Age of Empires III

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Age of Empires III is a multiplayer strategy game. It was developed by World's Edge and was released on October 15, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition" is a real-time strategy game with diverse civilizations from Europe, Americas, and Asia. It offers improved graphics, remastered soundtrack, and modernized gameplay. The trial version includes access to select civilizations, historical battles, and community features with additional content rotating monthly.

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 11,589 reviews

graphics565 positive mentions

optimization173 negative mentions

graphics
1,536 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The graphics in "Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition" have received significant praise for their stunning detail and modern enhancements, with many players noting the impressive 4K ultra HD visuals and improved textures compared to the original. However, some users have reported performance issues, including lag and crashes, particularly on lower-end systems, and a few have criticized the graphics for being overly cartoonish or blurry at times. Overall, while the graphical upgrades are generally well-received, they come with mixed feelings regarding optimization and gameplay experience.
- “The attention to detail in the graphics is astounding, creating immersive landscapes that transport players to different corners of history.”
- “The graphics are stunning.”
- “The updated visuals are absolutely breathtaking, with beautifully rendered environments and intricately designed units.”
- “The graphics are terrible, the animations are choppy, the UI is too far zoomed out, and as a whole it's just so much worse than the original Age of Empires 3.”
- “I feel like I'm playing a rip-off of the franchise made by some third-party studio with the budget of a couple hundred bucks; I really can't believe the poor graphics and other negative drastic changes.”
- “The graphics are worse and the models look plasticky.”
gameplay
871 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
66%
3%
The gameplay of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition retains the core mechanics of the original while introducing new features like the card system and unique civilization abilities, enhancing strategic depth. However, players have noted issues with balance, AI performance, and some controversial changes aimed at historical accuracy that may detract from the overall experience. While the single-player campaigns and multiplayer options offer engaging gameplay, connection issues and bugs have been reported, particularly in multiplayer modes.
- “The gameplay is addictive.”
- “The gameplay mechanics offer an easy to learn, hard to master feeling to it.”
- “With its engaging gameplay, attention to detail, and wealth of content, this game is sure to provide hours of entertainment for both casual and hardcore gamers alike.”
- “If you want the singleplayer gameplay it's fine but multiplayer is literally unplayable with lags and connection issues.”
- “However, the gameplay is a let down on land in terms of building, resource gathering, repairing and fighting, aside from some formation options.”
- “I thought I was getting an AOE game, but this is nothing like AOE. They've completely changed the core mechanics and they couldn't even be bothered to put a tutorial in the game to explain anything; they just throw you in expecting you to be clairvoyant to know how to play.”
story
561 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging historical narratives and character-driven campaigns, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic or poorly executed. Many appreciate the blend of original and historical storylines, but there are significant complaints about bugs, AI issues, and changes made for political correctness that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the story mode offers enjoyable moments and interesting missions, it suffers from inconsistencies and technical problems that can hinder gameplay.
- “The engaging storylines, spanning different historical epochs, kept me hooked from start to finish.”
- “The campaign/story is way more interesting than in AOE4, and I think AOE3's story might even be better than AOE2's, and that's saying something.”
- “The exquisite graphics, deep story, and interesting historical battles made me feel the effort of the production team.”
- “The campaign was also very boring and didn't make much sense half the time, with the exception of the Japanese story.”
- “The story is silly and basically you just do the same thing over and over and you keep winning.”
- “The campaigns are boring, the plot is especially bad, and dunk too much on the 'colonization bad' theme.”
optimization
501 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
53%
35%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, low frame rates, and crashes, particularly in multiplayer scenarios or when handling large armies. While some users have noted improvements following patches, others continue to experience severe lag and resource consumption that seems disproportionate to the graphical demands. Overall, the consensus indicates that the game requires further optimization to enhance stability and performance across a wider range of hardware configurations.
- “The game still gives a nostalgic feeling with up-to-standard graphics, good performance, and tons of new features and additions.”
- “After almost 2 years of fixing bugs, improving performance, adding content, most of these problems are solved and I can't think of something significantly bad to say about the game.”
- “The performance problems are long gone now and the game actually works quite well.”
- “The performance is horrible and the controls are awful, and I don't see Microsoft fixing them, ever.”
- “The game is full of bugs, runs slowly and needs a lot of optimization.”
- “The game is incredibly badly optimized.”
stability
347 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The stability of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition has been widely criticized, with many players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly in multiplayer modes. While some users note improvements following patches, the game is still considered buggy and unfinished, with issues such as AI problems, pathfinding errors, and connection difficulties persisting. Overall, the game's launch was deemed problematic, leading to a mixed reception regarding its stability.
- “Blast from the past, runs great and has some great memories of the original, certainly worth a trip down memory lane with this one.”
- “Luckily, most of them have been patched out and the game now runs great.”
- “Runs great, multiplayer lobbies and games are great too.”
- “But I am downvoting because of how buggy the online multiplayer system is.”
- “The game is unplayable at this stage, constant crashes, lobby issues, glitches, exploits abound (5 factories!?), the updates seem to fix one or two issues, then cause a dozen more.”
- “This game is a buggy mess and the developers spent more time rewriting core game mechanics than they did making marginal improvements to the visuals.”
music
161 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the remastered soundtrack and its ability to enhance the emotional experience during gameplay. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and the diverse cultural representation in the music, others have reported issues with volume inconsistencies and bugs that disrupt the listening experience. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “The soundtrack deserves its own applause.”
- “The music perfectly complemented the game, creating an emotional backdrop that heightened the intensity of battles and the satisfaction of achieving strategic milestones.”
- “Another great feature of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is its soundtrack, which immerses players in different cultures and eras with its well-composed music.”
- “The in-game music is pretty mediocre though.”
- “The music has a habit of going quite crispy and glitchy at times.”
- “The music bugs out now and again and goes from loud to very quiet which is annoying to say the least, really hope they fix this bug.”
grinding
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
18%
76%
Overall, reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game has been significantly reduced compared to previous iterations, with many players appreciating the removal of the need to grind for cards and home city levels. While some players miss the sense of progression that grinding provided, the new system allows for immediate access to all cards, enhancing multiplayer experiences and reducing tedium. However, this shift has led to concerns about diminished single-player replayability and the loss of a rewarding grind for those who enjoyed that aspect.
- “Optional grinding allows players to engage at their own pace.”
- “You get everything to start with; all the cards are available, so there is no grinding to see how you will progress with the civilization.”
- “Better balance, no grinding for cards.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I want to build a good army and go to battle, not spend all game farming to produce a few units.”
- “While I understand the reasoning behind removing the card grinding for competitive play, this move shafted people that actually enjoyed that aspect of the game.”
replayability
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
6%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, particularly in multiplayer modes, with diverse factions, procedurally generated maps, and a robust online community that enhances strategic depth. However, some players feel that the single-player experience lacks replay value due to limited campaigns and the removal of progression elements, which diminishes the sense of accomplishment. Despite these criticisms, many users still find the game engaging and capable of providing endless replay opportunities, especially in skirmish and multiplayer settings.
- “You have a healthy amount of replayability in terms of the deck card system, procedurally generated maps, many factions, etc. I played around 80+ hours and can see myself adding more.”
- “This game has incredible replayability in multiplayer, with so many civilizations and strategies to explore.”
- “The game offers a lot of content and replayability.”
- “There is no more sense of progress or goals to work towards and the main replayability of single player is simply gone.”
- “They gutted the main replayability of the game for single players/skirmish only in that home city leveling does absolutely nothing.”
- “Honestly, this change was more a negative than a positive, and really reduces any feelings of accomplishment as well as lowering the game's replay value.”
humor
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in "Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition" is a standout feature, blending historical themes with comedic elements reminiscent of Monty Python sketches. Players enjoy the game's quirky mechanics, funny unit interactions, and humorous dialogue, often leading to laugh-out-loud moments during gameplay. Despite some criticisms regarding historical accuracy and game mechanics, the overall experience is described as entertaining and filled with amusing chaos, making it a fun choice for playing with friends.
- “Age of Empires III, or as I like to call it, 'the hilarious history lesson,' is like a Monty Python sketch meets a historical reenactment - it's history, but with a side of laughter.”
- “Ah, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – where you can rewrite history, one funny mishap at a time!”
- “This game is hilarious when you are retreating your units from a battlefield; these units are fearless: with enemies chasing and killing them behind, they usually walk leisurely like in the garden.”
- “I've dropped the solo mode after the 2nd or 3rd campaign. They tried to copy Warcraft 3's 'heroes', but it's not funny to play with just a few units in this game. The remaster is okay, but the game itself is not.”
monetization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
15%
81%
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many reviewers expressing dissatisfaction over the presence of microtransactions and DLCs that feel unnecessary and poorly designed. While some players note that the game can still be enjoyed without purchasing additional content, the overall sentiment is that the monetization strategy detracts from the experience, making it feel like a shallow attempt to capitalize on nostalgia rather than a genuine remaster.
- “You do not need to buy any of the DLCs to enjoy the game, and unlike most modern video games, it's not a 'create a problem, sell the solution' type of monetization.”
- “Pretty cash grabby.”
- “The DLCs themselves are priced just like microtransactions; they're selling new civilizations at €5 a piece.”
- “In conclusion, AOE III: Definitive Edition is a disappointing cash grab that fails to live up to its name.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by improved audio and cutscenes that convey the intended emotional experience. While some players feel it lacks the depth and soul of earlier titles like AOE I and II, others appreciate its unique setting and cultural diversity, particularly in the context of the exploration era. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a significant aspect that contributes to the game's enjoyment, despite some mixed feelings about its execution compared to previous entries in the series.
- “The improved audio also adds to the overall experience, creating a rich and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The revamped sound effects and music contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere, immersing players in diverse cultures and intense battles.”
- “Though I have to admit that I'm a bit biased because I like the exploration era more than the Middle Ages, and AOE 3 does a great job at creating an atmosphere.”
- “In case it is lost on anyone, cutscenes are meant to convey the atmosphere the player is supposed to feel at that moment.”
- “Aoe I & Aoe II had no cutscenes so they're irrelevant, but Aoe III does, and when you remove part of the cutscene in a historical fiction, you inadvertently remove the atmosphere that went with it.”
- “The opening in the original game still has better atmosphere and soul, while in this it feels empty and soulless.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting how the music, graphics, and storytelling enhance their experiences, evoking nostalgia and deep feelings during gameplay. Many appreciate the emotional weight of the campaign stories and the satisfaction of progression, while others feel sadness over changes that detract from their enjoyment. Overall, the game elicits a range of emotions, from joy and nostalgia to disappointment and heartbreak.
- “The music perfectly complemented the game, creating an emotional backdrop that heightened the intensity of battles and the satisfaction of achieving strategic milestones.”
- “The exquisite graphics, deep story, and interesting historical battles made me feel the effort of the production team.”
- “Coming back to it now as an adult and experiencing the enhanced graphics and all the civilizations is very wholesome and doesn't tarnish the nostalgic feelings I had for the game.”

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78%Critics’ scoreBased on 19 critic reviews

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27h Median play time

310h Average play time

4-250h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 42 analyzed playthroughs

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