| Age of Empires categories | |
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| PC Games | Age of Empires · Age of Empires II · Age of Empires III · Age of Empires IV · Age of Mythology |
| Age of Empires II | The Conquerors HD Edition: The Forgotten · The African Kingdoms · Rise of the Rajas Definitive Edition (The Last Khans) : Lords of the West · Dawn of the Dukes · Dynasties of India · Return of Rome |
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What's new on Age of Empires II
- May 16, 2023
- January 31, 2023
- April 28, 2022
- August 10, 2021
- January 26, 2021
Expansions and sequels
A PlayStation 2 port was released by Konami in 2001 for Europe and in 2002 for Japan. A Nintendo DS spinoff, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings was released in 2006.
An expansion for The Age of Kings, The Conquerors, was released in 2000. It introduced numerous new game features, including unique technologies for each civilization, and five new civilizations. Two of these, the Aztecs and the Mayans, represent the New World and have a distinctive architectural style. Other new civilizations are the Huns, Koreans, and Spanish.
In 2005, a mobile version of Age of Empires II was released for Java mobile devices (J2ME), called Age of Empires II Mobile and developed by In-Fusio. It featured much simplified gameplay and graphics, designed for the mobile devices of the time.
The success of Age of Empires II also spurred the continuation of the franchise: the third historical game in the series, Age of Empires III, was released in 2005. The game portrayed the European colonization of the Americas. Aside from one significant feature, the home city, the game's design was largely similar to that of its predecessor.
The multiplayer-only Age of Empires Online was released in 2012. While the game was freely accessible, it featured premium content which could either be earned through gameplay or purchased, enabling the player to use higher-tier equipment and new game modes. Active development of the game ended on January 1, 2014, when executive producer Kevin Perry stated that adding new content was "no longer cost effective," and announced that the game would be moving from "development phase" to its "support phase". The game servers were subsequently shut down on July 1, 2014.
HD Edition
In 2012, Hidden Path Entertainment began working on a high-definition remake of Age of Empires II, an effort spearheaded by Matt Pritchard, an original lead programmer at Ensemble Studios. On March 7, 2013, its release was announced, branded as Age of Empires II: HD Edition. It has improved graphics, widescreen support and new multiplayer options through Steam. It was released on April 9, 2013, and there was a pre-order available on April 5. HD Edition received mixed reviews, with aggregate review website Metacritic assigning a score of 68 out of 100 based on reviews from 20 critics. Critics agreed that the HD Edition changed very little from the original game, though Steam Workshop integration was widely praised.
The Forgotten
Three official expansion packs were released for HD Edition. The first, The Forgotten, is based on a fan-made expansion, The Forgotten Empires. The pack introduces five new civilizations: the Incas, Indians, Italians, Magyars, and Slavs. It includes new maps, campaigns (Alaric I, Bari, Dracula, El Dorado, Francesco I Sforza, and Prithviraj), units, a new game mode, an increase of the maximum population limit from 200 to 500, and numerous balance and gameplay adjustments. The expansion pack was developed by the team that created the mod with the assistance of SkyBox Labs.
The African Kingdoms
A second expansion pack for Age of Empires II HD, The African Kingdoms, was released on November 5, 2015, and introduces four new civilizations: the Berbers, Ethiopians, Malians, and the Portuguese. It includes new maps, campaigns (Tariq ibn Ziyad, Yodit, Sundjata, and Francisco de Almeida), as well as new units, new game modes including Capture the Relic and Treaty, and numerous balance and gameplay adjustments.
Rise of the Rajas
The third expansion pack, Rise of the Rajas, was released on December 19, 2016. It is set in Southeast Asia, and adds four civilizations (Burmese, Khmer, Malay, and Vietnamese), each with its own fully voice-acted campaign (Bayinnaung, Suryavarman I, Gajah Mada, and Lê Lợi, respectively), as well as a new map type with environments, units such as the ballista elephant, improved AI, and more.
Definitive Edition
On August 21, 2017, at Gamescom, Microsoft announced a remaster titled Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was in development by Forgotten Empires, Tantalus Media, and Wicked Witch Software. On June 9, 2019, Microsoft revealed the gameplay trailer at Xbox E3 2019. The game includes all content from the previous editions and expansions, as well as four new civilizations, additional campaign missions, and new 4K graphics. It was released via Xbox Game Pass for PC, the Microsoft Store, and Steam on November 14, 2019. Definitive Edition has received multiple expansions:
- Lords of the West released on January 26, 2021. It added two new civilizations, the Burgundians and Sicilians, and three new campaigns (Edward I, Dukes of Burgundy, and the Hautevilles).
- Dawn of the Dukes released on August 10, 2021. The expansion's focus is on Central Europe and includes new campaigns (Jadwiga, Algirdas and Kęstutis, and Jan Žižka) and two new civilizations, the Poles and the Bohemians.
- Dynasties of India was released on April 28, 2022. It features three new civilizations (Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras), and reworks to the existing Indian civilization, which was renamed the Hindustanis. Three new campaigns (Babur, Devapala, and Rajendra Chola) were also introduced.
- Return of Rome was released on May 16, 2023. It brings content from Age of Empires: Definitive Edition into Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, as well as adding the Roman civilization. Three campaigns covering Sargon of Akkad, Pyrrhus of Epirus, and Trajan were also included.
- The Mountain Royals was released on October 31, 2023. It contains two new civilizations, Georgians and Armenians, three new campaigns (Tamar, Ismail, and Thoros), as well as providing an extensive rework of the Persians.