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.

Some of you may have spotted mention of a certain “Anniversary” that’s coming up, and what can we say? We’re declaring it here: 2022 is the Year of Age – not only is Age of Empires IV turning one in October, but that same month marks 25 years of the franchise as well.

New Civilizations Coming with Anniversary Update

You’ll be excited to learn that new civilizations are coming to Age of Empires IV in an Anniversary Update in October; while you’ll need to own the base game to play, the update and its contents are completely free!

Lead the mighty Malians of West Africa as one of the richest trading nations of all-time as you focus on strong economic prowess in mining and investing in gold. Or assemble one of the longest-lasting empires in history with the Ottoman civilization and its well-trained military force, which features the largest gunpowder siege weapon available – the Great Bombard.  

Alongside these two civilizations, the free Anniversary Update will also include new maps, Achievements and Masteries, alongside the content announced for Season Three in our June 2022 roadmap.

Next month, you’ll have the chance to get hands on experience with the Ottomans, Malians and loads of new content as part of our next Public Update Preview (PUP). Sign up today as an Age Insider, and we’ll email you when the PUP kicks off! 

There has Never a Better Time to Play Age of Empires IV  

There’s a lot in store over the next few months, and now is a perfect time to get started with Age of Empires IV! Starting today through Monday, August 29th at 10:00am PT [17:00 UTC] you’ll be able to play the gamefor free on Steam as part of our Free Play Week and purchase the game on Steam or Microsoft Store at a 50% discount.  

To celebrate those of you who will be joining us for the first time, we’ve officially extended Season Two Event Two: By Stars and Sea through Tuesday, August 30th, to make sure you have the chance to earn some cool rewards. 

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

Age of Empires IV is available on PC (Steam) for $59.99.