It’s been nearly a year since Microsoft released Age of Empires II: Definition on PC, but it’s now the turn of Age of Empires III to get the remaster treatment. During the gamescom opening night live stream today, Microsoft revealed that Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition would be released on the Windows 10 Microsoft Store and Steam on October 15, and you can already pre-order it for $19.99. It will also be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Age of Empires III was originally released back in 2005, and despite receiving good reviews back in the day, the RTS game didn’t have the same lasting impact as the previous Age of Empires games. 15 years after its original release, this Definitive Edition will bring support for 4K graphics, a remastered soundtrack, as well as all previously released expansions and all 14 civilizations plus two brand new ones, the Swedes and Inca.
Developer Forgotten Empires and Tantalus Media have also created two new game modes, Historical Battles and The Art of War Challenge Missions. Modern features like mode support and cross-play multiplayer are also included, which is very nice.
If Age of Empires II was set in the middle-ages, Age of Empires III focuses on the European colonization of the Americas. Microsoft revealed the first trailer for Age of Empires IV last November at X019, but we still don’t have many details about this new episode.
