Choose Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Choose Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition if you want a Free To Play game with LAN PvP. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 18,417 Steam reviews back the pick.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition vs Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV: Anniversary 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 III: Definitive Edition (2020) is 1 year older than Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition (2021). Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (86.4% 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 IV: Anniversary Edition
Choose Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition if you want the Online Co-op and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 27,761 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (84.5% vs 86.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition |  Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Genres | Strategy, Free To Play | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.5% positive (18,417 reviews) | 86.4% positive (27,761 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires | World's Edge, Relic Entertainment, Forgotten Empires, Climax Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020) is 1 year older than Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition (2021).
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition scores higher on Steam reviews (86.4% positive) than Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (84.5% positive).
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is free; Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition is paid (39.99 USD).
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition has co-op; Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition does not.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition vs Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition or Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition sits at 84.5% positive (18,417 reviews), Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition at 86.4% (27,761). 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 III: Definitive Edition or Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020) came out before Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition (2021). 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: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV: Anniversary 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.
- 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 IV: Anniversary Edition is paid (39.99 USD).