Age of Empires IV features two new launch civilizations, a newly revealed campaign, naval combat, and Joan of Arc.

The teams at both Relic and World's Edge have shared that players will have the choice of the English, Mongols, Chinese and Delhi Sultanate at launch, and two more civilizations have been revealed: the Abbasid Dynasty and the French.

The Abbasid Dynasty's focus on technology, powered by their unique landmark, the House of Wisdom, will allow players to choose unique upgrade opportunities. Their unique units include Camel Archers and Riders.

The French were revealed alongside the 100 Years War campaign, allowing players to place themselves in the battles fought between the English and French in the 14th and 15th centuries. The French thrive in trade, with the Chamber of Commerce and Royal Institute landmarks helping strengthen a player's late game. Royal Knights are one of the civilization's special units with a fearsome charge ability.

Making a heroic appearance in the trailer is French heroine and icon Joan of Arc. Teenage Joan rallied her country and led armies into battle against the occupying English.

Taking the battle to the water adds a whole new dimension to player strategy and adds new meaning to "sink or swim"!

With updated controls, intuitive UI and a fresh approach to the campaign, Age of Empires IV is the most accessible Age of Empires game yet while taking everything fans love about the franchise to the next level.

During the gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream, the Age of Empires team revealed an exciting storytelling element from the upcoming Age of Empires IV, Hands on History.  

This series of twenty-eight unlockable videos was filmed on location with experts around the world, and give players a deeper look into the way people lived, fought and ruled in the past. Age of Empires IV will bring history to life like never before, with Hands on History telling more stories as players build, battle and Age up!

Got a first look at one of the videos above, highlighting everyone’s favorite medieval weapon – the trebuchet!

Shot on location at Warwick Castle in England with Mechanical Engineer Dr. Shini Somara, players saw a full-scale trebuchet in action with insight into how this weapon of war worked.

The pages of history are filled with defining moments. What will yours be?

Key Features:

• Stunning 4K visual fidelity
• Eight diverse civilizations, including the Mongols and Chinese, along with naval gameplay support
• Four campaigns with thirty-five missions spanning 500 years of history
• Cooperate or spectate with up to seven of your friends in PVP and PVE multiplayer modes
• Best-in-class game and platform services, including a World Editor in early 2022, tutorials and a story mode to help onboard new RTS players

Pre-orders are open. A Digital Deluxe Edition is available on Steam; it includes a digital copy of the game's epic soundtrack as well as other exclusive in-game items. Anyone who pre-orders Age of Empires IV will receive the upcoming DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Dawn of the Dukes, when it launches in August.

Age of Empires IV launches on Oct. 28, 2021 exclusively on the PC for $59.99 for the standard edition and $79.99 for the digital deluxe edition.