The best games like Age of Empires in 2023

1

Age of Empires

The Extended Edition has its own improvements on the original and even an expansion that introduces the Chinese pantheon. It’s already a pretty substantial update, and if it ever appears on sale for cheap, it’s a great pick for a strategy game like Age of Empires. That said, you may also wish to hold off on buying the Extended Edition, as next year, we expect to see more of Age of Mythology Retold. Much like the recent Age of Empires remakes, Retold gives the RTS classic a modern coat of paint, and if the previous revamped versions of Age of Empires indicate what’s to come, there may be more new pantheons added to the mix.

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2

Empire Earth

While this may remove some of the depth and nuance Age of Empires had due to its more focused time periods, you’re still basically playing out a game of Civilization, but in real-time, which more than makes up for it. Empire Earth 2 innovated slightly by breaking up the landmass into chunks, which you had to control before you could fully build on them. This gave the map more strategic relevance, especially as valuable late-game resources started to appear. You can get the best version of Empire Earth on GOG at a decent price these days.

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3

Rise of Nations

Designed by Brian Reynolds, notable designer of Civilization 2 and Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations is more concerned about trying to translate the concepts of Civilization and turn-based strategy games in general into real-time than trying to take on Age of Empires directly.

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4

0 A.D.

Originally a total conversion mod for Age of Empires 2, 0 A.D. has evolved into an open-source and free PC game. It has been worked on by over 100 people in its twenty-year history. 0 A.D. is still being worked on, and its RTS gameplay makes it an incredibly popular alternative to Age of Empires, given that the time frame it focuses on stops at 1CE. It also has a deeper economy system than in Age of Empires.

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5

Northgard

There have been many modern RTS games that have tried to take on Age of Empires, and this Viking-themed offering is probably one of the better candidates. Where-as the rest of this list is essentially contenders from the strategy series’ prime, this is a modern interpretation well worth your time. Northgard puts you in charge of one of nearly a dozen fantasy Viking clans that land on the edge of new, unexplored territory.

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6

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds

An often overlooked footnote in the history of Star Wars games, Galactic Battlegrounds is notable because it was also made by Ensemble. Released in 2001, it dropped a couple of years after the studio released the incredibly popular Age of Empires II. The tl;dr is that this is Age of Empires with a Star Wars skin, although there is a bit more nuance to it than that.

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7

Empires Apart

You can play a basic version of the game for free, and then you unlock the other civilisations available as micro-expansions. There’s skirmish play against the AI, as well as online multiplayer, as well as a survival and challenge mode. Empires Apart struggled to get off the ground, even after its switch to a free-to-play model, but it’s a pretty decent and under-appreciated attempt to pay homage to Age of Empires legacy. As we contemplate the arrival of Age of Empires IV, projects like this are worth keeping in mind.

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8

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

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9

Age of Mythology

The Extended Edition has its own improvements on the original and even an expansion that introduces the Chinese pantheon. It’s already a pretty substantial update, and if it ever appears on sale for cheap, it’s a great pick for a strategy game like Age of Empires. That said, you may also wish to hold off on buying the Extended Edition, as next year, we expect to see more of Age of Mythology Retold. Much like the recent Age of Empires remakes, Retold gives the RTS classic a modern coat of paint, and if the previous revamped versions of Age of Empires indicate what’s to come, there may be more new pantheons added to the mix.

#Games #Strategy Games #Action Games

10

RAID: Shadow Legends

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