Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Age of Empires II (Retired) (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Age of Empires II (Retired) on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, which made by the same studio, World's Edge.
- Age of Empires II (Retired) is tagged Strategy, RTS, Medieval, Multiplayer, Classic, Historical, Base-Building, City Builder by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 2 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
- 5 are from the same studio: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires III (2007), Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Why it matched: made by the same studio, World's Edge; both historical and strategy; shares 14 player tags including Strategy, RTS and City Builder.
42 Civilizations, 229 Campaign Missions, Singleplayer, Co-Op, Multiplayer, In-Game Editor, Mods, Cross-play...It is good to be the king.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2019 Studio World's Edge Player sentiment 95% positive of 181,889 Price $34.99 StrategyRTSCity BuilderBase-BuildingHistoricalMedievalResource ManagementClassic
- 2
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Why it matched: made by the same studio, World's Edge; both historical and strategy; shares 10 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building.
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.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2019 Studio World's Edge Player sentiment 84% positive of 15,619 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSBase-BuildingCity BuilderHistoricalClassicRemakeMedieval
- 3
Age of Empires
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 10 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; published by the same company.
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.
Age of Empires at a glance Released 1997 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 84% positive of 15,616 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSBase-BuildingCity BuilderHistoricalClassicRemakeMedieval
- 4
Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 10 player tags including City Builder, Medieval and Base-Building; released around the same time (2013).
The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions.
Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) at a glance Released 2013 Studio Firefly Studios Player sentiment 97% positive of 21,059 Price $1.99 City BuilderMedievalBase-BuildingStrategyReal-TimeResource ManagementIsometricRTS
- 5
Age of Empires III (2007)
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Ensemble Studios; both historical and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; released around the same time (2012).
Microsoft Studios brings you three epic Age of Empires III games in one monumental collection for the first time.
Age of Empires III (2007) at a glance Released 2012 Studio Ensemble Studios Player sentiment 91% positive of 32,254 Price Not listed StrategyRTSBase-BuildingHistoricalResource ManagementCity BuilderReal-TimeClassic
- 6
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition
Why it matched: made by the same studio, World's Edge; both historical and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building.
Celebrating its first year of delighting millions of global players, the award-winning and best-selling strategy franchise continues with Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, putting you at the center of even more epic historical battles that shaped the world.
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition at a glance Released 2021 Studio World's Edge Player sentiment 86% positive of 95,393 Price $39.99 StrategyRTSBase-BuildingResource ManagementMedievalCity BuilderHistoricalIsometric
- 7
Stronghold Crusader 2
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, Medieval and City Builder; released around the same time (2014).
Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to the original castle sim. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the desert with a new 3D engine and powerful Havok Physics. Crusader 2 recaptures the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation.
Stronghold Crusader 2 at a glance Released 2014 Studio Firefly Studios Player sentiment 72% positive of 18,080 Price $3.99 StrategyMedievalCity BuilderRTSHistoricalClassicResource ManagementTactical
- 8
Stronghold: Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 9 player tags including City Builder, Strategy and Medieval.
Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. Build a castle economy, besiege unforgettable villains and return to the 'castle sim' that started it all. Experience this classic RTS with upgraded visuals, modernised gameplay, Steam multiplayer and a new campaign.
Stronghold: Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2023 Studio Firefly Studios Player sentiment 87% positive of 10,346 Price $4.49 City BuilderStrategyMedievalRTSBase-Building2DIsometricHistorical
- 9
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Why it matched: made by the same studio, World's Edge; both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Base-Building and RTS.
Lead powerful civilizations across the globe, master strategies and tactics, and relive history in co op battles—now remastered in stunning 4K and modernized gameplay.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2020 Studio World's Edge Player sentiment 86% positive of 54,770 Price $34.99 StrategyBase-BuildingRTSCity BuilderHistoricalResource ManagementMedieval
- 10
Cossacks 3
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Historical; released around the same time (2016).
Cossacks 3 is the return of RTS classics. Obtain resources, build cities and research technologies while taking command of great armies, crushing enemies in grand historical warfares on land and sea!
Cossacks 3 at a glance Released 2016 Studio GSC Game World Player sentiment 82% positive of 16,136 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSHistoricalResource ManagementBase-BuildingCity BuilderIsometricReplay Value
- 11
Age of Empires III
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Base-Building and RTS; published by the same company.
Lead powerful civilizations across the globe, master strategies and tactics, and relive history in co op battles—now remastered in stunning 4K and modernized gameplay.
Age of Empires III at a glance Released 2005 Studio Robot Entertainment Player sentiment 86% positive of 54,758 Price $34.99 StrategyBase-BuildingRTSCity BuilderHistoricalResource ManagementMedieval
- 12
Ancestors Legacy
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, Medieval and RTS.
Ancestors Legacy is a squad-based real time strategy with a strong focus on tactics. Inspired by medieval European history, it brings to life four different nations and their conflicts, usually solved by war.
Ancestors Legacy at a glance Released 2018 Studio Destructive Creations Player sentiment 79% positive of 8,645 Price $6.99 StrategyMedievalRTSHistoricalTacticalReal-TimeBase-BuildingCity Builder
- 13
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, City Builder and Base-Building.
Build a soviet republic from an impoverished country into a rich industrial superpower in a city builder with intricate production chains and a fully simulated global economy. Manage the lives of your citizens from education to work and party loyalty to criminal activity.
Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic at a glance Released 2024 Studio 3Division Player sentiment 91% positive of 27,164 Price $9.99 StrategyCity BuilderBase-BuildingResource ManagementHistoricalRTSReplay Value
- 14
Farthest Frontier
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Historical, Medieval and City Builder.
Protect and guide your people as you forge a town from untamed wilderness at the edge of the known world. Harvest raw materials, hunt, fish and farm to survive. Produce crafted items to trade, consume, equip and fight with as you battle for your survival against the elements and outside threats.
Farthest Frontier at a glance Released 2025 Studio Crate Entertainment Player sentiment 86% positive of 25,411 Price $34.99 HistoricalMedievalCity BuilderResource ManagementRTSStrategyBase-Building
- 15
Manor Lords
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, City Builder and Historical.
Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game featuring in-depth city building, large-scale tactical battles, and complex economic and social simulations. Rule your lands as a medieval lord – the seasons pass, the weather changes, and cities rise and fall.
Manor Lords at a glance Released 2024 Studio Slavic Magic Player sentiment 84% positive of 90,905 Price $25.99 StrategyCity BuilderHistoricalBase-BuildingMedievalResource ManagementRTS
- 16
Total War: ROME REMASTERED
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Historical.
Total War: ROME REMASTERED lets you relive the legacy that defined the award-winning strategy game series. Remastered to 4K with multiple improvements to visuals as well as refinements to gameplay, it’s time to revisit a true classic. Not everyone gets a second chance to conquer the Roman Empire.
Total War: ROME REMASTERED at a glance Released 2021 Studio Creative Assembly Player sentiment 77% positive of 13,722 Price $29.99 StrategyRTSHistoricalTacticalRemakeMedievalClassic
- 17
Tribal Wars
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Base-Building and Resource Management.
Compete in hardcore PvP strategy in persistent game worlds where real time resource and troop management in coordination with other players is required to expand your kingdom from one village to hundreds as you conquer the map in this winner takes all medieval contest.
Tribal Wars at a glance Released 2003 Studio InnoGames Player sentiment 71% positive of 840 Price Free StrategyBase-BuildingResource ManagementMedievalTactical2DHistorical
- 18
Company of Heroes 2
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Tactical; released around the same time (2013).
Experience the ultimate WWII RTS platform with COH2 and its standalone expansions. This package includes the base game, which you can then upgrade by purchasing The Western Front Armies, Ardennes Assault and/or The British Forces. More info in the "About This Game" section below.
Company of Heroes 2 at a glance Released 2013 Studio Relic Entertainment Player sentiment 79% positive of 113,085 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSTacticalHistoricalBase-BuildingReal-Time
- 19
Wargame: European Escalation
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Real-Time; released around the same time (2012).
The New Fatal Error DLC includes a new 5-mission Operation and touch-screen controls.
Wargame: European Escalation at a glance Released 2012 Studio Eugen Systems Player sentiment 78% positive of 3,402 Price $9.99 StrategyRTSReal-TimeTacticalHistoricalReplay Value
- 20
Call of War: World War 2
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Tactical and Historical; released around the same time (2017).
Take over the control of one of the mighty nations during the times of World War 2 in this persisting long-term strategy game. Conquer provinces, forge alliances and build up your economy in real-time. Research top secret weapons of World War 2 and become the one true superpower!
Call of War: World War 2 at a glance Released 2017 Studio Bytro Labs GmbH Player sentiment 71% positive of 6,372 Price Free StrategyTacticalHistoricalRTS2DReal-Time
- 21
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Medieval and Historical.
Spanning the most turbulent era in Western history, your quest for territory and power takes you through Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and even onto the shores of the New World.
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2006 Studio CREATIVE ASSEMBLY Player sentiment 96% positive of 36,357 Price $24.99 StrategyMedievalHistoricalRTSTacticalClassic
- 22
Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Historical and Classic.
With over 6 million units sold and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier's Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now, Sid Meier and Firaxis Games will take this incredibly fun and addictive game to new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new...
Sid Meier's Civilization IV at a glance Released 2006 Studio Firaxis Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 57 Price $19.99 StrategyHistoricalClassicReplay ValueResource ManagementTactical
- 23
Company of Heroes
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Tactical.
Delivering a visceral WWII gaming experience, Company of Heroes redefines RTS by bringing the sacrifice of heroic soldiers, war-ravaged environments, and dynamic battlefields to life. Please visit the "Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition" page for additional user reviews.
Company of Heroes at a glance Released 2006 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 94% positive of 18,707 Price $14.99 StrategyRTSTacticalHistoricalBase-BuildingClassic
- 24
Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition
Why it matched: both historical and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Tactical.
Delivering a visceral WWII gaming experience, Company of Heroes redefines RTS by bringing the sacrifice of heroic soldiers, war-ravaged environments, and dynamic battlefields to life. This legacy version also grants access to the latest version of COH, just called "Company of Heroes".
Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition at a glance Released 2007 Studio Relic Entertainment Player sentiment 93% positive of 7,294 Price $36.99 StrategyRTSTacticalBase-BuildingHistoricalClassic
Common questions
What game is most like Age of Empires II (Retired)?
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, on the evidence we have. It made by the same studio, World's Edge. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Age of Empires II (Retired)" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Age of Empires II (Retired). Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
What else did the makers of Age of Empires II (Retired) do?
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires III (2007), Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition are also from Skybox Labs, and appear in the list below for that reason as well as on tag overlap.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.