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Highly anticipated: Blizzard’s first attempt to remaster a classic Warcraft game four years ago failed spectacularly. Now, for the franchise’s 30th anniversary, the company is aiming for redemption by updating and repackaging the entire trilogy with high-resolution graphics, new user interface features, and more.
Newly updated editions of Blizzard’s first two Warcraft titles are now available on Battle.net, along with a substantial update to the company’s critically panned remake of Warcraft III.
Warcraft I: Remastered and Warcraft II: Remastered feature new sprites and backgrounds that aim to preserve the art direction of the original versions but in higher resolution, with an option to toggle between the old and new visuals. Enhanced menu features include health bars, hotkey indicators, expanded unit selection, and more.
Blizzard released Warcraft III: Reforged in 2020, but numerous bugs and missing features dragged its Metacritic rating to historic lows. Adding insult to injury, the flawed new version replaced the original in users’ Battle.net accounts, rendering it unplayable. Blizzard staffers later blamed the poor release to budget cuts and neglect from parent company Activision.
The new patch upgrades the game to version 2.0, tweaking the visuals and adding user interface functions. The 2020 release replaced Warcraft III’s character models and environments with new assets, but the update allows players to revert to more retro-faithful graphics or mix and match the two styles.
A new $39.99 Battle Chest, designed to evoke Blizzard’s famously bulky retail packages, bundles together the three revised editions alongside the original versions of Warcraft and Warcraft II. Warcraft I: Remastered is available individually for $9.99, Warcraft II: Remastered for $14.99, and Warcraft III: Reforged for $29.99. Reforged also supports macOS.
Classicists wishing to save money can still buy the original Warcraft for $5.99 and Warcraft II for $9.99 on Battle.net or GOG.com.
Those opting for DRM-free copies on GOG may notice a sticker for the GOG Preservation Program, which the site introduced on the same day Blizzard released the new Battle Chest to celebrate both GOG’s and Warcraft’s anniversaries. The new program rebrands the store’s pledge to continue patching retro games to function smoothly on modern operating systems. The sticker and category tag aim to help shoppers identify the 100 compatible titles, including classics like Warcraft, Monkey Island, Myst, Resident Evil, Fallout, and more.
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