Heroes of Newerth (HoN) was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game first created by S2 Games for computers running Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game was inspired by a custom map from Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne called Defense of the Ancients and was S2 Games' first MOBA game. It was released on May 12, 2010, and later made free to play on July 29, 2011. On May 5, 2015, Frostburn Studios took over responsibility for developing the game, with the team moving to the new company. The game stopped operating on June 20, 2022.
After the game shut down, players could still play it using servers run by the community, especially Project KONGOR, which had more than 7,000 players online at the same time and continued to offer matchmaking and tournaments.
In January 2025, Kongor Studios announced a new version of the game called Heroes of Newerth: Reborn. This remake includes a new game engine, improved visuals, and a better user experience. It will be available only on the Juvio Platform.
Gameplay
Heroes of Newerth is a game where two teams, the Legion and the Hellbourne, compete against each other. Each team starts at opposite corners of the map in their own base. Bases include buildings, barracks, towers, a hero spawning pool, and a central structure. The goal is to either destroy the enemy team’s central structure (the World Tree for the Legion or the Sacrificial Shrine for the Hellbourne) or make the other team give up. Players work together by choosing heroes with special skills to fight the opposing team.
The game begins with a hero selection phase. Players choose heroes based on picking modes that help create balanced teams. Heroes have different roles, such as dealing damage, taking hits, controlling crowds, healing, destroying towers, farming, defending, starting fights, helping allies, giving vision, finding enemies, and defeating enemies like Kongor. Heroes can perform many of these roles to different degrees. Common roles include Carry, Support, Ganker, Jungler, and Suicide. Players may take on multiple roles at the same time.
After the game starts, players earn gold and experience to grow stronger. To gain these, players must go to lanes, the jungle, Kongor’s pit, or one of the Golem’s pits. Experience is earned by watching an enemy soldier, hero, neutral creature, Kongor, or Golem die within a certain range. Purple dots on creeps show if a player is close enough to gain experience when the creep dies. Gold is earned by killing or helping to kill enemy soldiers, heroes, creatures, devices, Kongor, or Golem. As players level up, they choose to upgrade an ability or improve their stats, which adds +2 to agility, intelligence, or strength. The highest level a hero can reach is 25.
Each player controls one hero. Players can allow others to control their heroes. Some heroes can summon pets, creatures, or devices. Heroes usually have four abilities, controlled by the keys Q, W, E, and R. Sometimes the D key is used for a fifth ability. The fourth ability is the hero’s ultimate ability.
As of September 1, 2018, there are 139 playable heroes. Each player selects one hero for the match. Most heroes have four abilities that can be upgraded as they gain experience and level up, using the keys Q, W, E, and R. An ability can be upgraded when the hero levels up. The ultimate ability (key R) can only be upgraded when the hero reaches level 6, except for some heroes.
Heroes are grouped by their main attribute: Agility, Intelligence, or Strength. Agility heroes focus on quick attacks and dealing damage over time, while also improving armor and attack speed. Intelligence heroes use their abilities more and try to maximize their mana and mana regeneration. Strength heroes take more damage and improve their maximum health and health regeneration.
Heroes are also grouped by attack type: melee or ranged. Melee heroes attack from close range, while ranged heroes attack from far away. Ranged heroes have varying attack ranges, and abilities have their own specific ranges.
Development
Development began in 2005. In October 2009, associate game designer Alan "Idejder" Cacciamani stated that Heroes of Newerth had been in development for 34 months. The first 13 months were used to create the game’s engine. The remaining 21 months were used to design maps, items, heroes, and artwork.
New features, balance changes, and new heroes are regularly added through game updates. Many game mechanics and heroes in Heroes of Newerth are based on Defense of the Ancients. Features that make Heroes of Newerth different include tracking of individual player statistics, in-game voice communication, a simpler hero selection system, game reconnection, matchmaking, player ban lists, penalties for leaving games, and chat features. Updates also added a Hero Compendium (a list of heroes with detailed stats), the ability to follow a friend in games, an in-game ladder system, and a map editor. The game uses S2 Games’ special K2 Engine and a client-server system similar to other multiplayer games.
Heroes of Newerth was in beta testing from April 24, 2009, to May 12, 2010. During this time, over 3 million unique accounts were created. S2 Games used a Facebook fan page and word-of-mouth advertising to attract players. Many people who had previously bought S2 Games’ other games received invitations to Heroes of Newerth through their email.
Pre-sales for Heroes of Newerth began on August 22, 2009, for closed beta members. Players who purchased the game at this time received benefits like name reservation, gold-colored nameplates, gold shields, and in-game taunts. Open beta testing started on March 31, 2010, and ended on May 12, 2010, when the game officially launched.
S2 Games released Heroes of Newerth 2.0 on December 13, 2010. This update added casual mode, a new user interface, team matchmaking, an in-game store, and an offline map editor. Microtransactions were introduced through the in-game store using coins. Coins could be used to buy cosmetic items like hero skins, avatars, and announcer voices. Coins could be earned through gameplay or purchased with real money.
S2 Games made Heroes of Newerth free-to-play on July 29, 2011. Players who bought the game before this date retained full access to all content. New players had access to 15 rotating heroes each week and could only play the All Pick game mode. Players could unlock more heroes by purchasing or earning coins. Additional game modes required tokens to play.
On July 19, 2012, S2 Games announced that the game would be completely free to play, with no restrictions on hero access except for Early Access to new heroes. The in-game store was also updated to make cosmetic items easier to purchase.
In October 2012, S2 Games launched HoN Tour, an automated tournament system built into the game. Players could compete for real money. The first tournament began in December 2012.
In December 2012, Heroes of Newerth was hacked, and over 8 million accounts were compromised. The stolen data included usernames, email addresses, and passwords. The hacker shared details on Reddit, and S2 Games confirmed the breach.
On May 1, 2013, S2 Games released Heroes of Newerth 3.0. This update improved the game’s graphics, added bots, and made it easier for new players to learn. Changes included redesigned lanes, towers, and hero appearances. New players received tutorial videos and AI bots to help them play.
On May 5, 2015, Garena acquired Heroes of Newerth from S2 Games and created FrostBurn Studios to continue development. Many former S2 Games employees joined FrostBurn Studios.
On November 6, 2020, FrostBurn Studios released the HoN 64-Bit Client. This update improved stability, increased frame rates, and reduced loading times for Windows 10 users.
On February 9, 2021, a macOS 64-Bit Universal client was announced for closed beta testing.
In recent years, the game received patches every 8 weeks to improve balance, fix bugs, and occasionally add new hero avatars and items. Version 4.9.2 was the latest update as of March 30, 2021.
On December 15, 2021, FrostBurn Studios announced that Heroes of Newerth would shut down on June 20
Reception
Heroes of Newerth has received mostly good reviews, with a score of 76 out of 100 from Metacritic. Reviewers have often praised the game’s technical quality but have also pointed out that it is difficult to learn and that the community can be unfriendly. When the game became free-to-play on July 29, 2011, it had more than 526,000 paid accounts and 460,000 unique players. The number of players online at the same time has grown steadily, reaching a peak of 150,000 in May 2013. In mid-2013, Heroes of Newerth was the third most played game in internet cafés in the Philippines. Laura Baker, the director of marketing for S2 Games, said that the game’s Mac and Linux versions have been successful.
Remake
On January 28, 2025, Kongor Studios, created by former leaders of S2 Games and Frostburn Studios, announced a remake of the game Heroes of Newerth called Heroes of Newerth: Reborn. The remake is being developed using the Juvio Engine, a system created by Kongor Studios. It will only be available on the Juvio Platform, which was previously called the iGames Platform. The Juvio Platform was developed by iGames, LLC, a company founded by Marc "Maliken" DeForest, a co-founder of S2 Games.
Kongor Studios was started by Jesse Hayes, a co-founder of S2 Games and former art director, and Nick "BreakyCPK" Caras, a community leader who serves as the studio’s director of communications. The studio works with Garena, a publisher that owns the Heroes of Newerth intellectual property after buying it from S2 Games in 2015.
Heroes of Newerth: Reborn will include more than 80 heroes at launch, fewer than the original game’s 139-hero list. New features include a Phoenix Boss, Ravens for scouting, the ability for Kongor to push lanes after losing, a role queue system, and emotes. Technical upgrades include servers that update 100 times per second, better network systems, remastered audio, and updated visual effects while keeping the original art style. The game will be free to play, with money earned from selling cosmetic items.
The announcement followed nearly three years of community efforts to preserve the game through Project KONGOR. A Closed Alpha test began on May 15, 2025, for supporters of the Genesis Campaign, a crowdfunding project on the Juvio Platform. A Closed Beta started on July 15, 2025, after a two-week delay. An Open Beta is planned for late 2025, with the full release expected in winter 2025–2026. As of October 2025, no specific dates have been set for the Open Beta or the final version.
The announcement received coverage from gaming news outlets like VentureBeat, IGN, PC Gamer, and esports publications. It also gained support from Dota 2 players who started their careers in Heroes of Newerth, including champions Aydin "iNsania" Sarkohi, Michael "miCKe" Vu, and Samuel "Boxi" Svahn.
In an interview with PCGamesN, Nick Caras explained that Heroes of Newerth: Reborn is not meant to compete with games like League of Legends or Dota 2, but to serve fans of Heroes of Newerth and players looking for a different multiplayer online battle arena experience. The decision to release the game only on the Juvio Platform, instead of platforms like Steam, caused some debate among players about accessibility.