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Age of Empires II (Retired)

Age of Empires II (Retired)

Skybox Labs, Hidden Path Entertainment, Ensemble Studios, Forgotten Empires · released Apr 8, 2013

StrategyPCPlayStation 5Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Age of Empires II has been re-imagined in high definition. With the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, this product will not be updated further.

Steam page ↗Metacritic 84 · users 8.8 ↗
90
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
92%
At launch
96%
Steam all-time
84%
Press
92%
Player sentiment
92%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (287 positive / 13 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

Positive reviews don't converge on specific aspects.

What negative reviews complain about

  • Bugs & crashes23% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

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

Under 5h

93%

15 reviews

5-15h

96%

45 reviews

15-40h

94%

54 reviews

40-100h

95%

57 reviews

100h+

97%

129 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)–846
All-time Steam reviews96%911012
Metacritic user ratings–9217
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)92%8639
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 111 reviews sampled · 103 total reviews in window · weighted 92.1 up / 8.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (32)

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
    GRYOnline.plGRYOnline.pl
    trust 75Nov 13, 2019

    “Age of Empires II Definitive Edition is a truly meticulous remaster, one of the best of its kind. Fans of classic RTS that are not afraid of the archaic, core gameplay solutions should be thrilled to try out this gem.”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    PC InvasionPC Invasion
    trust 69Nov 12, 2019

    “Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has the content to keep you entertained for a time. Unfortunately, the visuals and core mechanics are woefully behind 20 years after its initial release. It's a nostalgia trip for fans given the low price, but it's lacking in this new age of strategy games.”

    read full review ↗
  • 93
    RageQuit.GR
    trust 69Nov 24, 2019

    “Definitive Edition manages to upgrade the all-time classic that was Age of Empires II while still respecting its original version, making the whole experience feel like a whole new game that also manages to wake up memories from the old times.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    Worth PlayingWorth Playing
    trust 67Mar 5, 2020

    “At the end of the day, I'm not sure what else you could expect from a remaster of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. It was a great game in 1999, and it's aged better than most in its class. If you're looking for some solid RTS gameplay, single-player or multiplayer, look no further than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    EurogamerEurogamer
    trust 66Nov 12, 2019

    “Quotation forthcoming.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    GamerskyGamersky
    trust 64Nov 12, 2019

    “It is pretty obvious that AoE II definitive edition shows more respect to players than the HD edition. Even though new AI still has some logical problem, the new contents and multiplayer lobby are interesting, and the upgraded graphic textures look impressive with 4K resolution. You will find both memories and future here.”

    read full review ↗
  • 78
    PC GamerPC Gamer
    trust 64Nov 12, 2019

    “A polished, wide-ranging update that brings the classic RTS into the modern age.”

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    trust 62Feb 28, 2020

    “Only few creators can show off with such a good remaster as the creators of Age of Empires. The second instalment almost didn’t age, and its already great gameplay was perfected. [Issue#301]”

  • 90
    GameSpewGameSpew
    trust 61Nov 27, 2019

    “Age of Empires II is a game that has demonstrably lasted the test of time and arguably didn’t need an update; even in its original form it remains a real staple of the real-time strategy genre. However, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has taken that winning formula and ever-so-slightly tweaked it; not enough to disrupt anything that makes the game some great in the first place, but just enough to bring the game into the modern day. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    IGNIGN
    trust 61Nov 12, 2019

    “A great classic returns to PC and it's still a great RTS experience. The Definitive Edition enrich the formula with a few quality of life improvements while maintaining its core gameplay overall intact, but at the same time there are some flaws, especially on the technical side. Still, the nostalgia operation works and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is the best way to enjoy the classic Microsoft RTS today.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    GameStar
    trust 59Nov 13, 2019

    “I am very satisfied with the package that is the Definitive Edition. Especially since the price of around 20 euros is really fair.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    Games.cz
    trust 59Dec 10, 2019

    “Beautiful new graphics and many game improvements guarantee that this, the Definitive Edition, is by far the best way to experience the legendary Age of Empires II. Even the new content is awesome. Shame about the intermittent lagging and a small multiplayer player pool. ”

    read full review ↗

…and 20 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Regarding the Lunar New Year Sale Discount
    Jan 31, 2022
  2. Age of Empires II HD Patch 5.8 live now!
    Sep 6, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  3. Balance Patch 5.8 now available in Open Beta!
    Aug 3, 2018
  4. Ranked Play Elo Fix Live Now!
    Jul 31, 2018
  5. Ranked Play Patch in Open Beta Now!
    Jul 25, 2018
  6. Patch Notes - 5.7 (Live)
    Jan 24, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  7. Patch Notes - 5.7 (Live)
    Jan 24, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  8. Patch Notes - 5.7 (Open Beta)
    Dec 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  9. Patch Notes - 5.7 (Open Beta)
    Dec 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  10. Patch Notes - 5.6 (Live)
    Dec 4, 2017
  11. Patch Notes - 5.6 (Live)
    Dec 4, 2017
  12. Patch Notes - 5.6 (Open Beta)
    Oct 23, 2017
  13. Patch Notes - 5.6 (Open Beta)
    Oct 23, 2017
  14. Patch Notes - 5.5 (Live)
    Sep 14, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  15. Patch Notes - 5.5 (Live)
    Sep 14, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  16. Patch Notes - 5.5 (Open Beta)
    Jun 30, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  17. Patch Notes - 5.5 (Open Beta)
    Jun 30, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  18. Patch Notes - 5.4 (Live)
    Jun 20, 2017
  19. Patch Notes - 5.4 (Live)
    Jun 20, 2017
  20. Patch Notes - 5.4 (Open Beta)
    May 23, 2017
  21. Patch Notes - 5.4 (Open Beta)
    May 23, 2017
  22. Patch Notes - 5.3 (Live)
    Apr 18, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  23. Patch Notes - 5.3 (Live)
    Apr 18, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  24. Open Beta Update – March 22nd
    Mar 22, 2017
  25. Open Beta Update – March 22nd
    Mar 22, 2017
  26. Patch Notes - 5.3 (Open Beta)
    Mar 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  27. Patch Notes - 5.3 (Open Beta)
    Mar 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  28. Open Beta 5.2a – Additional Improvements
    Feb 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  29. Open Beta 5.2a – Additional Improvements
    Feb 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  30. Patch 5.2 (Open Beta)
    Feb 3, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  31. Patch 5.2 (Open Beta)
    Feb 3, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  32. Patch 5.1
    Jan 23, 2017
  33. Patch 5.1
    Jan 23, 2017
  34. Rise of the Rajas DLC Available Now!
    Dec 20, 2016
  35. Rise of the Rajas DLC Available Now!
    Dec 20, 2016
  36. Patch 4.9 is now live!
    Dec 16, 2016
  37. Patch 4.9 is now live!
    Dec 16, 2016
  38. Rise of the Rajas Available for Pre-Order Now!
    Dec 13, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  39. Rise of the Rajas Available for Pre-Order Now!
    Dec 13, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  40. Patch 4.8 Open Beta is here!
    Nov 6, 2016

…and 13 earlier patch announcements.