The best Age of Empires: Tell us your favorite!

Setting up this community survey was really tricky. Not because of its scope, but because it required a sophisticated strategy from us. Which games do we include and which don’t?

Because we certainly don't have to explain to you AoE experts how many different variants there are of Age of Empires 2 alone, some of which only differ marginally from one another, at least in terms of gameplay. Age 2, Age 2 HD, Age 2 Definitive, Age 2 Deluxe – no, not the latter (yet), but you can see what we're getting at.

And other Age of Empires games are in the same vein. That's why we decided on the following approach: We only include the respective first publications in the survey.

But if you say: Yes one moment. But in Age of Empires 2 HD the mouse cursor was higher resolution and I want to vote for it!then please still vote for AoE 2 in this example and then write to us in the comments section that your vote is actually intended for new edition XYZ and why you think so.

Enough preamble, let the battle begin – Wololo!

The best Age of Empires is…

To refresh your memories, here's a quick rundown of the candidates:

• Age of Empires: This is where it all started. The debut from Ensemble Studios revolutionized the real-time strategy genre and got the ball rolling.
• Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome: The only addon that is listed separately in this ranking. Why? Because it was so well received back then and introduced so many innovations that it is still considered a prime example of AoE add-ons today.
• Age of Empires 2: Everything better with the sequel? That's up to you to decide, but what is certain is that the series took a big step forward with the second part, especially in terms of the variety of playable races. Speaking of variety: Yes, there are an incredible number of add-ons and technically modernized new editions for the second part. A new DLC was recently released:

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New DLC for Age of Empires 2: This is what awaits you in Victors and Vanquished

• Age of Mythology: The most historically accurate part of the series – of course not! Here you go to the legendary realm of antiquity, including Pegasus, Phoenix, dragons and cyclops.
• Age of Empires 3: A real graphics board at the time, but the third part also broke new ground in terms of play. Probably the biggest innovation was the hometown, which is being expanded apart from the actual missions and thus grants different bonuses.
• Age of Empires: The Age of Kings: A spin-off for the Nintendo DS, which is not as complex in terms of gameplay as its big brothers and sisters due to the stylus operation, but was still able to achieve acceptable ratings.
• Age of Empires: Mythologies: The second game for the Nintendo DS and the gameplay turned out as fans could expect. It was well received by the critics, but also by you?
• Age of Empires Online: The future is on the internet! Publisher Microsoft already recognized this… in 2011? No matter, in any case: Age of Empires Online mixed the classic construction and strategy part with MMO elements such as quests and experience points. The game was cut off again in 2014.
• Age of Empires: Castle Siege: Is this the underdog in the survey? Is the sensation approaching? Or have you never heard of this game until today? It was also released for Microsoft's semi-successful Windows Phones, but it was not a huge success. Castle Siege was a purely online game and relied heavily on tower defense mechanics.
• Age of Empires 4: The latest main entry in the series, developed by the genre experts at Relic Entertainment. Part 4 is very much based on the second part, but of course has a much more modern technical framework. The last DLC was only released last year and that probably wasn't the end.

Until we receive the officially certified result from our notary, you can exchange ideas in the comments about who, how, why and why you voted the way you did. Or you can watch the video linked above. It's not about Age of Empires, but we'll introduce you to many other exciting strategy games that will be released in 2024.

We are excited about the result and, as always, thank you for your participation!