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's currently about 43% cheaper on the Steam Store. 36,634 Steam reviews back the pick.
Age of Empires II (Retired) vs Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires II (Retired) and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition 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 II (Retired) (2013) is 6 years older than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019). Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Age of Empires II (Retired): 36,634 reviews, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition: 60,009). 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: Definitive Edition
Choose Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition if you want the Online PvP, Online Co-op, and LAN PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 60,009 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Age of Empires II (Retired) and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.2% vs 95.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Age of Empires II (Retired) |  Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 34.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.2% positive (36,634 reviews) | 95.1% positive (60,009 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Skybox Labs, Hidden Path Entertainment, Ensemble Studios, Forgotten Empires | World's Edge, Forgotten Empires, CaptureAge, Tantalus Media, Wicked Witch, Feral Interactive |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Age of Empires II (Retired) (2013) is 6 years older than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019).
- Both sit near 95% positive on Steam (Age of Empires II (Retired): 36,634 reviews, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition: 60,009).
- Age of Empires II (Retired) is currently ~43% cheaper on Steam than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (19.99 USD vs. 34.99 USD).
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has co-op; Age of Empires II (Retired) does not.
- Steam Deck: Age of Empires II (Retired) is Deck Verified, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is Deck Playable.
Age of Empires II (Retired) vs Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Age of Empires II (Retired) or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Age of Empires II (Retired) sits at 95.2% positive (36,634 reviews), Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition at 95.1% (60,009). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Age of Empires II (Retired) or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Age of Empires II (Retired) (2013) came out before Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019). 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 II (Retired) and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition 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.