For a lot of fantasy fans, HeroQuest was the first time they ever sat down to play a dungeon crawl, long before they rolled a twenty-sided die. Now the classic board game is getting a new life on PC. Nomad Games and Balor Games have announced HeroQuest: Digital Edition, an officially licensed adaptation created in collaboration with Hasbro and Avalon Hill, coming to Steam in 2027.
The project was unveiled at The MIX Fall Showcase on Friday (October 16th).
A Gateway To Fantasy Gaming
Milton Bradley and Games Workshop first published HeroQuest in 1989. It was simple enough for families to pick up but had the bones of a real tabletop RPG, with one player acting as the game master while everyone else explored the dungeon together. Its high-fantasy look, with chunky miniatures, crumbling dungeon tiles and a sinister sorcerer behind it all, owed plenty to Games Workshop's design sensibilities, and it introduced a whole generation to the idea of a party of adventurers working together.
Hasbro's Avalon Hill brought the game back earlier this decade, and it has been steadily remaking the original quests while adding brand new content. The latest quest pack, Wizards of Morcar, arrived earlier this year.
The Game Master Seat Is Still There
The thing that made HeroQuest feel like more than a board game was Zargon. The evil sorcerer acts as the dungeon's game master, controlling its monsters and traps, and in the original, one player sat behind a cardboard screen in his role. The digital edition keeps that idea intact.
Up to four players can team up in online co-op as the Barbarian, the Dwarf, the Elf and the Wizard, while a fifth player can take control of Zargon and scheme against the heroes. You can also go solo and command the whole party yourself, with the game running Zargon.
The four heroes play much like they did on the tabletop. According to the Steam page, the Barbarian breaks through enemy lines, the Dwarf searches for traps, the Wizard unleashes arcane power while needing protection, and the Elf lands the final blow. Combat is turn-based, and dice rolls still decide your fate.
Write Your Own Quests
The feature tabletop fans may get the most out of is the Quest Editor. HeroQuest has always had a strong homebrew community, with fans designing their own dungeons and sharing them for decades. The digital edition supports that directly, letting players build their own quests and download community creations through built-in mod.io integration.
It also means the game can grow well past the classic quest book, since any adventure the community dreams up can be shared with other players.
For game masters who have spent years sketching dungeons on graph paper, that could be one of the most appealing parts of the package.
Who Is Behind It
Nomad Games is no stranger to adapting classic fantasy tabletop games. The studio is best known for its digital versions of Talisman, Games Workshop's other beloved fantasy board game, as well as a pair of Fighting Fantasy titles based on the gamebook series. Balor Games, an indie publisher formed by former Humble Games leaders, is publishing the project.
HeroQuest: Digital Edition is available to wishlist on Steam now. A closed beta playtest is coming soon, though pricing and a firmer release window have not been announced. Console versions have not been confirmed either, so for now this is a PC-first return for a game many fans first played around a kitchen table.
Would you rather take on Zargon's role as the game master, or build your own quests for others to brave?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.