Age of Empires vs Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires is a strategy game (1997) while Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is a strategy game from World's Edge (2019).
What each one is
Steam files Age of Empires under Strategy. In contrast, it files Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition under Strategy.
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.
42 Civilizations, 229 Campaign Missions, Singleplayer, Co-Op, Multiplayer, In-Game Editor, Mods, Cross-play...It is good to be the king.
At a glance
| Age of Empires | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.3/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (84%, 15,616) | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 181,889) |
| Critic aggregate | 69/100 | 84/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $34.99 |
| Install size | 20 GB | 15 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 1997 | 2019 |
| Developer | — | World's Edge |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Age of Empires vs Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Age of EmpiresStrategy gameAge of Empires II: Definitive EditionStrategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Age of EmpiresStrategy, RTS, Base-BuildingAge of Empires II: Definitive EditionStrategy, RTS, City BuilderThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Age of EmpiresScore 7.3 · 84% on Steam · 69 criticAge of Empires II: Definitive Edition ✓Score 8.1 · 95% on Steam · 84 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Age of Empires15,616 reviews · 1 add-on · 20 GBAge of Empires II: Definitive Edition181,889 reviews · 16 add-ons · 15 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Age of Empires ✓$19.99Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition$34.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Age of EmpiresPlayableAge of Empires II: Definitive EditionPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueAge of Empires and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
- Xbox
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- The cheaper right now: Age of Empires ($19.99)
- Lighter on storage: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (15 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (181,889 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategyRTSMultiplayerBase-BuildingSingleplayerCity BuilderHistoricalClassic
Where they differ
Story RichWarRetroAtmospheric
Resource ManagementTactical2DReplay Value
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Age of Empires is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Age of Empires | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 Duo |
| Minimum RAM | — | 4 GB |
| Install size | 20 GB | 15 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Age of Empires · Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Age of Empires and 7 for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Age of Empires and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in scope?
Age of Empires has drawn 15,616 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 20 GB. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has drawn 181,889 Steam reviews, ships 16 add-ons and installs in 15 GB.
Is Age of Empires or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition rates higher (8.1 to 7.3). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Age of Empires or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?
Age of Empires is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $34.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.