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Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition

Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition

World's Edge, Relic Entertainment, Forgotten Empires, Climax Studios · released Oct 27, 2021

StrategyPCPlayStation 5Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Celebrating its first year of delighting millions of global players, the award-winning and best-selling strategy franchise continues with Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, putting you at the center of even more epic historical battles that shaped the world.

Steam page ↗Metacritic 83 · users 7.6 ↗
77
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence

anchored at patch: “Age of Empires IV – Patch 16.2.10884” (2mo ago)

81%
At launch
86%
Steam all-time
83%
Press
61%
Player sentiment
83%
Recent sentiment

PC 77 · PlayStation 59 · Xbox 63

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (244 positive / 55 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Visuals & art5% mention it
  • Multiplayer & servers5% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

  • Bugs & crashes24% mention it
  • Multiplayer & servers20% mention it
  • Visuals & art9% mention it
  • Controls & UI9% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

66%

35 reviews

5-15h

85%

33 reviews

15-40h

82%

57 reviews

40-100h

87%

52 reviews

100h+

83%

122 reviews

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)–8316
All-time Steam reviews86%791000
Metacritic user ratings–7923
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)83%762094
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jun 18, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 2094 total reviews in window · weighted 201.2 up / 43.5 down · computed 6h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (4)

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
    EurogamerEurogamer
    trust 66Sep 11, 2023

    “Ultimately, I am completely satisfied with the Xbox implementation of Age of Empires 4. What already worked well in part two continues seamlessly here. The title is perfectly playable with the controller, and those who don't feel like 'sticking' it out can also use the mouse and keyboard. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Windows CentralWindows Central
    trust 56Aug 22, 2023

    “With menus and controls specific to controllers, Age of Empires 4 on Xbox works beautifully and provides fun strategic gameplay for up to eight players. There are plenty of different ways to enjoy the game from historic solo campaigns to skirmishes against other players (or the computer), but it might be a little harder for newcomers to the Age series to learn how to play. Still, the quality-of-life improvements for Xbox all work together to create a fantastic RTS experience on console with different features than what's available on PC. Plus, you can play with keyboard and mouse on Xbox if you want. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    TheXboxHubTheXboxHub
    trust 52Sep 11, 2023

    “The mission to bring Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition from PC to Xbox is a successful one. Age of Empires IV may not make history buffs out of the uninitiated, but it is a compelling enough entry for those who are interested in the genre or the subject matter.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    DayOneDayOne
    trust 50Sep 11, 2023

    “Microsoft has done phenomenal work reviving and revitalizing the Age of Empires franchise and it is an absolutely blessed time for the strategy genre, especially if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber who is looking for a new experience. Microsoft has done phenomenal work reviving and revitalizing the Age of Empires franchise. I can’t put the Xbox edition of Age of Empire IV down; I am truly absorbed by the new way to play.”

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Update to Map Pool Rotation
    Jul 2, 2026
  2. Age of Empires IV – Patch 16.2.10884
    Jun 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  3. Age of Empires IV – Patch 16.2.10604
    Jun 1, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  4. Age of Empires IV – Minor Patch 16.1.10056
    May 12, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  5. Age of Empires IV – Update 16.1.9737 and Yue Fei’s Legacy DLC Release Preview
    Apr 30, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  6. Age of Empires IV – Patch 15.4.8719
    Mar 4, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  7. Age of Empires IV – Patch 15.3.8338
    Feb 4, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  8. Age of Empires IV – Patch 15.2.7380
    Dec 4, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  9. Age of Empires IV – Minor Patch 15.1.7149
    Nov 12, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  10. Age of Empires IV – Patch 15.1.7064
    Nov 4, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  11. Age of Empires IV – Season Twelve Update 15.1.6970
    Oct 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  12. Age of Empires IV – Patch 14.1.5602
    Jul 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  13. Age of Empires IV – Season Eleven Update Preview 14.0.4963
    Jun 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  14. Age of Empires IV – Patch 13.2.4553
    May 13, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  15. Age of Empires IV – Patch 13.1.4420
    Apr 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  16. Age of Empires IV – Patch 13.0.4343
    Apr 9, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  17. Age of Empires IV – Season Ten Update 13.0.4178
    Apr 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  18. Age of Empires IV – Patch 12.2.3327
    Feb 13, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  19. Age of Empires IV – Hotfix 12.1.2638
    Dec 3, 2024
  20. Age of Empires IV – Patch 12.1.2454
    Nov 19, 2024
  21. Age of Empires IV – Patch 12.0.2246
    Oct 31, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  22. Age of Empires IV – Update Preview 12.0.1974 LIVE!
    Oct 22, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  23. Age of Empires IV – Update Preview 12.0.1974
    Oct 17, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  24. Reminder: Check out our Public Update Preview!
    Sep 20, 2024
  25. Get a Sneak Peek of Age of Empires IV Season Nine with the PUP!
    Sep 16, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  26. Age of Empires IV – Patch 11.1.1201
    Aug 22, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  27. Age of Empires IV – Season Eight Update 11.0.782 Live!
    Jul 18, 2024
  28. Age of Empires IV – Season Eight Update 11.0.782
    Jul 11, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  29. Age of Empires IV – Patch 10.1.48
    Mar 27, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  30. Age of Empires IV – Season Seven Update LIVE!
    Mar 19, 2024
  31. Age of Empires IV – Season Seven Update Preview 10.0.576
    Mar 12, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  32. Age of Empires IV – Patch 9.2.628
    Jan 30, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  33. Age of Empires IV – Hotfix 9.1.404
    Dec 11, 2023
  34. Age of Empires IV – Patch 9.1.370
    Dec 6, 2023significant · resets scoring window