Realm of Heroes is a strategy game in which players build castles to defend their lands and recruit heroes to fight for their cause. Players not only move against the computer, but also must deal with an evolving board that can derail the best laid plans. Using minimal luck, Realm of Heroes is a game in which a player on top can find himself in a rapidly collapsing position.

After the map is set up, each player places his leader and a tower on the map. During a player's turn; existing plague may spread to nearby locations, unsupported heroes die and are replaced by plague, players may reinforce their position by placing or upgrading units on the map and finally players move their heroes around the map to capture more territory, destroy other heroes and capture the other players' leaders to win the game.