RTS classic Rise of Nations is now available on the Windows Store, and it's up for grabs at a huge discount. To mark its launch, the game is available for $4.99 through the end of the month, a discount from its standard $19.99 price tag.
One of the big draws of the Windows Store version of Rise of Nations is that it supports cross-play with the Steam release. That's a pretty big deal, as it circumvents a pretty big barrier that had previously been present, separating player bases between the same game depending on choice of storefront. Anyone who bought Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare at launch will be familiar with the annoyances caused by a lack of cross-play.
Thankfully, as Microsoft has confirmed the Rise of Nations team worked directly with teams from Steam and Xbox Live to get cross-play working. This could portend a brighter future for cross-play with other games as well.
In any case, Rise of Nations: Extended Edition on the Windows Store includes the game's full lineup of 24 nations out of the gate. Once you've chosen a nation, you can conquer 6,000 years of history through turn-based strategy gameplay throughout a single-player campaign or with up to eight players online. The Extended Edition also builds on the 2003 original with improved visuals, and it includes the Thrones and Patriots expansion for free.
If you're into RTS games and want to dive into a classic, you can pick up Rise of Nations on the Windows Store now.
