frustration — brutal enemy scaling and RNG-heavy bosses feel unfair to many
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era if
- You crave a HOMM3-style strategy loop with fresh factions
- You mainly play multiplayer versus friends or randoms
- You can forgive Early Access rough edges for nostalgic high
Pick Slay the Spire 2 if
- You've sunk hours into the original and crave a fresh card pool
- Co-op deck-building with friends sounds better than solo
- You enjoy iterative balance changes and dev feedback
Bottom line
Pick Olden Era if you want multiplayer map strategy and can tolerate 87% review score and over $2 per hour; pick Slay the Spire 2 if you have a co-op partner and value the 61% score's iterative card pool over story length or cost per hour.