Age Of Empires 5 Gameplay

[Eberardo Topher]

Microsofts return to beloved PC gaming titles includes Age of Empires 4, a revival of one of the best real-time strategy (RTS) series ever produced. While the first three Age of Empires games have been remade and re-released as Definitive Editions, Age of Empires 4 is a new look at the RTS formula while still holding true to its roots. Here's everything you need to know about Age of Empires 4.

Age of Empires 4 builds greatly on the series' reputation that began in 1997. If you're a fan of RTS games, world history, or both, this should be an easy recommendation. With dozens of hours of campaign play, eight unique civilizations, hours of live docu-style video segments, and a ton of maps for skirmishes, there's no shortage of well-polished content to enjoy. Get it on its own or enjoy it through a subscription to PC Game Pass.

It was announced today during the Age of Empires anniversary broadcast that Age of Empires 4 is coming to Xbox in 2023. This announcement comes alongside the reveal that Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is also coming to Xbox at a sooner date on January 31, 2023.

Details about the Age 4 console release are still sparse, but we do know a few things about the Age 2: DE version. A new tutorial has been created to help players adjust to controller inputs, though keyboard and mouse support will be included. There will also be a new in-game AI that can help with micromanagement. And, perhaps most exciting, crossplay will be available between Xbox and PC.

The Age of Empires 4 team announced at Gamescom 2022 that the game is getting two new civilizations on October 25, coinciding with the one-year Age 4 anniversary and the overall series' 25-year anniversary. The Ottomans and Malians civilizations will be added to the game for free for all players to enjoy as part of the Age of Empires 4 Anniversary Edition.

The West-African Malians have a focus on economic strength with mining and gold investments, while the Ottomans bring the most devastating siege equipment yet to the battlefield with the Great Bombard siege unit. The Anniversary Update is expected to also include some new maps, as well as achievements and masteries for the new civilizations.

Red Bull and the Age of Empires team announced the return of the Red Bull Wololo: Legacy tournament, set to run October 21-30, 2022. The tournament will include competition across Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, and Age of Empires 4 titles. This tournament coincides with the Age of Empires 4 one-year anniversary and the 25-year anniversary of the series.

The tournament, in which games are played in a 1 vs. 1 fashion, is open to anyone who can make it through qualifiers running from June until September 2022. The same location that hosted the 2021 tournament, Castle Heidelberg in Germany, is the setting for the 2022 rerun.

The Age of Empires 4 initial Public Update Preview (PUP) began on March 10 and continued until March 25, 2022 after a mid-run extension. This came on the heels of the Age of Empires 4 2022 roadmap reveal, which laid out Season One and Season Two plans.

Age of Empires 4 Season One, which was originally called the Spring Update, brought a beta version of the anticipated Content Editor plus mod support. This allows players to create everything from their own maps and scenarios to completely new experiences using the game's engine.

Season One also kicked off the first Ranked Ladder where players go head-to-head with others at a similar skill level. There are six divisions to move through, each with three tiers. Rewards are available for players who participate and rank up during the six-week season.

A number of quality-of-life improvements were also included. Global build queue and the ability to "Patrol Move" units were introduced, and you can now view the entire map following a match. There's a new Art of War to test your skills, and you can play MegaRandom maps.

World's Edge Creative Director Adam Isgreen introduced a deeper look at the game's "Hands-on history" segments during the Xbox games showcase at Gamescom 2021. These live-action video segments, produced with help from Lion TV, are interspersed throughout the game's campaign as a way for people to better relate to the history they're playing. This is all part of the "humanized history" angle that the developers are attempting.

Isgreen mentioned that including this type of content in the game has been "insanely nerve-wracking," though reception has been positive so far. You can take a look at the segment about trebuchets (embedded above) yourself; expect plenty more videos in the game, including those about castle building, falconing, horse taming, and even Mongolian instrumentation.

It was revealed at E3 2021 that Age of Empires 4 would release Oct. 28, 2021. This firmed up plans to release the game "Fall 2021," which was previously the closest time frame we knew about. It was also revealed that mod support is expected "early 2022."

Perhaps more exciting and relevant for a lot of PC gamers was a list of Age of Empires 4 minimum system requirements on the game's Steam product page. An Intel Core i5-6300U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and Intel HD 520 integrated graphics are listed.

The French are more economy-based (great for a pocket boomer), with a unique landmark called the "House of Commerce." Knights and Lancers are the focus for the French, and they're directly involved in the "Hundred Years War" campaign centered around Joan of Arc.

We got a closer look at naval warfare in the extended showcase, with some sea-to-sea and sea-to-land fighting. Isgreen mentioned that player feedback definitely helped drive home the point that naval warfare is a key part of the Age series.

The April 10, 2021, Age of Empires fan preview event gave us a whole lot of new information about Age of Empires 4. The event highlighted the (then) four known civilizations, we got more details about the campaigns, there was a closer look at art direction and gameplay, and there was a reveal of naval warfare.

Six members from the dev team took time behind closed doors following an advance viewing of the fan preview for an extended Q&A period to answer our burning questions. We were able to wring out a lot of information about the game from this session, which is detailed below.

I also sat down with World's Edge Senior Executive Producer Michael Mann, Relic Entertainment Game Director Quinn Duffy, and Relic Entertainment Art Director Zach Schlppi for a more intimate Age of Empires 4 developer interview about how the game fits into the series and what we can expect at launch.

Age of Empires 4 is now available everywhere! The game requires about 50GB of space on your PC, though this will grow with updates and DLC. You can pick up the game through the Microsoft Store, Steam, or with a subscription to PC Game Pass.

If you're new to the game, we have a couple of beginner's guides to share. Our Age of Empires 4 civilization guide lays out what to expect from each of the eight playable civs, while our Age of Empires 4 tips and tricks are more generalized and will hopefully help you get your first win.

If you ask just about any longtime RTS fan what games rank at the top of the list, the Age of Empires series is likely what comes to mind. The first entry, released in 1997, focused on human history from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, while the second entry focused more heavily on the Middle Ages. Age of Empires 3, released nearly 15 years ago, moved ahead in time to the colonization of the Americas.

Playing the games involves micro- and macro-management of workers and military units belonging to historic civilizations. You must grow a small starting population, collect resources, advance through the ages, and defend against invaders while also planning your attacks. You can enjoy lengthy campaigns, skirmishes against AI, or multiplayer battles while alone or teamed up with friends. The games are relatively easy to pick up, but the best players employ in-depth strategies to get a slight edge on the competition.

Age of Empires 4 is a revival of the series that hopes to capture the old magic while offering something new to veterans and newcomers alike. As mentioned by Relic Entertainment Game Director Quinn Duffy, this is "a spiritual successor to Age of Empires 2." The game spans medieval generations just like the second game, only on a larger scale. Campaigns aim to humanize our history through storytelling, not just through gameplay, but also through live action documentary-style cutscenes and narration.

The team wanted to push the borders of the Age series without stepping out of its bounds. There has been much work done with community members to ensure the game feels like it was built for Age players when it launches. Regular play sessions with a community council made up of series veterans has helped steer the game in the right direction.

Many RTS fans are also returning to Age of Empires thanks to celebrated Definitive Edition remasters that bring updated graphics, reworked mechanics, and overhauled campaigns. Be sure to check out our Age of Empires: Definitive Edition review, our Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition review, and our Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition review for some extra hype.

The first three Age of Empires games (as well as other titles, like Halo Wars) were developed by Ensemble Studios, a team based in Dallas, Texas. After Ensemble was closed down in 2009 following the release of Age of Empires 3, it didn't look good for a fourth title. The Age of Empires series was left to the community, which did its best to keep the games enjoyable and populated.

"Age isn't ours anymore. We're stewards, it belongs to the community, and it belongs to the globe," said Loftis. "There's no world in which a Redmond-centric game development studio is going to get the right global set of voices in. [...] We have contracts; you know about three of our partners, Relic, Tantalus, and Forgotten Empires. We have others that we're not talking about yet. But it is genuinely a global development team. All the teams work together to share assets, share ideas, and the legacy teams are working with Relic."

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