Age of Empires
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.
- Released
- 1997
- Developer
- Not recorded
- Platforms
- 2 systems
- Critics
- 69
- Steam Deck
- playable
- Download
- 20 GB
What is Age of Empires?
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.
Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.
The record
| First released | 15 October 1997 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Not recorded |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Platforms | PC, Steam Deck |
| Genres | Strategy |
| Languages | 13 supported |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q220767, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.
How was Age of Empires received?
Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Metacritic page. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.
What does it support?
| Capability | Support |
|---|---|
| Controller | Not stated |
| Cloud saves | Yes |
| Cross-platform play | Yes |
| Mod support | No official workshop |
| Online play | Yes |
| In-game purchases | No |
| Steam Deck | playable |
| Download size | 20 GB |
| Add-on content | 1 DLC listed |
| Age gate | None |
Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.
What does it cost?
Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.
Problems players report
We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of Age of Empires on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.
- Crashes and freezes19 of 300 (6%)
Development team has not had any intresst in fixing this issue (and the game crashes) since the release of the game, thus making this product both broken and basically abandonware.
Steam review, 6 July 2024 · 3 hours played · 5 readers marked it helpfulWhile the game looks great for an original title there are so many bugs and crashes that it's nearly impossible to play.
Steam review, 13 March 2025 · 35 hours played · 3 readers marked it helpful
A further 21 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.
Games like Age of Empires
24 games overlap with Age of Empires on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III.
Common questions about Age of Empires
What platforms is Age of Empires on?
Age of Empires is available on PC, Steam Deck. It first released in 1997.
How much does Age of Empires cost?
$19.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.
Do players recommend Age of Empires?
84% of 15,616 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.
What is the Metacritic score for Age of Empires?
69 out of 100 for the PC version, as published on the game's own Steam store page. Steam can lag Metacritic by a few points.
Does Age of Empires work on Steam Deck?
Valve rates Age of Empires as playable on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.
How big is the Age of Empires download?
20 GB on PC, from the storage requirement on its Steam listing. Console versions differ.