Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 70 | 23 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 70 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 84% | 78 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Dec 12, 2023) · 300 reviews sampled · 3523 total reviews in window · weighted 198.2 up / 33.7 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (46)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Age of Empires: Definitive Edition succeeds in its goal, giving fans of the series a painstakingly remastered game that is faithful to the original.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a game stuck midway between the past and the present. The remastering process took a lot of work and turned out pretty good but I can’t understand why the gameplay was left intact without any modern polish. At first, the nostalgia was strong but fighting with the archaic solutions over and over again for a few hours was too much for me and I got bored.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a functional and faithful nostalgia trip for fans of the original release, and manages to earn the title "definitive." However, newcomers to the genre will be disappointed by the shallow civilisation diversity, and be annoyed by the dated design and mechanics. As of right now, this is a title that can only be recommended for fans of the original game, as Age of Empires II is a more complex, deep, and a better release in every way.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a great remaster that has improved the visual and sound design of original game perfectly. But gameplay wise, the game feels so sold and may only satisfy those who loved the original game.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“However, it's also likely to leave those older players thinking some things are better left alone as happy memories. It's the same reason that new players are unlikely to be enamoured. It's difficult to play a game like this in isolation. Sooner or later, the mind wanders back to the present, the truth is, the genre has come on in leaps and bounds since Age of Empires came on the scene all those years ago and this is one remaster that feels like it doesn't really belong.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“This Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is the perfect remaster effort to make a classic shine once more.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The 90s classic has never looked better, but beneath the makeover it can creak.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Age of Empires: Definitive Edition introduces gameplay tweaks and 4K visuals to a 20-year old classic, but not everything holds up to modern standards.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It's a very solid remaster of a classic game, and those looking for a nostalgia trip to 20 years ago should look no further. Some of the quirks are still present, even the original cheats, ultimately making this the true Definitive Edition.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There's clearly been plenty of love and attention given to the remastering of Age of Empires Definitive Edition, even if some of the less enjoyable elements of the original have also made it through the process unscathed. Twenty years later it still remains a hugely enjoyable RTS, and particularly thanks to its iconic soundtrack remains a joy to play, with hours disappearing as the eras pass you by.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“A well-crafted remaster but this ancient real-time strategy has little to offer modern gamers, especially when the sequel is already readily available.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Age of Empires: Definitive Edition did an excellent job of improving its graphic performance, but it still feels too outdated for newcomers.”
read full review ↗
Gadgets 360
GRYOnline.pl
Cubed3
Zoomg
ZTGD
Gamerheadquarters
Eurogamer
GameSpot
GameGrin
TheSixthAxis
Metro GameCentral
Gamersky…and 34 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Update 100.2.31845.0Dec 12, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Large Infrastructure Server Update - Wednesday, March 22Mar 15, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition — Update 46777Apr 7, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition — Update 38862Jul 7, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- COMING SOON! Age of Empires: Definitive Edition — Update 38862Jul 2, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Server Maintenance - Saturday, March 21Mar 21, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition — Update 34483Jan 15, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Server Maintenance: Tuesday, November 26Nov 25, 2019
- Server Maintenance: Thursday, November 14Nov 15, 2019
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Update 28529Aug 28, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Update 28218Aug 20, 2019significant · resets scoring window