The popularity of 'Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era' (hereafter Olden Era) is rising day by day. As of the 4th, it has dethroned Far Far West to claim the top spot on Steam's global charts, with peak concurrent players climbing to 60,000.

Olden Era started with 40,000 concurrent players on its launch day. By May 1st, that figure grew to 51,000, and it continued to rise through the weekend, hitting 53,000 on the 2nd and peaking at 60,885 on the 3rd. It seems these numbers are also impacting sales, with the game surpassing 500,000 units sold in just three days.

Olden Era is a prequel project marking the 30th anniversary of the 'Heroes of Might and Magic' franchise. It inherits the mechanics of the third entry, widely considered the series' golden age, while introducing new systems for better quality of life. In terms of world-building, it has captured the attention of the existing fandom by setting the game on the continent of Jadame, which was not deeply explored in previous titles, and covering the story before the first game.

Even as the review count has increased since launch, the user rating remains 'Very Positive' (89% positive from 6,937 reviews). Players have praised how well it captures the nostalgia of the third game while integrating new systems. However, some have pointed out that the AI's unit production is excessive even on easy or normal difficulties, and that the focus on PvP balance has diminished the fun of PvE.

The development team has been working hard to adjust balance and fix issues, releasing patches three times between the 2nd and 4th. With a one-year Early Access period planned, it remains to be seen if this active feedback loop can help the first new entry in 11 years restore the series' reputation.

Elsewhere on the charts, the casino-style co-op newcomer 'Gamble With Your Friends' took 5th place. It has received 'Very Positive' user reviews for the fun of playing various casino games together without the risk. Pragmata has slipped to 6th place, showing a gradual decline.

In the Top 20 daily peak concurrent players, Crimson Desert rose to 14th place with 104,341 players. As there is a large variance in weekend user influx, the ranking may drop significantly on weekdays. ARC Raiders saw interest plateau after the 'Shattered Waves' update, recording 122,157 players.