HD Mod

The HD mod (HoMM3 HD) is a free, fan-made and unofficial patch for Heroes of Might and Magic 3 by Alexander Barinov (baratorch) that runs The Shadow of Death, the Complete edition and Horn of the Abyss at modern resolutions, fixes bugs, adds quality-of-life options and hosts the online lobby. It is not Ubisoft's 2015 HD Edition.

The HD mod, which its author calls HoMM3 HD, is a free, fan-made and unofficial patch for Heroes of Might and Magic 3 by Alexander Barinov, known as baratorch, that lets the game run at modern widescreen resolutions instead of the original 800x600, extends the interface and game settings, fixes some of the original game's bugs and hosts the online lobby most people use to play Heroes 3 over the internet (HoMM3 HD). It works with The Shadow of Death, the Complete edition and the fan-made Horn of the Abyss, whose Steam release has it built in. It is not the HD Edition, Ubisoft and Dotemu's paid 2015 remaster: the two share a name and nothing else. Getting it running is part of How to Play Heroes 3 Today.

Quick facts

Get it	Free from its author's site, or built into Horn of the Abyss on Steam and GOG
Author	Alexander Barinov (baratorch); fan-made, unofficial
Works with	Horn of the Abyss, The Shadow of Death, Complete (fully); In the Wake of Gods 3.58 and its offshoots (partly)
Does not work with	The Restoration of Erathia, Armageddon's Blade, Heroes Chronicles, the 2015 HD Edition
Main features	Widescreen and higher resolutions, interface options, bug fixes, HD+ mode, online lobby
Online lobby	Since 5.0 beta 1, Aug 19, 2017 (changelog)
Ranked game history	Since 5.4 R52, Oct 25, 2023 (changelog)
Original files	Left untouched; the original game still starts from the same folder

What the HD mod does

Its author describes it as "a non-official fan made addon (multifunction patch) for Heroes of Might and Magic 3" that began as a way past the original 800x600 resolution and grew from there (HoMM3 HD). Its aim is to leave the original gameplay unchanged while improving the interface and fixing bugs. Its documentation lists small graphical improvements that keep the original style, extended interface and game settings, fixes for original game bugs, sound options, tweaks, the HD+ mode and the online lobby. It does not modify the game's own files, so the unpatched game can still be started from the same folder.

Android.com.pl's 25th-anniversary feature credits the HD mod with letting Heroes 3 run on modern computers and screen resolutions at all (Android.com.pl, Feb 28, 2024). The HotA Crew recommends it to anyone who wants HotA in high definition, recommends a 1180x664 resolution in the HD launcher, and says HotA "is fully compatible with HD-mod and is proven to work correctly under any settings" (HotA FAQ).

HD+

HD+ is the HD mod's second mode: "original gameplay fixes and other essential features for online multiplayer gaming" (HoMM3 HD). Where the plain HD mode is meant to change nothing about how the game plays, HD+ also fixes bugs of the original game's rules, which matters in competitive online games. Its changelog shows HD+ fixes over the years, such as a correction to what happens after a won battle in Oct 2021, and a new cheat code, nwctheone, for The Shadow of Death and HD+ on Dec 2, 2018 (changelog); the codes are on Cheat Codes.

Compatibility

The HD mod's own page gives its compatibility (HoMM3 HD):

Version of Heroes 3	HD mod
Horn of the Abyss	Fully compatible
The Shadow of Death	Fully compatible
Complete	Fully compatible
In the Wake of Gods 3.58, TE, WT, ERA	Partly; some features need tweaking
The Restoration of Erathia	Not compatible
Armageddon's Blade	Not compatible
Heroes Chronicles	Not compatible

The 2015 HD Edition is a separate program that the HD mod does not patch. The Complete edition Ubisoft put on Steam on Aug 25, 2026 does work: Ubisoft's own FAQ for it says it supports "the HD Mod and Horn of the Abyss (HotA)" and that it is identical to the GOG Complete edition (Steam, Sep 18, 2026). The easiest route is often to install Horn of the Abyss from Steam or GOG, since its Steam release ships with "the essential HD Mod by Baratorch integrated" (Steam).

The online lobby

The HD mod runs the online lobby where Horn of the Abyss is played: its changelog added the "HotA online-lobby for multiplayer gaming" in version 5.0 beta 1 on Aug 19, 2017, a friends list and blacklist in 5.0 beta 12 on Nov 6, 2017, and a history of ranked games in 5.4 R52 on Oct 25, 2023 (changelog). The lobby server is the HD mod developer's to run: the HotA Crew says it gives no support for it (HotA FAQ). The HD mod also carries the "Tournament rules" checkbox that online games use, which, among other things, limits Dimension Door to once per turn (HotA FAQ), and its changelog shows that online games can use simultaneous turns (changelog). How online games work is on Multiplayer.

Versions

The oldest entry on the HD mod's public changelog is version 3.714, Jun 22, 2014, and the newest shown is 5.4 R70, Dec 31, 2023 (changelog, read Oct 21, 2026). The public page is behind the mod itself: HotA's notes for 1.8.1 (Aug 25, 2026) say some critical fixes had already been delivered "through HD Mod updates" (HotA changelog), and the HD mod updates itself automatically. For that reason this page does not name a current version number. If the automatic update fails, HotA's download page says to get the current installer from the developer's site and install it over the old version in the same folder (h3hota.com).

HD mod vs HD Edition

	HD mod	HD Edition
Made by	Alexander Barinov (fan-made, unofficial)	Dotemu, published by Ubisoft
Released	Changelog from Jun 22, 2014	Jan 29, 2015
Price	Free	$14.99 on Steam (Oct 21, 2026)
Game content	Whatever you install it on: The Shadow of Death, Complete or Horn of the Abyss	The Restoration of Erathia only, no expansions or random map generator
Graphics	The original art at higher resolutions	Updated HD graphics, widescreen
Online play	The HotA lobby, ranked games	A Steamworks lobby
Horn of the Abyss	Yes	No

The HD Edition is a paid remaster of the original 1999 game, The Restoration of Erathia, with updated graphics, a local multiplayer mode and a Steamworks online lobby (Steam); PC Gamer noted it "lacked the expansions and the random map generator" (PC Gamer, Aug 26, 2026). The HD mod is a free patch over the full game with both expansions. Most players who want the whole game at a modern resolution choose the Complete edition with the HD mod, usually through Horn of the Abyss.

Frequently asked questions

Is the HD mod the same as the HD Edition? No. The Heroes 3 HD mod is a free, fan-made patch by Alexander Barinov for The Shadow of Death, the Complete edition and Horn of the Abyss, while the HD Edition is Ubisoft and Dotemu's paid 2015 remaster of The Restoration of Erathia only.

Is the Heroes 3 HD mod free? Yes. The Heroes 3 HD mod is free from its author's site and comes built into Horn of the Abyss on Steam and GOG; it leaves the original game files untouched.

Does the HD mod work with the Steam version of Heroes 3? Yes, with the Complete edition Ubisoft released on Steam on Aug 25, 2026, which Ubisoft says supports the HD mod and Horn of the Abyss; it does not work with the 2015 HD Edition.

Who made the Heroes 3 HD mod? The Heroes 3 HD mod was made by Alexander Barinov, known as baratorch; the Horn of the Abyss FAQ counts him as a member of the HotA Crew.

What is HD+ in the Heroes 3 HD mod? HD+ is the Heroes 3 HD mod's mode with original gameplay fixes and other features for online multiplayer, while the plain HD mode leaves gameplay unchanged.

Does the HD mod work with Armageddon's Blade or Heroes Chronicles? No. The Heroes 3 HD mod's author lists The Restoration of Erathia, Armageddon's Blade and Heroes Chronicles as not compatible; it needs The Shadow of Death, the Complete edition or Horn of the Abyss.