Choose Age of Empires® III (2007)
Choose Age of Empires® III (2007) if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 11,959 Steam reviews back the pick.
Age of Empires® III (2007) vs Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
Age of Empires® III (2007) and Rise of Nations: Extended Edition both land in Strategy, Simulation 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 share Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Age of Empires® III (2007) (2012) is 2 years older than Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (2014). Rise of Nations: Extended Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (94.8% 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 Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
Choose Rise of Nations: Extended Edition if you want the Steam Leaderboards and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94.8% positive across 7,793 reviews.
Both Age of Empires® III (2007) and Rise of Nations: Extended Edition sit in Strategy and Simulation 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) |  Rise of Nations: Extended Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | Price unknown | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.9% positive (11,959 reviews) | 94.8% positive (7,793 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Ensemble Studios | SkyBox Labs, Big Huge Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Age of Empires® III (2007) (2012) is 2 years older than Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (2014).
- Rise of Nations: Extended Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (94.8% positive) than Age of Empires® III (2007) (90.9% positive).
- Rise of Nations: Extended Edition has co-op; Age of Empires® III (2007) does not.
- Steam Deck: Age of Empires® III (2007) is Deck Playable, Rise of Nations: Extended Edition is Deck Unsupported.
Age of Empires® III (2007) vs Rise of Nations: Extended Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Age of Empires® III (2007) or Rise of Nations: Extended Edition?
- On Steam reviews Rise of Nations: Extended Edition scores higher (94.8% positive) than Age of Empires® III (2007) (90.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Rise of Nations: Extended Edition 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 Rise of Nations: Extended Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Age of Empires® III (2007) (2012) came out before Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (2014). 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 Rise of Nations: Extended Edition similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation 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.