What you need to know
- Age of Empires is celebrating its 25th anniversary in October.
- A new Anniversary Edition of Age of Empires 4 with all content so far released, including the Anniversary Update, will launch October 25.
- Age of Empires 4's Season 3 launch will also coincide with the anniversary celebration.
- Remastered Age of Empires 2: DE and Age of Empires 3: DE games will see in-game events with new rewards and challenges.
- A special 25th anniversary broadcast will air October 25 at 1PM EST with new announcements from and interviews with Age developers and community members.
Age of Empires, one of the best real-time strategy (RTS) series ever released on PC, is turning 25 this year. That's right ... the original Age of Empires launched in 1997, dating most of us in ways we don't want to admit. To celebrate, the Age team has come up with a bunch of goodies for newcomers and longtime fans of the series alike.
A live Anniversary Broadcast is planned for October 25 at 1 PM EST, in which the development team and community members will share new announcements and answer questions in an interview format. The team isn't sharing complete details about what we'll see, but you'll be able to check it out yourself on major streaming platforms, including Twitch and YouTube (the Age of Empires, Xbox, and Red Bull Gaming channels will all have the live stream).
October 25 will also see a new Anniversary Edition of Age of Empires 4 hit digital storefronts. It will be considered the "full version" of the game, with base platform, all updates so far released, and the new Anniversary Update launching on the same day.
The Anniversary Update, which includes content seen during the Age 4 Season 3 Public Update Preview, will be free for all Age 4 owners. It includes new Malian and Ottoman civilizations, new challenges and achievements, two new biomes, and eight new maps on which you can wage war. Eleven new languages are also being added in this update, including Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), and Swedish.
The third competitive season will kick off on October 25, giving all players a fresh go at the leaderboard. New Ranked Team Games are included, as are new naval balancing changes and new waypoint markers.
Older Age games aren't being forgotten, including Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition. New challenges and rewards will be made available to celebrate the anniversary.
October 25 sits in the middle of the Red Bull Wololo: Legacy tournament, which runs from October 21 to 30. It's being billed as the "biggest Age of Empires competitive event of all time," with multiple Age games included in the fun. You can check out Red Bull's website for more information.
Now available!
Age of Empires 4 builds greatly on the series' reputation that began in 1997. If you're a fan of RTS games, world history, or both, this should be an easy recommendation. With dozens of hours of campaign play, eight unique civilizations, hours of live docu-style video segments, and a ton of maps for skirmishes, there's no shortage of well-polished content to enjoy. Get it on its own or enjoy it through a subscription to PC Game Pass.
