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Installation on Windows

Prerequisites

  • Windows 7 SP1 or newer is required.
  • Windows Vista and Windows XP are no longer supported.

Step 1: Download and install VCMI

Download and install VCMI using one of the following options:

Download the installer and run it. Follow the installer instructions.

After installation, start VCMI Launcher.

Step 2: Obtain Heroes III data files

VCMI requires original Heroes of Might and Magic III data files.

  1. Download the offline backup installer from GOG.com.
  2. The installer comes as two files:
  3. .exe
  4. .bin
  5. Make sure both files are downloaded.

GoG-Installer

Option B: Existing installation

If you already have Heroes III installed (Complete or Shadow of Death edition), you can reuse that installation.

Step 3: Import Heroes III data into VCMI

Start VCMI Launcher.

  1. Select your preferred language.
  2. Choose one of the following methods:

A) Import from GOG installer

  • Select the option to import GOG files.
  • First select the .exe file. The matching .bin file will be located automatically if the correct installer is selected.
  • Launcher will automatically extract required files.

B) Use existing Heroes III installation

Launcher may automatically detect your Heroes III installation.

If detection fails:

  1. Locate your Heroes III installation folder.
  2. Copy these directories:
  3. Data
  4. Maps
  5. Mp3

into: "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\vcmi"

  1. Return to Launcher and press Scan again.

Step 4: Finish setup in Launcher

Follow the instructions shown in the Launcher to complete installation and optionally download recommended mods.

VCMI is now ready to play.

Changing VCMI data directory

By default, VCMI stores imported Heroes III files, mods, saves, settings and logs in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\vcmi. Advanced users can change these locations by creating <VCMI installation directory>\config\dirs.json

Example:

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{
  "userDataPath": "D:\\Games\\VCMI-data",
  "userCachePath": "D:\\Games\\VCMI-data\\cache",
  "userConfigPath": "D:\\Games\\VCMI-data\\config",
  "userLogsPath": "D:\\Games\\VCMI-data\\logs",
  "userSavePath": "D:\\Games\\VCMI-data\\Saves"
}

All keys are optional. Environment variables in paths are expanded, so values like %LOCALAPPDATA%\\VCMI\\cache can be used. Restart VCMI after changing this file and move existing data to the new location if needed.