Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires IV is a historical real-time strategy game for PC, currently listed on Steam and Xbox storefronts as Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. Developed by World's Edge, Relic Entertainment, Forgotten Empires, and Climax Studios, and published by Xbox Game Studios, it combines base building, resource management, campaign storytelling, ranked PvP, cooperative play, and large-scale medieval warfare.

The current edition is not a renamed sequel or separate remake. It is the expanded storefront version of the same Age of Empires IV experience, with additional civilizations, maps, languages, updates, challenges, and masteries included alongside separately sold expansions.

How Age of Empires IV Plays

Age of Empires IV uses a 3D isometric strategy camera designed for both battlefield oversight and precise unit control. Every match begins with a small settlement, a group of villagers, and a limited economy. You explore the map, gather food, wood, gold, and stone, construct production buildings, research technologies, and turn economic momentum into military pressure.

The central loop is familiar to classic RTS players but remains demanding in practice. Villager allocation affects every decision, from how quickly you advance through the ages to whether you can support cavalry, siege weapons, defensive structures, or a second town center. Idle workers, delayed production, and poor scouting can undermine an otherwise strong army.

Progression moves through four historical ages. Advancing requires investment and usually involves selecting a civilization-specific Landmark, which can redirect your strategy toward aggression, defense, technology, trade, religion, or economic growth. Because landmarks differ between civilizations, the age-up decision is more than a simple technology unlock.

Combat rewards composition and timing rather than simply producing the most expensive unit. Infantry, cavalry, ranged troops, monks, naval units, and siege engines occupy different tactical roles, while terrain, vision, walls, chokepoints, and reinforcements shape the engagement. Victory can come through military destruction, landmark control, economic superiority, or other available match conditions.

Civilizations With Different Strategic Identities

The base Anniversary Edition lineup includes the Abbasid Dynasty, Chinese, Delhi Sultanate, English, French, Holy Roman Empire, Malians, Mongols, Ottomans, and Rus. These factions share the same broad economy and age structure, but their bonuses, technologies, landmarks, units, and military priorities create different matchups.

The English lean into defensive infrastructure, reliable food production, and strong ranged forces. The Mongols use mobility and an unusual settlement structure to keep pressure on opponents. The Delhi Sultanate builds around scholars and technology research, while the Abbasid Dynasty develops its House of Wisdom through additional wings rather than repeatedly choosing new landmark buildings.

The Chinese, French, Holy Roman Empire, Malians, Ottomans, and Rus each bring their own economic incentives and battlefield systems. Learning one civilization is approachable; understanding how every faction changes scouting, counterplay, and timing windows is where the long-term mastery begins.

Expansion civilizations and variants go further than cosmetic faction swaps. The Japanese and Byzantines arrive with The Sultans Ascend, while Ayyubids, Jeanne d'Arc, Order of the Dragon, and Zhu Xi's Legacy reinterpret existing foundations through new units, abilities, bonuses, and strategic priorities.

Campaigns, Skirmishes, and Competitive Modes

The original single-player campaign structure contains four historical storylines: the Norman Campaign, Hundred Years' War, Mongol Empire, and Rise of Moscow. Missions present specific objectives and battlefield situations rather than asking you to repeat one generic match format. Completing campaign scenarios also unlocks historical video content called Hands on History.

For open-ended play, Skirmish matches let you choose civilizations, maps, opponents, allies, victory conditions, and other rules. The mode is useful for learning build orders against AI, testing a new civilization, or experimenting with unusual army compositions without entering the ranked environment.

Online play includes Quick Match, Ranked, custom games, team modes, and cooperative matches against AI. Empire Wars provides a faster opening with an established early economy, while Nomad changes the start by removing the usual fixed settlement pattern. These modes make the game less dependent on one standard opening rhythm.

Players who prefer a more structured historical RTS with campaign missions and direct medieval battlefield control can also compare it with scenario-driven medieval strategy such as Ancestors Legacy. Age of Empires IV is broader and more economy-focused, while Ancestors Legacy places greater emphasis on preserving formations and managing mission forces.

What the Expansions Add

Age of Empires IV follows a paid base-game and expansion model. The Anniversary Edition provides the main game and its included civilization roster, while major gameplay expansions are sold separately. Players using PC Game Pass can access the base game through the subscription, but the listed expansions are not included automatically.

The Sultans Ascend adds the Japanese and Byzantines, four variant civilizations, a new Middle Eastern campaign with eight missions, ten maps, and two biomes. Its variant civilizations include the Ayyubids, Jeanne d'Arc, Order of the Dragon, and Zhu Xi's Legacy.

Knights of Cross and Rose focuses on the Knights Templar and House of Lancaster variant civilizations, ten additional maps, and the Historical Battles mode. It does not add a new conventional campaign, but its four historical scenarios include medals and an optional Conqueror challenge.

Dynasties of the East introduces the Golden Horde, Macedonian Dynasty, Sengoku Daimyo, and Tughlaq Dynasty variant civilizations, along with eight maps, six biomes, and The Crucible. This solo roguelite RTS mode uses changing objectives, enemy waves, escalating difficulty, procedural mission elements, and permanent meta progression.

Yue Fei's Legacy adds the Jin Dynasty and an eight-mission campaign centered on the Song-Jin wars. It also makes the new faction available for skirmish and multiplayer play, giving the expansion value beyond its story content.

PC Features and Ecosystem

The PC version is built around mouse and keyboard control, with remappable hotkeys and the level of unit selection precision expected from a competitive RTS. The broader Age of Empires IV ecosystem also supports controller play, controller-specific layouts, and controller leaderboards on compatible platforms.

Steam lists single-player, online PvP, online co-op, cross-platform multiplayer, achievements, and Family Sharing. Cross-network multiplayer allows players from Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, and other supported platforms to meet in shared lobbies, with input preferences available for custom matches and platform-specific matchmaking settings.

Mod support is a substantial part of the PC experience. The official Content Editor supports Crafted Maps, Tuning Packs, Generated Maps, and Game Modes. These tools can add scripted scenarios, alter unit statistics, influence random map generation, or replace core victory conditions and match behavior.

The storefront lists 26 supported languages across interface and subtitle categories. Full audio is available in a smaller group of languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. The game also uses an Xbox account ecosystem for online services, even when purchased through Steam.

Who Should Play Age of Empires IV?

Age of Empires IV suits players who enjoy economic planning, map control, historical factions, counter-based combat, and competitive games that reward repeated practice. It offers a clear entry point through tutorials and campaigns, but its ranked ladder, civilization matchups, and build-order discipline provide considerable depth for experienced RTS players.

It is less suitable if you want a purely tactical war game without worker management, a character-driven RPG campaign, or a strategy experience that pauses between turns. The game expects you to manage several priorities at once: economy, scouting, production, technology, army positioning, and defensive preparation.

Players who want a hybrid strategy experience with hero development and real-time faction control may prefer RTS campaigns with role-playing systems like SpellForce 3 Collection. SpellForce 3 gives heroes and party progression a much larger role, whereas Age of Empires IV keeps the focus on civilization-wide economic and military command.

Age of Empires IV FAQ

Is Age of Empires IV now called Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition?

Yes. The current Steam and Xbox storefront naming uses Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. It represents the expanded current edition of Age of Empires IV rather than a separate sequel.

What is included in the base game?

The base edition includes the core campaigns, skirmish and multiplayer systems, the Anniversary Edition civilization lineup, ongoing game updates, and the standard PC feature set. Major expansions such as The Sultans Ascend, Knights of Cross and Rose, Dynasties of the East, and Yue Fei's Legacy are sold separately.

Does Age of Empires IV have co-op?

Yes. The game supports online co-op, including cooperative play against AI. Some expansion content also adds solo-focused modes and additional campaign material, but not every expansion is built around cooperative missions.

Can Steam and Microsoft Store players play together?

Yes. Current cross-network support allows Steam and Microsoft Store players to join shared multiplayer lobbies, subject to the game's platform and input settings.

Does Age of Empires IV support mods on PC?

Yes. PC players can use the official mod ecosystem and Content Editor to create crafted maps, tuning packs, generated maps, and custom game modes. Some mods can change unit statistics, map generation, scripted events, or victory conditions.

Is there a traditional campaign in Dynasties of the East?

No. Dynasties of the East adds The Crucible, a solo roguelite RTS mode built around changing objectives, enemy waves, dynamic missions, upgrades, and permanent progression rather than a conventional linear campaign.