Competitive Scene

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is still played competitively more than 27 years after its release, almost entirely in the fan-made, unofficial Horn of the Abyss (HotA) expansion through the online lobby of the fan-made HD mod, with ranked games, shared tournament rules and random map templates built for one-on-one play. The scene is strongest in Poland: 518 players registered for the 2026 Polish Championship, the most in six years (CD-Action, Jun 1, 2026), and the Polish player Marek "Szopa666" Szczepański won the World Championship and 1,000 euros in Jan 2022 (Instalki.pl). Ubisoft, which owns the game, now acknowledges the scene and partnered the 2026 Polish Championship. How to get online is on Multiplayer.

Quick facts

How competitive Heroes 3 is played

Android.com.pl dates online duels to 2009, when mods by Russian developers turned Heroes 3 into a competitive game (Android.com.pl, Feb 28, 2024). Today that means the fan-made Horn of the Abyss: the HotA Crew says it balances its additions with members of the online community, which makes HotA "the most convenient option for tournaments" (HotA FAQ), and CD-Action credits HotA's networked lobbies with helping Heroes 3 become an esports game (CD-Action, Sep 3, 2026).

Games are played in the lobby that Alexander Barinov's fan-made HD mod added on Aug 19, 2017; since Oct 25, 2023 the lobby keeps a history of ranked games (HD mod changelog). Players usually tick the HD mod's Tournament rules box, which applies common online conventions, such as casting Dimension Door only once per turn (twice on the largest maps with Expert Air Magic) (HotA FAQ).

The full conventions are HotA's online gaming rules, based on older HeroesWorld rules and adapted to HotA. They cover how players pick towns and colors, when a game must or may be restarted, limits on Dimension Door, fair play (endless battles, disconnects, simultaneous turns) and a section of rules per random map template. Cheat codes, trainers and other programs are forbidden, and so is opening a played random map in the map editor before the game ends (HotA rules).

Templates and Jebus Cross

0:56 Competitive maps are random maps made from templates, recipes that tell the random map generator how many zones, guards and treasures a map has. HotA's rules give separate rules for templates including h3dm1, mt_Jebus, Nostalgia, Firewalk and Jebus Cross, an extra-large template with an underground level, on which a player may not move into another zone without defeating its guards (HotA rules). The HotA Crew keeps adjusting these templates: version 1.6.0 (Jan 1, 2020) allowed Ancient Lamps in Tower starting zones on Jebus Cross and capped battles on standard online templates at 100 rounds, and 1.7.3 (Jun 8, 2025) banned the hero Galthran and allowed Ranloo on Jebus Cross (HotA changelog). Map types in general are on Maps, and the strategy that wins games on Strategy Guide.

2:30 The online player and streamer Lexiav, in a guide for newcomers to online play, calls Jebus Cross one of the most popular templates and one of the easiest to get into. He describes a desert zone in the middle, rich in artifacts and armies, surrounded by four zones where the players start, each holding two random towns, with opponents starting across from each other. The way to win, in his account, is to build up by clearing creature dwellings and banks, then break into the central desert first by defeating its guard, which may not be skipped by Dimension Door or flying under the rules. He says top players break in late in the first week or early in the second, and suggests newcomers aim for the first month and improve from there.

Tournaments

World Championship (final in Jan 2022). The Polish player Marek "Szopa666" Szczepański became world champion by beating his fellow Pole "Arytmetyczny" in the final without losing a game, and won 1,000 euros; more than 1,000 players took part, and the final was played in the Fantasyexpo studio in Kraków (Instalki.pl, Jan 18, 2022). CD-Action recalled the same 1,000 euro prize in 2026 (CD-Action, Jun 1, 2026).

Polish Championship 2026. The Polish Championship (Mistrzostwa Polski) returned in 2026, its fourth edition and the first since 2020, run by h3.gg with the Polish fan portal Jaskinia Behemota, which organized the 2018 to 2020 editions (Jaskinia Behemota, May 17, 2026). 518 players registered, the most in six years; the 16 best-ranked players were seeded and the other 502 drawn into groups of four or five, a draw streamed on h3.gg's Twitch channel on Jun 1, 2026 (CD-Action, Jun 1, 2026). Its organizers include Kamil "FirstBlood" Sztejnbis and Michał "Czilera" Wojtowicz, president of the Kapitol association, which promotes Heroes 3; Ubisoft and Jaskinia Behemota were strategic partners and CD-Action the main media partner. Vi.ki found no published prize pool, finals date or winner, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Puchar Polski (Polish Cup). CD-Action and h3.gg co-organize a Polish Cup (Android.com.pl, Feb 28, 2024); CD-Action mentions a 2023 edition (CD-Action, Jun 1, 2026). Its results were not found in the sources read.

Tournaments outside Poland, viewing figures and lobby player counts are not covered here: Vi.ki found no reputable report of them, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Players

The press names few players. Marek "Szopa666" Szczepański is the World Champion of the 2021 to 2022 championship, and "Arytmetyczny" was the runner-up (Instalki.pl, Jan 18, 2022). Seeding for the 2026 Polish Championship came from the current ranking (CD-Action, Jun 1, 2026). This page will add names as reputable press reports them.

Ubisoft and the scene

8:09 Ubisoft took notice in 2026. Its gameplay overview trailer for the Remake promises that multiplayer "returns with improved matchmaking and a simultaneous turn system", and introducing the Remake, its developers wrote that Heroes 3 players "continue to create maps, develop mods, analyze strategies, and organize tournaments" (Steam, Aug 27, 2026), and Ubisoft was a strategic partner of the 2026 Polish Championship. Ubisoft says it is in contact with the HotA team, and that the Remake launches with the original game's balance, with openness to options such as HotA's (GRYOnline.pl, Sep 9, 2026). The Remake's roadmap ends with a feature cycle for "Hotseat, PvP, and beyond" (Steam, Oct 7, 2026); Ubisoft has said nothing about Remake tournaments or ranked play, as of Oct 21, 2026.

How to start playing ranked

1. Own the Complete edition (or The Shadow of Death); the 2015 HD Edition cannot run HotA.
2. Install Horn of the Abyss, free on Steam, GOG or h3hota.com; the HD mod comes with it.
3. Open the online lobby from the game, read HotA's online gaming rules, and play rated games on the templates the rules cover.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest Heroes 3 tournament? The biggest reported recently is the 2026 Polish Championship of Heroes of Might and Magic 3, with 518 registered players according to CD-Action (Jun 1, 2026); the World Championship decided in Jan 2022 had more than 1,000 players according to Instalki.pl.

Who is the best Heroes 3 player? The press names Marek "Szopa666" Szczepański of Poland as the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 world champion, who won the championship and 1,000 euros in Jan 2022 without losing a game in the final.

What is Jebus Cross in Heroes 3? Jebus Cross is a random map template for Heroes of Might and Magic 3 that the fan-made Horn of the Abyss maintains and its online rules cover, an extra-large map on which players must defeat a zone's guards before moving into it.

How do I start playing Heroes 3 ranked? Install the fan-made Horn of the Abyss with the HD mod over the Heroes 3 Complete edition, open the online lobby and follow HotA's online gaming rules; the lobby keeps a history of ranked games.

What version of Heroes 3 do tournaments use? Heroes of Might and Magic 3 tournaments are played in the fan-made Horn of the Abyss with the fan-made HD mod, usually with the Tournament rules option and HotA's online gaming rules.

Are cheats allowed in Heroes 3 online games? No. Horn of the Abyss's online gaming rules for Heroes 3 forbid cheat codes, trainers and other side programs.

Sources

• Horn of the Abyss: Online gaming rules, HotA Crew, read Oct 21, 2026
• Horn of the Abyss: FAQ, HotA Crew, read Oct 21, 2026
• HotA changelog, HotA Crew, versions 1.0 to 1.8.1
• HoMM3 HD: Changelog, Alexander Barinov, read Oct 21, 2026
• To będą największe mistrzostwa Polski w Heroes 3 od lat, CD-Action, Jonasz Gulczyński, Jun 1, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic: najnowsze informacje, CD-Action, Maciej Szymczak, Sep 3, 2026
• Mistrzostwa Polski w Heroes 3, Jaskinia Behemota, May 17, 2026
• Polak został mistrzem świata w Heroes of Might and Magic III, Instalki.pl, Maksym Słomski, Jan 18, 2022
• 25 lat Heroes 3, Android.com.pl, Szymon Baliński, Feb 28, 2024
• Welcome Back to Erathia, Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026
• Community Roadmap, Playtest, and Events, Ubisoft on Steam, Oct 7, 2026
• Zapytaliśmy twórców Heroes III Remake, jak chcą uspokoić fanów, GRYOnline.pl, Przemysław Dygas, Sep 9, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake - Gameplay Overview Trailer, Ubisoft, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
• The basics of Jebus Cross for newbies who want to get into online play!, Lexiav, Jan 25, 2021 (video)