PCGame

Age of Empires II (Retired)

Medieval real-time strategy built around civilizations, resources, and conquest

Skybox Labs, Hidden Path Entertainment, Ensemble Studios, Forgotten Empires · Published by Xbox Game Studios · Released Apr 9, 2013

Strategy

Reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
96% of 88K
Recent reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
95% of 122 in 30 days
Players
2,415
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Verified
Last update on Steam
4 years ago
Jan 31, 2022
Minimum PC
Direct X 9.0c Capable GPU
1 GB RAM · 2 GB disk
Full requirements

Metacritic: 68/100 (critic reviews)

What is Age of Empires II (Retired)?

A medieval real-time strategy game where you gather resources, build towns, advance through historical ages, command units, and defeat rival civilizations. It includes the original Age of Kings and The Conquerors campaigns, with 18 civilizations and online multiplayer.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy building towns and managing resources in real time
  • +you want historical campaigns and online multiplayer matches
  • +you prefer classic presentation to newer remakes

Not for you if...

  • −you prefer turn-based strategy over real-time battles
  • −you expect the current edition with ongoing updates

What players say

96% of 87,892 reviews are positive · 95% of 122 in the last 30 days

Players praise the classic presentation, town-building strategy, and still-active multiplayer community. The most common complaint is that this retired edition is no longer updated; some players also report launch crashes or expansions no longer working, while others call the unit pathfinding dated.

Players over time

▲ +3% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 2,852 players on Sep 21, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 20262,415
Nov 6, 20262,073
Nov 5, 20261,967
Nov 4, 20262,058
Nov 3, 20262,088
Nov 2, 20262,168
Nov 1, 20262,412
Oct 31, 20262,272
Oct 30, 20262,008
Oct 29, 20262,001
Oct 28, 20261,927
Oct 27, 20261,603
Oct 27, 20261,943
Oct 26, 20262,129
Oct 25, 20262,360
Oct 24, 20262,214
Oct 23, 20262,025
Oct 22, 20260
Oct 21, 20262,023
Oct 20, 20262,015
Oct 19, 20262,146
Oct 18, 20262,421
Oct 17, 20262,199
Oct 16, 20261,882
Oct 15, 20261,901
Oct 14, 20261,985
Oct 13, 20262,000
Oct 12, 20262,292
Oct 11, 20262,358
Oct 10, 20262,191
Oct 9, 20262,018
Oct 8, 20261,977
Oct 7, 20261,941
Oct 6, 20262,062
Oct 5, 20262,135
Oct 4, 20262,398
Oct 3, 20262,283
Oct 2, 20262,121
Oct 1, 20262,059
Sep 30, 20262,081
Sep 29, 20262,045
Sep 28, 20262,345
Sep 27, 20262,366
Sep 26, 20262,320
Sep 25, 20262,101
Sep 24, 20261,990
Sep 23, 20261,855
Sep 23, 20262,078
Sep 22, 20262,085
Sep 21, 20262,852

Screenshots and trailer

Age of Empires II (Retired) screenshot 1

Age of Empires II (Retired) system requirements

Minimum: Direct X 9.0c Capable GPU, 1 GB RAM, 2 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Age of Empires II (Retired)?

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Minimum

OS
Windows Vista, 7, 8 Pro+
Processor
1.2GHZ CPU
Graphics
Direct X 9.0c Capable GPU
Memory
1 GB RAM
Storage
2 GB HD space

Recommended

Notes
900x600 minimum display resolution

Does Age of Empires II (Retired) have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: multiplayer (mode not specified). It also has a single-player mode.

Does Age of Empires II (Retired) run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
  • External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows
Achievements
294
Steam features
Workshop, Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages
Full audio: English, German, French, Italian, Korean, Spanish - Spain, Simplified Chinese. Text only: Russian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese - Brazil.

Does Age of Empires II (Retired) use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 6, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Recent updates

3 DLC available.

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