It's hard not to refer to the Age of Empires franchise when talking about great RTS titles. Originally released in 1997, the series has been going strong for almost twenty-five years. The release of Age of Empires 4 has once again reignited interest in the popular series, with most fans still finding it hard to believe that they could finally enjoy another new AoE game after what felt like the longest time.
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But which entry in the franchise is the best? With so many excellent mainline entries, it can be difficult deciding which ones deserve the top slots. However, particular titles often possess that "special something" that sets them above the rest. After all, there's a reason why fans and critics alike love these games so much.
Updated on June 18, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Age of Empires is a series that many fans of legendary strategy titles are pretty familiar with, and it's easy to see why this is the case. Each and every game in this long-running RTS franchise is memorable in its own way, featuring everything from large-scale battles to the balancing of economies to ensure a steady stream of infrastructure and base-building to help create a living, breathing settlement. Ultimately, this helps players create large armies & sturdy to take out their opponent's bases in engrossing single-player missions or multiplayer sessions that can get pretty chaotic after a point.
Age of Empires has a long and amazing history of great titles that are a blast to play through, with the usual suspects being quite obvious for anyone who managed to play one of the mainline AoE games and experience its brilliance firsthand. However, what even the more hardcore Age of Empires fan may not be aware of is that the series has a richer and more engaging history than anyone could've imagined. From major entries to portable versions of the classic gameplay loop, there are several AoE games that have been released since the series' inception, with their quality varying quite a bit.
There's no denying that the free-to-play label has a bad reputation, with many players assuming that any game that's free has a negative connotation of its own for many reasons. However, there are times when these free games end up wowing players with just how technically excellent and fun they are to play, featuring a strong core gameplay loop without compelling players to purchase in-game microtransactions over and over again. Unfortunately, Age of Empires didn't really do a good job of translating its gameplay to a free-to-play model.
This is why Age of Empires: World Domination ended up being discontinued just a year after its release, despite featuring a steady stream of updates and unique civilizations that are a staple of this series. However, the game itself launched after numerous delays that pretty much killed any hype it could've generated. It didn't help that the gameplay was a shallow imitation of the popular RTS series and failed to entice any long-time AoE fans to play the game for more than a few days without getting utterly bored and dejected by just how much of a soulless cash grab this title really is.
The gameplay of the Age of Empires series is well-known for its blend of resource management and tactical, military strategy. Due in part to its own popularity, the franchise has experimented with alternative styles of gameplay in order to appeal to an even wider audience.
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Enter Age of Empires: Castle Siege. This online multiplayer tower defense game discards many familiar features of the mainline entries. Like most tower defense games, most of the gameplay boils down to one objective: Destroy the enemy keep while defending the player's settlement. It's an unusual departure from the detailed, historical immersion that most fans are accustomed to.
Age of Empires Online is another departure from the original formula. Instead of focusing on a single-player experience, this particular entry establishes an online multiplayer component. Players select a civilization and can partake in a variety of PvE and PvP content.
In 2014, the game's official servers shut down. However, Age of Empires Online was revived by an independent group of developers under the name Project Celeste. It seeks to continue Microsoft's initial vision and is currently free-to-play. It serves as a fun, if not particularly memorable, diversion from the more established entries.
The Age of Empires has tried to break into the portable market time and time again, with The Age of Kings being a release of this popular RTS title on the Nintendo DS that was pretty impressive in its own right despite the limited strength of the console's hardware. Despite having a limited number of civilizations and no online multiplayer, The Age of Kings was an excellent translation of the series' patented gameplay loop on portable hardware.
The game does have its fair share of technical issues, but players who look past this problem will find themselves enjoying a solid strategy game that deserves way more popularity than it currently enjoys. The campaign may not be as detailed or lengthy as the mainline entries, but that is to be expected in a portable title with limited space.
This game got the ball rolling. The original Age of Empires allows players to control one of twelve civilizations, overseeing its development from a hunter-gatherer society to Iron Age sovereigns. It also features four single-player campaigns that focus on the Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and Yamato civilizations. The Rise of Rome expansion pack focuses on the trials and tribulations of the ancient Roman Empire.
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The 1997 Age of Empires is a champion well past its prime. Future entries improve upon its antiquated and laborious control scheme in almost every way. The graphics, obviously, are an eyesore. Nostalgia may be the only element that keeps fans coming back to this inaugural title.
Age of Empires 3 ushered in a new historical era for the series. Moving away from ancient and medieval Europe, Age of Empires 3 instead focuses on colonial America. Its campaign chronicles the exploits of the Black family, a story that spans three generations. Two expansion packs, The WarChiefs, and The Asian Dynasties added additional civilizations and story content.
One of Age of Empires 3's most striking features at the time was its graphics. That, along with a new physics system, makes the combat much more fun to witness. The "Home City" concept also adds an extra layer to resource management. Players can deploy useful shipments at strategic moments to help tip the scales in their favor.
Age of Empires 2 looms large in the minds of fans and critics as the powerhouse of the franchise. The popularity of this entry never abated, even after twenty years. It's quite telling that the game technically received two remakes throughout its lifetime. It's also been ported to other platforms over the years, even mobile. In 2000, The Conquerors expansion was released, which added new campaigns such as Attila the Hun and El Cid.
The original release is great, but there's no denying that its own re-releases have overshadowed it. The controls, much like the original Age of Empires, are clunky by today's standards. Numerous quality-of-life improvements, as well as upgrades to the overall presentation, have been made since the 1999 release.
Not every Age of Empires game is a history simulator. Age of Mythology is actually a spin-off title that swaps out the knights and musketeers for monsters and legendary deities. The core gameplay remains the same but includes a fantastical twist. Who wouldn't want to call upon the gods of Mount Olympus to smite one's enemies?
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Age of Mythology proved immensely popular. Two expansion packs were eventually released, The Titans and Tale of the Dragon. Similar to other games in the franchise Age of Mythology was given an Extended Edition release, which included much-needed HD upgrades for the graphics.
By 2013, Age of Empires 2 was showing its age. Nevertheless, fans refused to give up on it. Spearheaded by Hidden Path Entertainment, the game was given a fresh coat of paint. In addition to the visuals, the HD Edition also included The Forgotten expansion, which originally existed as a fan-made project. Mod support through the Steam Workshop was another welcome addition.
The HD Edition, although it didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, reinvigorated the franchise's most beloved title. Capitalizing on its success, the developers later released two brand new expansions for the HD Edition, The African Kingdoms, and Rise of the Rajas. A game that is old and still getting official expansions says something about its enduring adoration.
Whenever something uses the title "definitive edition" it usually means that a particular version is the best when compared to all the others. Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition improves upon many of the lingering flaws inherent in the original release. Features that were previously absent are now also available in the new version.
In addition to the graphics, which receive the 4K treatment, the Definitive Edition includes new civilizations, sounds, assets, and animations. The AI, in particular, is much sharper on the draw, challenging the player on more even ground without relying on cheating. Despite some bugs, the whole package is by far superior to its 2005 counterpart.
The 1997 version of Age of Empires is a nightmare to play on modern systems. In 2018, Microsoft decided to blow the dust off this ancient relic. Although the release was a bit rocky, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is the best way to revisit this blast from the past.
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Graphically, the game receives the HD treatment with 4K support added for good measure. In addition, the quality of the sound is much crisper and more satisfying to hear. The pathfinding, an essential element in any Age of Empires game, is also given some desperately needed tweaking, along with other small quality-of-life improvements.
Age of Empires 4 represents yet another solid addition to the franchise. For fans looking to experience even more medieval action, then Age of Empires 4 is a great choice. As far as controls and accessibility are concerned, it's easier than ever to manage a sprawling base. The civilizations themselves are given a lot of depth in terms of their units, special abilities, structures, and how they advance through the ages. The campaigns are engaging, covering familiar flashpoints of medieval history in a manner that's more informative than previous entries.
Of course, Age of Empires 4 possesses its drawbacks as well. The graphics are nothing special while the combat mechanics remain formulaic for the most part. Although the intro presentations in the campaigns are enlightening, they lack a certain degree of creativity that made the campaigns in Age of Empires 2 so memorable. Hearing the same voice in a storybook-style narration becomes dull after a while. It's the lack of little, inventive details that makes this game a bit inferior to the next entry.
It's no secret that Age of Empires 2 is regularly touted as the best of the bunch. The release of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition was a dream come true for fans of the series. Finally, one of the gold standards of the RTS genre was brought up to par with more contemporary games.
One of the best features the developers emphasized was AI improvements. In the Definitive Edition, the player and the AI compete on more equal footing, without the latter having to cheat to remain aggressive. Humorously, fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when they discovered an "auto-replenish" feature had been added to farms, thus eliminating a frustrating annoyance from earlier releases. All the expansions are present, including new ones that continue to be developed. It's without a doubt the best way to experience this classic juggernaut.
Age of Empires 4 was released on October 28, 2021, and is currently available on PC.
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