Age of Empires III Shuts Online Services This Month But You Can Still Play the Game Thanks to 1 Feature

Debuting all the way back in 2005, Age of Empires III is a true masterpiece that ended up redefining the entire gaming industry. At the time, the RTS game was genuinely ahead of its completion with stunning visuals, unique gameplay, and a level of immersion that the genre hadn’t seen before.

Unfortunately, it’s the end of the road for the base version of the strategy game, as Age of Empires III is being delisted by Microsoft, and the multiplayer servers are going offline.However, there’s still one way through which gamers can experience the classic without any hiccups.

As revealed on Age of Empires III‘s Steam store page, you can no longer purchase the base game, as it was officially delisted on October 10th, 2024. Microsoft will even pull the plug on the game’s online multiplayer on October 30th, 2024, simply because its technology isn’t supported by the industry giant anymore.

Owners of the RTS game still dive into the offline content, such as campaigns and skirmishes, and if you’ve purchased the game before it was listed, it should be downloadable as usual.

If you’re still interested in playing the game’s multiplayer mode, you can switch over to 2020’s Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, which is still available and supported by Microsoft.

The biggest difference in the Definitive Edition is, of course, the graphics upgrade. The entire title features completely rebuilt 3D assets, making it look like a different game altogether. It also features 4k capabilities, which brings an extra pop. Alongside updated assets, the Definitive Edition also brings an overhauled UI, remastered soundtrack, and audio.

Currently, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is out for free on Steam so that players can make the right decision before any purchasing decisions.

There’s no doubt that Age of Empires still remains one of the most iconic names in the RTS genre. The series stands right alongside big names such as Crusader Kings, Civilization, and Total War, and now there’s a brand-new entry around the corner, but not in the way players had been expecting.

The next entry in the long-running series of historical strategy games is Age of Empires Mobile, a free-to-play title that’s been developed by Xbox Games’ AoE studio World’s Edge in collaboration with TiMi Studio Group. The game is all set to debut on October 17th, 2024.

Age of Empires Mobile aims to bring the franchise’s popular aspects to mobile players, focusing on strategic battles, building, and one-on-one player-versus-player combat. The game also features a number of historical leaders such as Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Queen of Sheba, and many more with unique abilities.

Even though it’s not the Age of Empires V players had been hoping for years, it’s going to be interesting to see how the developers adopt the franchise’s real-time strategy in a mobile format.

With that said, do you think Microsoft has made a mistake by pulling down Age of Empires III? If so, let us know in the comments below.