As of writing (January 2022), Age of Empires comes with nine games. Check out its main PC-exclusive titles:
Age of Empires (1997)
This was the first Age of Empires game that Ensemble Studios released in 1997. Xbox Game Studios published this title, which leverages the Genie game engine. There weren't many RTS games available back then, and this was the first one with a historical theme.
GameSpot, popularly known for its comprehensive game reviews, defined Age of Empires as a combination of Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Sid Meier's Civilization. But this American video game website also described its design as somewhat confused. Despite this and other negative reviews from critics, this game was well-received, selling more than three million units in three years.
Microsoft published Age of Empires' expansion pack Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome in 1998.
Age of Empires II (1999)
Like the first Age of Empires title, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings leverages the Genie game engine. These titles' gameplays are also similar. But, unlike its predecessor that offers twelve civilizations for gamers to choose from, Age of Kings avails thirteen of them from the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
2000 saw the release of the Age of Kings' expansion, The Conquerors. Most gamers were impressed that it came with additional new features, including five more civilizations.
Age of Empires III (2005)
This is the third main installment of the AoE series. Age of Empires III boasts a plethora of new features, such as home cities, to provide players with resources and upgrades. The WarChiefs, this game's first expansion, was introduced to the gaming world in 2006. In 2007, Microsoft Game Studios released its second expansion, The Asian Dynasties.
Age of Empires IV (2021)
Relic Entertainment collaborated with World's Edge to develop Age of Empires IV, initially released in late October 2021. It shares several features with Age of Empires II. MobileSyrup, a Canadian bookie reviewing various tech products, even described this title as the latter, but with a new coat of paint.
It's also noteworthy that Age of Empires also has these spin-off games:
- Age of Mythology (2002)
- Age of Mythology: The Titans (2003)
- Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (2006)
- Age of Empires: Mythologies (2008)
- Age of Empires Online (2011)