Which is better, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition or Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition?

On Steam reviews Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition scores higher (95.1% positive) than Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (84.5% 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 Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition or Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition first?

If you want chronology, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019) came out before Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020). 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.

Is Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition free?

Yes — Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is a free-to-play Steam title. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is paid (34.99 USD).

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition vs Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III: 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: Definitive Edition (2019) is 1 year older than Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020). Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (84.5% 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 Online Co-op, 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.

Choose Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

Choose Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 18,417 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and LAN PvP, 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.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition vs Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — Steam metadata comparison
	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Released	2019	2020
Genres	Strategy	Strategy, Free To Play
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Playable	Deck Playable
Price	34.99 USD	Free to play
Steam reviews	95.1% positive (60,009 reviews)	84.5% positive (18,417 reviews)
Multiplayer	Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op	Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer
Developers	World's Edge, Forgotten Empires, CaptureAge, Tantalus Media, Wicked Witch, Feral Interactive	World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires

Side by side

Both are Strategy games on Steam.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019) is 1 year older than Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020).
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (84.5% positive).
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is free; Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is paid (34.99 USD).
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has co-op; Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition does not.
Both are Deck Playable.