Age of Empires is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first game was Age of Empires, released in 1997. Nine total games within the series have been released so far (more specifically as of 28 October 2021).
Age of Empires focused on events in Europe, Africa and Asia, spanning from the Stone Age to the Iron Age; the expansion game explored the formation and expansion of the Roman Empire. The sequel, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, was set in the Middle Ages, while its expansion focused partially on the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The subsequent three games of Age of Empires III explored the early modern period, when Europe was colonizing the Americas and several Asian nations were on the decline. Another installment, Age of Empires Online, takes a different approach as a free-to-play online game utilizing Games for Windows Live. A spin-off game, Age of Mythology, was set in the same period as the original Age of Empires, but focused on mythological elements of Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology. The fourth main installment in the series, Age of Empires IV, was released on October 28, 2021.[1][2]
The Age of Empires series has been a commercial success, selling over 25 million copies. Critics have credited part of the success of the series to its historical theme and fair play; the artificial intelligence (AI) players have fewer advantages than in many of the series' competitors.
Age of Empires focused on events in Europe, Africa and Asia, spanning from the Stone Age to the Iron Age; the expansion game explored the formation and expansion of the Roman Empire. The sequel, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, was set in the Middle Ages, while its expansion focused partially on the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
 |
| Age of Empires IV |
The Age of Empires series has been a commercial success, selling over 25 million copies. Critics have credited part of the success of the series to its historical theme and fair play; the artificial intelligence (AI) players have fewer advantages than in many of the series' competitors.
Main series
- Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome (1998)
- Age of Empires II: The Conquerors (2000)
- Age of Mythology: The Titans (2003)
- Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs (2006)
- Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (2007)
Release timeline
| 1997 | Age of Empires |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome |
| 1999 | Age of Empires II |
| 2000 | Age of Empires II: The Conquerors |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Age of Mythology |
| 2003 | Age of Mythology: The Titans |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Age of Empires II Mobile |
| Age of Empires III | |
| 2006 | Age of Empires II Deluxe Edition Mobile |
| Age of Empires: The Age of Kings | |
| Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs | |
| 2007 | Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties |
| Age of Empires III (J2ME) | |
| 2008 | Age of Empires: Mythologies |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (J2ME) |
| 2011 | Age of Empires Online |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | Age of Empires II: HD Edition |
| Age of Empires II: The Forgotten | |
| 2014 | Age of Mythology: Extended Edition |
| Age of Empires: Castle Siege | |
| 2015 | Age of Empires II: The African Kingdoms |
| Age of Empires: World Domination | |
| 2016 | Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon |
| Age of Empires II: Rise of the Rajas | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | Age of Empires: Definitive Edition |
| 2019 | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition |
| 2020 | Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition |
| TBA | Age of Empires IV |