Age of Empires IV

Lore & Background

Age of Empires IV is set during the Early Middle Ages to the early Renaissance, with the earliest appearance of any civilization being in the year 750. Gameplay is mostly similar to that of Age of Empires II. The game features four Ages—Dark Age, Feudal Age, Castle Age, and Imperial Age—with advancement achieved by constructing Landmarks rather than at the Town Center, except for the Knights Templar. Most civilizations share a common roster of economic, military, technology, defensive, and religious buildings, though each civilization has unique replacement buildings and landmarks.

There were eight civilizations available at the original release. Two civilizations, the Ottomans and Malians, were added for free on October 25, 2022. The game received multiple expansions: The Sultans Ascend (November 14, 2023) added two new civilizations and four variant civilizations; Knights of Cross and Rose (April 8, 2025) added two variant civilizations; Dynasties of the East (November 4, 2025) added four variant civilizations; and Yue Fei's Legacy (May 7, 2026) added one variant civilization and a new campaign. A sixth expansion, Raiders of the North, was announced for fall 2026.

The game's voiceovers were recorded using historical pronunciation of each language. The in-game music was composed by multiple composers from Dynamedion, including Tilman Sillescu, Alexander Röder, Henning Nugel, and others.

Reader's Guide

Age of Empires IV received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic, with OpenCritic reporting that 82% of critics recommended the game. IGN described it as an enjoyable RTS throwback that often plays it too safe but excels when it does not. GamesRadar+ praised the variety of civilizations, noting each was meticulously designed to offer different gameplay experiences. Game Informer appreciated the history videos between missions but criticized the lack of innovation on the formula of its predecessor. CGMagazine gave a 10/10 review, calling it a bold and ambitious evolution of the series. The Washington Post enjoyed the campaign balancing, stating that every battle feels like it could tip any way at any moment. VG247 felt the commitment to historical accuracy set it apart from strategy game peers. PC Gamer highlighted the distinct civilizations as the fourth entry's greatest triumph, though criticized the game for whitewashing history. Polygon felt simplifications from Age of Empires II mechanics benefited the game, leading complications to come more from decision-making and strategy. GameSpot called the game satisfying, praising the historically educational campaign and uniqueness of factions, while criticizing dated visuals and lack of innovation.

Did You Know?

• Age of Empires IV is the first installment not developed by Ensemble Studios.
• The game was released on Windows on October 28, 2021, on Xbox consoles on August 22, 2023, and on PlayStation 5 on November 4, 2025.
• The Ottomans and Malians were added as free civilizations on October 25, 2022.

The Birth of a Label

In the spring of 1993, game writer Alan Emrich sat down to preview Master of Orion for Computer Gaming World and decided to rate it with a cheeky "XXXX" — a deliberate nod to the adult-film rating system. His four Xs stood for EXplore, EXpand, EXploit, and EXterminate, the essential pillars of what he called a "good strategic conquest game." Players, in his words, start from humble beginnings, wander a map, and build the most efficient empire they can while rivals do the same, making their eventual elimination a "paramount concern." Emrich even joked that the list should be extended with EXcite, EXperiment, and EXcuses to one's significant others. By February 1994, a fellow columnist was already using the shorthand to critique Command Adventures: Starship, calling it a title that "only pays lip service to the four Xs." The label stuck, and within a short window the entire community had a shared vocabulary for a family of games that had previously gone unnamed. Emrich himself later expanded the framework for Master of Orion 3, adding a fifth X — eXperience — tied to the game's subject matter.

The Four Pillars in Practice

The four Xs are not merely a catchy acronym; they describe a progression of gameplay that can unfold in distinct phases or blend together depending on a title's design. Explore means dispatching scouts across a fogged map to reveal what lies beyond the player's starting territory. Expand involves staking out new settlements or stretching the reach of existing ones into newly discovered land. Exploit covers the economic layer: harvesting resources within controlled zones and refining how efficiently those resources are converted into power. Exterminate is the military endpoint — attacking and removing rival players from the board. In titles where every inch of the map eventually gets claimed, wiping out a competitor may be the only remaining path to further growth. The pacing of these phases varies enormously. The Space Empires series and Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar, for instance, stretch the expansion stage over a long arc because players must pour substantial research investments into unlocking the ability to reach and settle distant regions. Other games compress the cycle, letting all four activities overlap in a single continuous flow.

Technology as the Engine of Conquest

One of the sharpest distinctions between 4X titles and other strategy games lies in how technological progress works. 4X games typically present a technology tree that is noticeably larger and more branching than what players encounter in combat-focused real-time strategy titles. The critical prerequisite for unlocking an advanced capability is not constructing a particular building but rather possessing knowledge of earlier technologies. Empires must first generate research resources and then invest them deliberately along the tree, choosing which branches to pursue. This design philosophy makes research the true engine of conquest: battles are frequently decided by superior military technology or by fielding greater numbers, while tactical micromanagement plays a comparatively smaller role. In non-4X real-time strategy games, by contrast, a technologically basic unit can remain relevant from the opening minutes to the final skirmish because upgrades are often modest in scope. The 4X framework, with its emphasis on layered knowledge and long-term planning, elevates the research decision to a strategic pillar on par with military action.

The Board Game Boundary

While 4X thrives as a clearly defined subgenre in the computer and video game world, it occupies a murkier position in the board and card game space. The practical constraints of physical components and session length make it difficult to replicate the full four-X loop at a kitchen table. The Civilization board game, which ultimately inspired Sid Meier's Civilization for computers, is a telling example: it contains neither a meaningful exploration mechanic nor an extermination objective. Player elimination, in particular, runs into two structural problems. First, play-balance mechanisms in board games generally treat removing a human opponent as an undesirable outcome, so extermination is often made nearly impossible by design. Second, victory conditions in most board games are triggered before a player could realistically complete the task of wiping out every rival. Unless the extermination target is a non-player entity — a neutral force or an AI-controlled threat — the fourth X simply does not fit the medium. This is why 4X remains less of a distinct genre label in the tabletop world, even as the concept continues to shape digital strategy design.