Age of Empires 4 gets an October 28 release date, minimum system requirements at E3

What you need to know

  • Age of Empires 4 is expected to release October 28, 2021.
  • Age of Empires 4 will be available on Xbox Game Pass PC at launch.
  • Pre-ordering Age of Empires 4 will get you the Age of Empires 2: DE expansion "Dawn of the Dukes" for free.
  • Minimum system requirements have also been listed on Steam.

Microsoft today revealed at its Xbox E3 presentation that Age of Empires 4 is releasing October 28, 2021. It will be a part of Xbox Game Pass PC on day one, but you can also pre-order the game. It's also mentioned that mod support for Age of Empires 4 is coming "early 2022."

Links to buy are live, and you can check out the Microsoft Store and Steam pages for more info. If you do decide to pre-order, you will get the Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition expansion "Dawn of the Dukes" for free when it releases August 2021. There's also a Deluxe Edition available to pre-order, which includes an exclusive coat of arms, profile portrait, monument, digital soundtrack, unit counters chart, and art compilation.

This is the first major news we've heard about the upcoming RTS since the Age of Empires 4 fan preview event that was hosted April 10. Revealed there were juicy tidbits about gameplay, campaign, civilizations, and a more general "Fall" release date.

Listed on Steam are now also some Age of Empires 4 minimum system requirements; an Intel Core i5-6300U, 8GB of RAM, and integrated Intel HD 520 graphics. Looking at the Microsoft Store page, it appears the game will be 93GB in size. However, Steam has recommended storage space set at 50GB. In any case, the goal of making to game available to a wide number of users looks to be on track.

Cale Hunt
Senior Editor, Laptop Reviews

Cale Hunt is formerly a Senior Editor at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on laptop reviews, news, and accessory coverage. He's been reviewing laptops and accessories full-time since 2016, with hundreds of reviews published for Windows Central. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.