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Game
Game2020
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Developer World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is a real-time strategy video game developed by Tantalus Media and Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a remaster of the 2005 game Age of Empires III, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the original. It features improved visuals, a remastered soundtrack, two new game modes, and four new civilizations, plus African and Mediterranean-themed downloadable… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
249 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
81
LovedLoved
186 positive · 43 negative
95% range 76–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 186 | 43 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
20 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
47,448 of 55,192 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 249 · most liked firstThis is not the best that Age of Empires III has to offer. Sure, it looks nicer, it's got some more content than the retail version, but overall, this is not the way to get the true Age of Empires III experience. Campaigns from the original game were butchered, especially the ones involving John Black and Chayton Black. Mentions of Kanyenke were haphazardly chopped up to reflect his new name of Kanien, instead of bringing actors back to re-record. Mentions of the word "Iroquois" and "Sioux"…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is zero reason why this game should be 50GB. Pure and utter laziness from the developers.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Half the fun of this version of AoE over it's predecessors was leveling up your Home City. They took that away in the DE version. Now there's nothing to grind out, no sense of accomplishment. The A.I. is ridiculous. Apparently it cheats with a 30% eco at the "hardest" setting and 60% at extreme. Then there is a scalable boost toggle. AoE 2 the A.I. simply gets smarter with level settings and they if you want more of a challenge you can CHOOSE to let it cheat. DLC's are cancelled because…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One day, a wise man introduce me into this game. "it shall protect your virginity, my lad" he said. Not many people speak your language. Not many people play well. Not many people talk nicely. Not many people work as a team. But if you find people that do... You'll have the most fun you've ever had.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This Age of Empires 3 game is very popular in Vietnam. If the producer releases DLCs featuring Vietnamese dynasties in the mid-18th century, such as the Tay Son, Nguyen, and Le-Trinh dynasties, it will certainly be welcomed by the Vietnamese gaming community and the producer will make a lot of profit.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the funniest, the most creative and complex game of the franchise. Abandoning their players with no patches, no support and no new DLCs was just the dumbest thing Microsoft ever did to a game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →800+ hours in the 2007 version. Came to Age of Empires III for strategy. Instead I got: * 5 minutes of peaceful economy building * 30 seconds of panic * 200 population armies colliding * someone typing "noob" in chat Multiplayer in this game is basically: "Nice town you built there… would be a shame if 40 cavalry suddenly appeared in your base." You think you're winning. You control the map. Your economy is booming. Then the enemy ships 2 falconets. Your entire army becomes a historical…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game from my childhood. Still great today. "I wish the Devs didn't abandon it though, would love to see Austria and Poland-Lithuania as Civs." And this sentence aged like milk. Luckily. POLSKA BĘDZIE W GRZE!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do you enjoy games where 1400 ELO players host “Noob” games while playing their main? How about getting kicked by a host whose ELO is within 50 points of yours, because apparently the ideal competitive experience is finding someone significantly worse than yourself and defeating them? Then congratulations. This game was made for you. You’ll have access to exciting game modes such as Ultra Resources and Post-Imperial 60 Minute Treaty, allowing you to sit motionless at your computer for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i started playing when i was i think 6 i'm 11 now and i've really liked the game the story mode is really great i don't wanna spoil anything about it by saying what i liked but its a good story i lake making battles in the sanario editer i've gotten pretty good at making them i even got my dad to start playing the game i also tryied age of empires 4 and i don't recommend switching to it but over all its a great game and i love it and i hope others will like it like i did
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of empires 1 was a great game, it got so much right, and is only now in modern times crippled by it's lack of refinement. Even including the DE edition, the game still feels archaic but in a timeless way. Age 2 is inarguably the series high point. A fantastic looking, fantastic playing tour de force of refinements and improvements over the first game which is beautifully balanced and intricately designed. It has tons of content and an active community. Age 4 is a hybrid game of 2 and 3,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game.. It's incredible. I've never played Age of Empires I or II, and IV didn't appeal to me, but this one? It's very fun. What keeps me coming back? The Home City. Why won't I ever play Age of Empires I, II, or IV? There isn't a Home City. What is the Home City? The best part of the game. Every Empire has a selection of Cards - or "Shipments" - that can be used to create a Deck you can use during a match. This gives you complete freedom over how your Empire will evolve. The Swedes, for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the best game of all the Age of Empires. Graphics and physics are the best, the ability to be unique and "theory craft" decks. I think the developers suck for ending support for this game. No more updates or bug fixes. I also Play AOE 4 and its also very good. but some major points that entirely suck are the siege in AOE 4.... 100% dumpsters. how can you go from what it is in AOE 3 to what they are now in AOE 4. entirely lame and not cool at all. AOE 4 has a fluid like playability to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why Age of Empires 3 is the best game in the series: 1. The Home City & Card Deck System (Offers a lot of customisation) 2. More Unique Civilizations (Every civilisation genuinely feels unique, not just a reskin of the buildings) 3. Faster, More Action-Packed Matches (Action starts a lot earlier *not just three militia drush at 10min :/) 4. Better Graphics and Physics (Cannon balls make infantry go bye bye...) 5. The Setting (Colonisation... Everyone still talks about it today ;P) 6. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Moment i realised that they removed the levelling system IN SINGLEPLAYER, i deinstalled and never installed again. unfortunately. I really wanted to buy some of the new Civs DLCs. but now, i have no incentive anymore to play this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When content creation ceased, When the game seemed abandoned, When all hope was lost, BUT THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Truly a masterpiece, a legend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{Graphics}--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ Paint.exe ---{Gameplay}--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It‘s just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Starring at walls is better ☐ Just don‘t ---{Audio}--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ Earrape ---{Audience}--- ☐ Kids ☐ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Human ☐ Lizards ---{PC Requirements}--- ☑ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boiiiiii ☐…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decades later and I still enjoy it like the first time. If only the devs put more work into the title.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A unique Age of Empires game that defines its own genre. Age of Empires III is not your traditional Age of Empires game, and that's exactly what makes it special. At its core, it has all the familiar RTS mechanics: gather resources, build your economy, advance through the ages, research technologies, and create stronger armies. But then it adds two layers that completely change how the game feels. The first is the Home City card system, which is unique to each civilization and gives you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game served as my first real introduction to strategy games, which ended up becoming one of my preferred genres later in life. While I did play AOE 1 and 2, AOE 3 will always hold a special place in my heart. When this game came out I had no computer of my own, but my grandma did. So I spent a lot of time at her place whenever I was craving some AOE. This game is known for its campaign, which was pretty good. It covered the period of the colonization of the Americas and up until the start…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My brothers and I grew up playing Age of Empires 3 over LAN. It was the last game we all played together since they have died. Now I play to imagine they are still here. 10/10 It is and always will be the best game. Miss you Michael and George
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A classic to enjoy with a group session. This game will bring the best or the worst out of each other. still prefer number 2 overall but this is still worth the money.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →90% of treaty games go out of sync or crash, wasting hours of progress. I have not been able to finish a single game without a crash in last 2 weeks. FIX THIS ♥♥♥♥
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game constantly goes 'out of sync' near the end of long match sessions, throwing everyone out. It is incredibly frustrating to lose hours of progress in multiplayer because of this connection crash. Please fix this problem.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best RTS games, great lategame scaling and tons of unit spam. Civs are all unique and its fun to craft new builds
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitive Edition yet can't play most of the civilizations. I must buy a lot DLCs. Eff them. Crap game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Empires III was a very different experience for me. I came into it with years of love for the older titles, especially AOE II, so the shift in style and mechanics took time to adjust to. The gameplay moves away from the classic medieval setting and introduces a new direction with home cities, shipments, and a more scripted feel. It did not give me the same excitement that the earlier games gave, and some parts just did not connect with me the way I hoped. That said, I still recommend…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, first thing first: I never got into AoE 1, 2 or 4, although i really tried liking them and learning, but they're just not my cuppa, AoE 3 however tangled me up near instantly, it just feels... different, kinda... wacky? for a lack of a better descriptions, and that's what makes it so charming to me I can still remember getting the CD for this game, and sinking days upon days, and nights upon nights into it, probably nearly 2,5k hours The Definitive Edition changed a lot of things, took a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worse than the original, the campaigns have been butchered. So glad I still have the original on disc. Such a shame that many people don't be able to play the original as it was removed from Steam. Thanks, ♥♥♥♥♥.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →has always been a great Game. and now believe it or not 20 years later i see my 8 year old son loves strategy games. crazy...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome game, that just got screwed over by the management, Its so unique as an RTS not only in its chosen setting - time period, but also the deck system is a stellar innovation to spruce up and deepen the strategy and replayability, I just always find myself coming back to this game, and with enough hope the devs might even renew support
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For some reason, I've been putting off playing this game. I had it in my head that nothing could ever live up to AOE2, but I started playing today and I'm really pleasantly surprised. The game is beautiful (makes sense as it's just that much more modern than 2 that graphics had come along way, and the remaster has improved it even further) and the soundtrack is lovely, if not slightly more ambient than 2 (which isn't a bad thing). The taunts and dialogue of your enemies and allies is great. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played more than 3000 hours. I have tried pretty much every strat I can think of. There's something addictive about coming up with the perfect build order. Now, the AI leaves a lot of be desired sadly. It isn't able to play on water maps well, and even the Assertive AI mod or others similar, don't really do much for it. Once you get to a certain level the AI won't be a challenge anymore but there's always multiplayer for that.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best game on the Age of Empires franchise. Of course close with 2 and many others will prefer 2. But this one is far better than 4. Trust.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →great game. used to play when younger. brings back good memories. in my opinion best AOE game with best variety of troops
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you have the original game, I don't see any point in buying this and strongly encourage nobody that does. The updated graphics are gross; they take a game that was aging gracefully and poorly insert a new style that highlights all the ways the game looks bad, makes it less clear to see what's happening, and finally somehow makes the game more than 10 times the original size! The new game modes also don't offer much; having the option for more teams is theoretically nice but doesn't really…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Other than the game hanging every single game, going OOS, having lag spikes and kind of making the game unplayable, the game is awesome!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely one of the most fun strategy game with beautiful graphics, many civilizations and exciting fights. Some bugs here and there but growing through ages and battles feels very satisfying overall.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →very fun for casual strat gamers. Less micro intensive then Age 2
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is horribly optimized, i have a decent pc that can push a good graphics and this game with certain maps and civs, it starts to stutter or freeze a lot.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A buddy gave me this beautiful small box version of Age of Empires III and there is something of note. Amazingly they include the Games for Windows CD and a separate 3 CD stand alone version, so using that, it works perfectly. Besides that, the game is gorgeous and works great on the phenom II.
unlabelledView post →The previously cancelled 'Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition' DLC The Baltic Powers Expansion got uncanceled and is now getting an Open Beta from July 23 to August 6 The community has continued to show incredible passion for the game and that enthusiasm hasn’t gone unnoticed.
unlabelledView post →Amazing game, have put way too many hours but of all the games I have I keep coming back to this one Every game is different, so many civs to play as and always a challenge Couldn’t recommend enough!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is graphically attractive but suffers from the same 'grind' effect of earlier offerings, it has not improved in terms of diplomacy, sophistication or tactical nuance. It's virtually impossible to pull units out of battle and enemies pursue relentlessly ignoring nearest foes. Units are slow to withdraw. Enemy tactics include massed shock troops without acquiring any discernable resources, so the computer-AI generally 'cheats'. The game is just a monotonous grind with a few nice…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic facelift for a divisive entry in the classic RTS series. The graphics are gorgeous, and the card/home-city system is still a unique and fun twist on the formula. It's packed with content and civilizations. Some purists still hate it for not being AoE2, but it offers faster, more explosive matches. A must-buy for fans of the original or anyone looking for a more accessible historical RTS.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Way better than 4. Just great looking game once it was updated, love the DLCs and this game hit as hard for me at 26 as it did at 16 playing on Windows XP
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay is ok - nothing spectacular. What really brings it down is the left-wing history revisionists that wrote the story mode scripts.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →graphics, heroes,easy for an over 60 to understand
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The BEST RTS strategic game that has ever existed,and once the moroccan kingdom civ gets added it will be the best game ever created.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Returning to this game after over fifteen years has helped me to appreciate this game a lot more than when I was a kid. When I was younger, I enjoyed it, but eventually stopped playing because it "wasn't Age II". Coming back twenty years later, I am glad to be so wrong. It is very clear that time has helped smooth out its rough edges, but more importantly, it has smoothed out my nostalgia goggles. Comparing this game to Age of Empires II is, in my opinion, a good way to destroy your first…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Endless strategies with the home city, active community, macro and micro gaming challenge, excellent variety without feeling overwhelming
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am pretty sure nostalgia is gonna affect this, but i love this game, played it sinse i was a kid Bought the definitive edition and i can say it was worth it New factions that are fun to play and have BEAUTIFUL home cities I love how ships now have actual formations and hitboxes instead of just phasing through each other The thing i support the most is, you are not forced to level up (or change the game files) to get points to unlock cards, i still remember the pain of having to level up…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Havent played this game for a long time because of "life", but I thought I would drop a review, this game is something else, its not just a RTS, its a way of thinking, no other Age of Empires title comes near it in terms of the innovation and gameplay, the campaigns are silly and cool sure, but the multiplayer is where the heart of this videogame lies, words cannot describe the worth of this game so I would just recommend one to download it and play, espacially since its basically been free…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →should be a complete game instead you have to rely on a billion DLCs.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am very disappointed in the updates of late. It seems the developers only programmed the updates for all out rush. There are many games out there that a hyper competitive and cater to the everyday gamer. I have played this game for over a decade and I will stop playing it soon based on this all out offensive crap. Part of the fun of this game used to be development, experimenting with different units, and enjoying the historical parts of the game. Those days are gone. Developers, revert…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →even after all these years, this game still holds up
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a fan of fast-paced RTS games, I do even rarely play this game. But incredibly this is one of the few RTS which is well done. In fact, it's really fun, and it does have an artistic direction/style which is spot-on and colorful. Good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is a real time strategy game that I keep coming back to because the basic formula still feels really good. I build a town, collect food, wood and coin, advance through the ages and slowly build an army while trying to destroy the other side. The setting is also a nice change from games that focus entirely on ancient history, since the game covers the colonial period and later moves into battles across Europe, the Americas and Asia. The Home City system is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sending 50 cannons to erase an entire village: 10/10 Home City shipments feel like opening Xmas presents Absolute nostalgia with beautiful remastered graphics Cons: My economic strategy: "Put everyone on food and pray" Getting rushed while I’m still building houses If this review made you send a shipment, drop an Award! 🏆
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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