Choose Empires Apart
Choose Empires Apart if you want a Free To Play game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 1,003 Steam reviews back the pick.
Empires Apart vs Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Empires Apart 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. Empires Apart (2018) is 1 year older than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019). Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than Empires Apart (66.8% 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: Definitive Edition
Choose Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition if you want the LAN PvP, LAN Co-op, and Adjustable Text Size side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.1% positive across 60,009 reviews.
Both Empires Apart and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, 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
 Empires Apart |  Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy, Free To Play | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | 34.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 66.8% positive (1,003 reviews) | 95.1% positive (60,009 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | DESTINYbit | World's Edge, Forgotten Empires, CaptureAge, Tantalus Media, Wicked Witch, Feral Interactive |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Empires Apart (2018) is 1 year older than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019).
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than Empires Apart (66.8% positive).
- Empires Apart is free; Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is paid (34.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Empires Apart is Deck Unsupported, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is Deck Playable.
Empires Apart vs Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Empires Apart or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition?
- On Steam reviews Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition scores higher (95.1% positive) than Empires Apart (66.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Age of Empires II: Definitive 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 Empires Apart or Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Empires Apart (2018) 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 Empires Apart 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.
- Do both Empires Apart and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Empires Apart ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Is Empires Apart free?
- Yes — Empires Apart is a free-to-play Steam title. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is paid (34.99 USD).