Choose Age of Empires® III (2007)
Choose Age of Empires® III (2007) if you want a Simulation experience. 11,959 Steam reviews back the pick.
Age of Empires® III (2007) vs Age of Empires II (Retired)
Age of Empires® III (2007) and Age of Empires II (Retired) both land in Strategy on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Strategy games on Steam. Age of Empires® III (2007) (2012) is 1 year older than Age of Empires II (Retired) (2013). Age of Empires II (Retired) scores higher on Steam reviews (95.2% positive) than Age of Empires® III (2007) (90.9% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Age of Empires II (Retired)
Choose Age of Empires II (Retired) if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.2% positive across 36,634 reviews.
Both Age of Empires® III (2007) and Age of Empires II (Retired) sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Age of Empires® III (2007) |  Age of Empires II (Retired) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | Price unknown | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.9% positive (11,959 reviews) | 95.2% positive (36,634 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Ensemble Studios | Skybox Labs, Hidden Path Entertainment, Ensemble Studios, Forgotten Empires |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Age of Empires® III (2007) (2012) is 1 year older than Age of Empires II (Retired) (2013).
- Age of Empires II (Retired) scores higher on Steam reviews (95.2% positive) than Age of Empires® III (2007) (90.9% positive).
- Steam Deck: Age of Empires® III (2007) is Deck Playable, Age of Empires II (Retired) is Deck Verified.
Age of Empires® III (2007) vs Age of Empires II (Retired) — FAQ
- Which is better, Age of Empires® III (2007) or Age of Empires II (Retired)?
- On Steam reviews Age of Empires II (Retired) scores higher (95.2% positive) than Age of Empires® III (2007) (90.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Age of Empires II (Retired) is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Age of Empires® III (2007) or Age of Empires II (Retired) first?
- If you want chronology, Age of Empires® III (2007) (2012) came out before Age of Empires II (Retired) (2013). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Age of Empires® III (2007) and Age of Empires II (Retired) similar?
- They overlap on Strategy on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.