Home / Games / Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires, the pivotal real-time strategy game that launched a 20-year legacy returns with modernized gameplay, all-new 4K visuals, 8-person multiplayer battles and a host of other new features. Welcome back to history.
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Data as of 2026-05-20.
What reviewers agree on
29 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“+ Solid remaster of the original game - Conversion of units by priests is probabilistic/non-deterministic - Has simple graphics but it is unable to maintain 160 Hz refresh rate - No autosave - Population is limited to…”
“Still surprisingly fun. The gameplay loop is simple but addictive: gather resources, build up, age up, and overwhelm your enemies. The Definitive Edition makes it look and sound way better without ruining the original…”
“If you grew up in the late 90s, this game was probably your entire childhood. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is exactly how you remember the original game looking in your head, brought to life in gorgeous 4K. The…”
13 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“Still surprisingly fun. The gameplay loop is simple but addictive: gather resources, build up, age up, and overwhelm your enemies. The Definitive Edition makes it look and sound way better without ruining the original…”
“If you grew up in the late 90s, this game was probably your entire childhood. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is exactly how you remember the original game looking in your head, brought to life in gorgeous 4K. The…”
“A masterpiece in the RTS genre...the first game in the Age of Empires collection,remastered from it's 90 version... The AI can be quite capable...scout rushing you in age 2 for example lol...pathfinding is improved and…”
5 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“Even though this game has some basic game mechanical flaws that were later addressed in Age of Empires II, the first Age of Empires game still stands out to me as one of the most fun and interesting of the entire RTS…”
“I played this game almost 30 years ago and am having a lot of fun again with the definitive edition. The graphics have improved enormously and it plays smoothly.”
“I’ve spent hours playing Age of Empires and it never gets old. The mix of building up your economy, training armies, and outsmarting opponents is so satisfying. Matches can get intense, but that’s what makes the…”
4 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“bought for 5€ and for that its ok if you have empire earth 1 its a looooot better and similar couple bugs in it which makes it quiet annoying -if you start a custom game with 1 enemy and want to use small islands and…”
“Campaign provides so much value and fun scenarios. Would prefer more cutscenes but its good on a sale. Money well spent”
“There is nothing wrong with this game and it is fairly priced, but it is dead. So if you wanted multiplayer than just play AOE II DE. I would also recommend the Return to Rome DLC in AOE II DE, its just AOE I in the AOE…”
3 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“I’ve spent hours playing Age of Empires and it never gets old. The mix of building up your economy, training armies, and outsmarting opponents is so satisfying. Matches can get intense, but that’s what makes the…”
“Fantastic game, one of my all-tume favourites. I played the original nearly 30 years ago and loved it. Found out that it's been updated and bought it and rediscovered my love for it. Stunning plot and gameplay, the…”
17 of the 103 reviews raise this · 9 of them still recommend the game.
“Pathfinding is bad, I remember it being better on the original. Ill complete all the campaigns and be done with this game.”
“+ Solid remaster of the original game - Conversion of units by priests is probabilistic/non-deterministic - Has simple graphics but it is unable to maintain 160 Hz refresh rate - No autosave - Population is limited to…”
“A LOT OF BUG AND CRASH GMAE”
16 of the 103 reviews raise this · 9 of them still recommend the game.
“+ Solid remaster of the original game - Conversion of units by priests is probabilistic/non-deterministic - Has simple graphics but it is unable to maintain 160 Hz refresh rate - No autosave - Population is limited to…”
“Currently playing this game after like 30 years… I barely remember playing this when I was about 12 but so far I’m thinking, can you chop the wood any slower bro? 🤣 Where is the fast forward button. I recall this being…”
“Even though this game has some basic game mechanical flaws that were later addressed in Age of Empires II, the first Age of Empires game still stands out to me as one of the most fun and interesting of the entire RTS…”
6 of the 103 reviews raise this · 3 of them still recommend the game.
“Currently playing this game after like 30 years… I barely remember playing this when I was about 12 but so far I’m thinking, can you chop the wood any slower bro? 🤣 Where is the fast forward button. I recall this being…”
“I don't remember the game being this hard. I played the original back in the day and now I can only do the tutorial on easy mode.”
“Alright, for the most part its fun and a bit of nostalgia. But, its still same like the original, the AI still little bit rough when figuring the path or to set in into attack formation. Also sometimes the balistic unit…”
5 of the 103 reviews raise this · 1 of them still recommend the game.
“+ Solid remaster of the original game - Conversion of units by priests is probabilistic/non-deterministic - Has simple graphics but it is unable to maintain 160 Hz refresh rate - No autosave - Population is limited to…”
“I’ve been playing Age of Empires and honestly, it’s a classic that still feels enjoyable even today. The gameplay is simple to learn but becomes really strategic as you progress through the ages. Managing resources,…”
“Somehow has lost the charm of the original, but keeps the clunky unit control, pathing and less intuitive tech tree vs AoE2”
4 of the 103 reviews raise this · 1 of them still recommend the game.
“LAN is not true LAN and also it does not work well. No one can see my games yet I can see their game. For a really old game it work better when it was old.”
“There is nothing wrong with this game and it is fairly priced, but it is dead. So if you wanted multiplayer than just play AOE II DE. I would also recommend the Return to Rome DLC in AOE II DE, its just AOE I in the AOE…”
“We have been issues with connecting online. When I try to connect with friends, everyone is in the lobby and we hit "start" it let's us waiting forever and we have to all close and reopen the game to do it again over…”
Counted across 103 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 83.9% positive rating · as of 2026-05-20
“If you play RTS games to "feel" the weight of history rather than just to click fast, this is a must-play. It strips away the complexity of modern titles to focus on the core appeal: building a legacy from the dust. It’s a slow, rhythmic, and deeply nostalgic celebration of the…”
— a player, Steam review · 18 hrs played“Age of empires 1 is a historical strategy game where you fight hand in hand combat in a campaign story. You can have up to 250 units in battle, with multiple faction's to choose from. This game has features like custom editing, where you can design your own map, and even the use…”
— a player, Steam review · 111 hrs played“I bought this new version because I felt nostalgic and wanted to play AoE again, but this is way too difficult. Even the easy difficulty is often too hard and there are some campaigns that are extremely frustrating to win. It's true I'm not an expert and talented player, but I…”
— a player, Steam review · 33 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live count fetched 2026-07-11 13:11 UTC · history via SteamCharts.
Achievement stats
Global completion rates across all Steam players — a data view of how far people actually get. Source: Steam official stats · as of 2026-07-25.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-07-24). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
A Wave of Discounts with the Steam Summer Sale
Cool off from the heatwave with the the Steam Summer Sale; happening now! Complete your Age of Empires collection with a couple of DLC plus up to 75% off on all your favorites - it’s time to Age up yo
Spring Sale Is Happening Now!
Spring is just about here and with it some discounts on all your favorite Age of Empires games! Pick up a missing DLC or two for up to 75% off! Don't wait - sale ends on March 26th!
Winter Sale Happening Now!
Do you hear what we hear? Those Town Bells might be jingling, but your Villagers will have to wait while you shop the Steam Winter Sale! Jump in now and complete your Age of Empires collection with di
Black Friday Sale Is Happening Now!
Get a jump on all your holiday shopping early with the Steam Black Friday Sale. Get discounts on all your favorite Age of Empires games, plus their DLCs! Don't wait - sale ends on December 2nd!
Autumn Sale Happening Now!
There's a slight chill in the air and leaves are starting to change their colors. What better way to celebrate cooler temperatures than with cooler discounts too? Jump in now and complete your Age of
Games like Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
From our knowledge graph — ranked by shared traits, not a black box. Each card says why it's here.
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
94.7% · 9,243 reviews
shares Real Time, Remake, Classic, City Builder
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
95.0% · 67,982 reviews
shares Real Time, Remake, Classic, City Builder
Age of Empires II (Retired)
95.3% · 44,993 reviews
shares Real Time, Remake, Classic, City Builder
Ancestors Legacy
74.4% · 3,289 reviews
shares Real Time, City Builder, RTS, Base Building
Age of Mythology: Extended Edition
91.7% · 16,162 reviews
shares Real Time, Remake, Classic, RTS
Age of Empires® III (2007)
91.1% · 14,003 reviews
shares Real Time, Classic, City Builder, RTS
Company of Heroes 2
82.8% · 43,738 reviews
shares Real Time, RTS, Base Building, Historical
Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3
83.9% · 6,151 reviews
shares Real Time, Classic, RTS, Base Building
Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-20.
| Genres | Strategy |
| Player tags | Strategy · RTS · Multiplayer · Base-Building · Singleplayer · City Builder · Historical · Classic · Remake · Medieval · Story Rich · Real-Time (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Multi-player · PvP · Online PvP · LAN PvP · Cross-Platform Multiplayer · Steam Achievements · Steam Trading Cards |
| Languages | English * , French * , Italian * , German * , Spanish - Spain * , Japanese * , Korean * , Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese * , Spanish - Latin America * , Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese * |
| Achievements | 44 |
| Estimated owners | 500,000 – 1,000,000 (SteamSpy) |
| Official site | https://www.ageofempires.com |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 64bit Processor: 1.8 Ghz+ Dual Core or greater i5 or AMD equivalent Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: DirectX 11.0 compatible card with Direct3D Feature Level 11_0 or higher support and 1GB of free memory - Intel: HD 4000 (Ivy Bridge CPU)or better GPU - nVidia: GT 430 or better desktop GPU, or GT 425M or better mobile GPU - AMD: Radeon HD 5500 or better Desktop GPU, or Mobility Radeon 5650 or better mobile GPU DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 20 GB available space