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.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition vs Plebs
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition and Plebs 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 3 years older than Plebs (2023). Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is free; Plebs is paid (8.99 USD). 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 Plebs
Choose Plebs if you want an Indie, Simulation, and Casual game with Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Plebs launched in 2023.
Both Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition and Plebs 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.
Side-by-side comparison
 Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition |  Plebs | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy, Free To Play | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.5% positive (18,417 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player |
| Developers | World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires | PixelWhipped |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020) is 3 years older than Plebs (2023).
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is free; Plebs is paid (8.99 USD).
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Plebs has no Deck rating yet.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition vs Plebs — FAQ
- Should I play Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition or Plebs first?
- If you want chronology, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020) came out before Plebs (2023). 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 Plebs 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. Plebs is paid (8.99 USD).
- Does Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Plebs doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.