Age of Empires

Overview

Age of Empires is a 1997 real-time strategy video game based on the ancient world, developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, and the first game in the Age of Empires series. The game uses the Genie Engine, a 2D sprite-based game engine. The game allows the user to act as the leader of an ancient civilization by advancing it through four ages (the Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron Ages), gaining access to new and improved units with each advance.

The game received positive reviews, and an expansion pack, titled The Rise of Rome, was released in 1998. The game is now generally regarded as one of the best video games ever made. Both the original Age of Empires and the expansion pack were later released as "The Gold Edition". The first sequel, Age of Empires II, was released in 1999. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, a remastered version of the game, was released on February 20, 2018.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Strategy

Developer

Ensemble Studios

Publisher

Microsoft, MacSoft Games

Series

Age of Empires

Engine

Genie Engine

Platforms

Windows

Age rating

ESRB T

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

Yes

Co op

No

Age ratings

PEGI

12

ESRB

T

Release dates

Playable today

Credits

Publisher

Microsoft, MacSoft Games

Developer

Ensemble Studios

Released

1997-10-15

Age rating

ESRB T

Region

US

Time to beat

about 21.8 hours