Question 1

Is this legal / officially sanctioned?

Accepted Answer

Yes — NCSoft granted Homecoming Servers, LLC an official license to run City of Heroes in January 2024. It is not a rogue fan server.

Question 2

Do I need to have played the original City of Heroes?

Accepted Answer

No. It's fully playable from scratch, and Homecoming's tutorial and early content are set up for new players.

Question 3

Is there really no subscription or cash shop?

Accepted Answer

Correct — it's entirely free to play, funded by volunteer effort and donations, with no paywalled power or convenience items.

Question 4

Why do I need a separate account?

Accepted Answer

The game login is tied to a free forum account at forums.homecomingservers.com, created before your first login — a one-time step, not a recurring requirement.

Question 5

Does City of Heroes: Homecoming have multiplayer?

Accepted Answer

Yes. City of Heroes: Homecoming supports up to 8 players. Its multiplayer runs through the game's own online service or menus, so PlayBound Connect parties and PlayBound dedicated servers are not available for it. It also supports co-op play. There is no subscription and no paid multiplayer tier.

Question 6

Does City of Heroes: Homecoming support controllers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Homecoming supports XInput gamepads and other controllers through Raw Input. Open Options > Controls > Game Controller, choose your device, and configure power bindings. Keep a keyboard and mouse available for chat and menus. PlayBound preserves your bindings rather than installing an untested layout. Source: https://wiki.homecomingservers.com/wiki/Issue_26_Page_2

Question 7

How big is City of Heroes: Homecoming?

Accepted Answer

The installer is small, but the launcher then downloads the full client. Expect well over 10 GB on disk; a third-party spec sheet puts it near 15 GB, and we recommend 15–20 GB free.

Question 8

What are the system requirements?

Accepted Answer

Minimum is a low-end Intel Celeron/Pentium or AMD A/E-series CPU, 4 GB of RAM on modern Windows and integrated graphics. Recommended is Windows 10, a modern Intel Core or Ryzen CPU, 8 GB (64-bit) and a recent integrated or discrete GPU. See the system-requirements section for Ultra Mode and platform notes.