Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition similar games & best alternatives

Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - Trailer
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition_1.avif
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition_2.avif
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition_3.avif
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition_4.avif
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Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition_6.avif

Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition

Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One • 2021

Should you play it?

Celebrating its first year of delighting millions of global players, the award-winning and best-selling strategy franchise continues with Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, putting you at the center of even more epic historical battles that shaped the world.

What works

  • Engaging and deep strategic gameplay
  • Unique civilizations with distinct playstyles
  • Well-crafted historical campaigns with narrative immersion
  • Active developer support and frequent updates
  • Strong multiplayer community and matchmaking

Things to keep in mind

  • Limited number of civilizations and maps at launch
  • Slow patching and feature additions initially
  • Some technical issues and bugs reported
  • Steep learning curve for newcomers
  • Lack of pause or save in multiplayer matches

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Total War: NAPOLEON – Definitive Edition

  • Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

  • Rise of Nations: Extended Edition

  • Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

  • Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

  • Cossacks 3

More fantastical

Games that feels like Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition but with more imaginative fiction

  • Age of Mythology: Retold

  • Age of Mythology: Extended Edition

  • Age of Wonders III

  • Godsworn

  • Age of Darkness: Final Stand

  • SpellForce 3 Versus Edition

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

  • Company of Heroes 2

  • Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

  • Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor

  • Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition

  • Company of Heroes

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Fellowship, Domination. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy.

Last update: 04/08/2026