Game profile
Age of Empires IV
Historical civilizations wage a real time arms race over resources, technology and military might. The campaigns tell real historical events along the way, complete with documentary style cutscenes.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Strategy, set in a historical period. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays somewhere between light and heavy. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. Sessions of an hour or two sit at the sweet spot here.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The story matters and gives the mechanics a frame, without taking over. You can play it with others cooperatively or go head to head. It runs on 2 platforms. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- Classic real time strategy feel
- Historical campaigns
- Strong multiplayer
This fits you if
- you want your skill measured against other people
- you enjoy being made to think
- you have someone to play with
- you enjoy competing against other players
Look elsewhere if
- you prefer a stylised look over realism
- you want either a pure challenge or pure relaxation, not the middle
How long is Age of Empires IV?
About 30 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 5 weeks, or 15 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 82 out of 100, which puts it above 40 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 681 overall. That is mid-table for this database. Not a standout at the top, but solidly rated.
For comparison, Strategy averages 82 points across the database, so this one is right in line with its genre. The figure rests on 132 collected ratings.
Released in 2021, so it has 5 years behind it. Usually cheap by now and the rough edges are long fixed.
The facts
- Release year
- 2021
- Genres
- Strategy
- Playtime
- approx. 30 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Present and relevant
- Play with
- Solo, Co-op, Competitive
- Setting
- Historical
- Visual style
- Realistic
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- PC, Xbox
- Critic rating
- 82 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age of Empires IV | 2021 | approx. 30 hrs. | 82 | Mid price |
| Stronghold Crusader | 2002 | approx. 20 hrs. | 87 | Budget |
| Northgard | 2018 | approx. 25 hrs. | 81 | Mid price |
| Company of Heroes 2 | 2013 | approx. 25 hrs. | 78 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- 87/100 Stronghold Crusader Shared: Strategy, Historical, shorter, rated higher
- 81/100 Northgard Shared: Strategy, Historical
- 78/100 Company of Heroes 2 Shared: Strategy, Historical
- n/a Mechabellum Shared: Strategy, shorter, rated higher
- 80/100 Command & Conquer Remastered Collection Shared: Strategy, Historical, shorter
- 86/100 Desperados III Shared: Strategy, Historical, rated higher