Horn of the Abyss

Installing HotA on Android

There are several well-known methods for installing HotA on Android.
ExaGear Strategies offers more convenient controls but uses somewhat outdated system software.
GameHub and Winlator have less convenient controls, but feature up-to-date system software, resulting in more stable performance.

GameHub

Installing the Steam version

  1. Install GameHub from Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xiaoji.egggame

  2. Launch GameHub → sign in with your Google account → then sign in with your Steam account

  3. Install Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss from your Steam library

  4. Tap the menu button → select PC Engine → General → Environment variables → add the FEX_SMCCHECKS variable with the value 0

  5. Launch the game

Installing the standard version

  1. Download and install GameHub from outside Google Play: https://gamehub.gamesir.com

  2. Copy the installed HotA folder from another device to the Downloads folder on your Android

  3. Launch GameHub → go to Library → sign in with your Google account

  4. Tap Import → grant file access permissions → select h3hota HD.exe in the Downloads folder → tap Confirm

  5. Select Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss

  6. Tap the menu button → select PC Engine → General → Environment variables → add the FEX_SMCCHECKS variable with the value 0

  7. Launch the game

Additional Notes

  • In the menu, under PC Engine → Input → Buttons and layout, you can download a ready-made preset (e.g., Default Keyboard Layout) and edit it if needed

  • Use the system Back button in-game to open the menu where you can toggle between Touchpad and Touchscreen modes

Winlator

Installing Winlator

  1. Download and install Winlator from https://winlator.org

  2. Copy the installed HotA folder from another device to the Downloads folder on your Android

  3. Launch Winlator → tap + to create a container → tap the checkmark button to save the settings

  4. Run the container → select drive D: → open the HotA folder

  5. Select the h3hota HD.exe file → open the context menu (tap and hold with one finger, then tap the screen with another) → select Create Shortcut (the shortcut will appear on the desktop and in the Shortcuts menu on the Winlator home screen)

  6. Launch the game

Additional Notes

  • Specially optimized control layouts for HotA can be downloaded here:
    https://sbgames.su/downloads/Heroes3+wo+nums.icp
    https://sbgames.su/downloads/Heroes3.icp
    To install, open the menu (top left) → Input Controls → Import Profile → select the downloaded profile

  • In the Settings menu, you can enable the Move cursor to touchpoint option to change the control method

  • To open the Winlator main menu inside the container or during gameplay, tap the screen with four fingers simultaneously or press the system Back button

ExaGear Strategies

Installation instructions:

  1. Download and install ExaGear Strategies from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CJY3bAcPDkO3WVe2OJEmBio3h90nyXWW/view

  2. Launch ExaGear Strategies. It will display an error and close (this is caused by missing cache files that need to be installed)

  3. Download the app cache from https://drive.google.com/file/d/19vuIM8nFLh3JpRj2o1Vf_rwbpaiCWcpZ/view

  4. Extract the downloaded archive and place the main.40.com.eltechs.es.obb file in the folder /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/com.eltechs.es

  5. Launch ExaGear Strategies again. The necessary cache will now unpack, and required folders will be created on the device. If an error appears, delete the main.40.com.eltechs.es.obb file in /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/com.eltechs.es, then repeat step 5 using a different file manager (e.g., Total Commander)

  6. Place the HotA folder in /storage/emulated/0/ExaGear (the game must be pre-installed on another device)

  7. Launch ExaGear Strategies and verify that the game launch files appear

  8. Open the app launch settings in ExaGear Strategies and configure the screen, color, language, and control settings. For Heroes, the following is recommended:

    • Color depth: 16bpp
    • Language format: ru_RU.UTF-8
    • Custom Helium input scheme (specifically created for Heroes)
    • Adjust the screen resolution to match your device to avoid black bars on the edges. You can use the same resolution as the one set in the Heroes game settings

  9. Launch the game

These instructions are based on materials from the VK group Tavern of Might and Magic | Heroes of MM and from SBGames.
We thank the authors for providing the information!