Age of Empires III is a real-time strategy video game created by Ensemble Studios, a team within Microsoft Corporation, and released by Microsoft Game Studios. The Mac version was developed and published by MacSoft, a company owned by Destineer. The PC version was released on October 18, 2005, in North America and November 4, 2005, in Europe. The Mac version was released later, on November 21, 2006, in North America and September 29, 2006, in Europe. An N-Gage version, made by Glu Mobile, was released on April 28, 2009. This game is the third in the Age of Empires series and follows Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. A remastered version called Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition was released on October 15, 2020. The next game in the series, Age of Empires IV, was released on October 28, 2021, for Windows.
The game shows the history of European colonization in the Americas from about 1492 to 1876 AD. Players can choose from fourteen different civilizations. Age of Empires III introduced new features, such as the "Home City," which blends real-time strategy gameplay with elements of role-playing games. Two expansion packs were released: Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs, which added three Native American civilizations, was released on October 17, 2006. Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, which included three Asian civilizations, was released on October 23, 2007.
As of May 2008, Age of Empires III had sold more than two million copies. It received good reviews and won awards, including GameSpy’s "Best RTS game of 2005." It was one of the top-selling games of 2005. In 2007, it was the seventh best-selling computer game, with over 313,000 copies sold that year.
The original version of the game was removed from sale on October 30, 2024. Single-player games will still work, but multiplayer servers will no longer be available because the technology is outdated. The Definitive Edition will remain available for purchase.
Gameplay
Players start with a town center or a wagon that can build one, an armed explorer, and a few villagers. They explore the map to gather resources used to build more units, buildings, and research upgrades. Actions like training units, building structures, or defeating enemy units earn experience points. When players reach certain experience point levels, they receive shipments that can be exchanged for cards from their Home City. These cards may include units, upgrades, or resources. The game continues like most real-time strategy games until one side quits.
In Age of Empires III, players advance through technological "Ages" that represent historical time periods. These Ages unlock new improvements, units, and buildings. The Discovery Age shows the time when Europeans discovered and explored the Americas, helping players develop their economy. The Colonial Age represents European expansion into the "New World" and unlocks early military units. The Fortress Age reflects the building of European forts and provides stronger military options. The Industrial Age brings a strong economy through factories that produce resources or artillery and unlocks all units and shipments. The Imperial Age unlocks all buildings and upgrades and allows players to send shipments a second time. Each Age, except the Colonial Age, costs food and coin to advance. The Colonial Age only costs food (800). The cost increases gradually but stays the same for all civilizations.
Age of Empires III uses a "Politician System" similar to the "minor gods" system in Age of Mythology. When players advance to a new Age, they choose from two or more Politicians, each offering different bonuses. Politicians have titles that match their effects, such as "The Naturalist," who gives four cows, or "The General," who provides twelve musketeers and one heavy artillery piece. As the Home City level increases, more Politicians become available—one for every ten Home City levels, up to level 60.
Players can choose from eight civilizations: Spanish, British, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, German, and Ottomans. Each civilization has unique strengths, weaknesses, and units. Some units, called Royal Guard units, gain extra benefits from the Guard upgrade in the Industrial Age but cost more. Players can rename their Home City and Explorer, and they start with a pre-named leader from the period, such as Napoleon Bonaparte for the French or Ivan the Terrible for the Russian. Each civilization has unique shipments to help with culture, economy, or military, like the Ottomans receiving gold shipments for themselves and teammates.
Other civilizations, such as the Knights of St. John, John Black's Mercenaries, and the United States of America, are playable through campaigns but use the Spanish, German, and British civilizations with small changes. Campaign civilizations like Pirates, Circle of Ossus, and Native Americans are not playable normally but can be used in the Scenario Editor.
Twelve Native American tribes are included in the game, but they are not playable as factions. Players can form alliances with tribes by building trading posts at their camps, gaining access to unique units and improvements. The tribes include the Aztec, Carib, Cherokee, Comanche, Cree, Inca, Iroquois, Lakota, Maya, Nootka, Seminole, and Tupi. Three tribes—The Iroquois, Lakota (Sioux), and Aztecs—became playable in the expansion pack Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs, later replaced by the Huron, Cheyenne, and Zapotec. The Apache, Klamath, and Mapuche were also added in the expansion. Another expansion, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, added the Indian, Japanese, and Chinese civilizations, along with tribes like the Sufis, Shaolin, and Udasi.
Age of Empires III introduces the "Home City" concept, a second city that supports the player. It cannot be attacked or destroyed, but an Imperial Age upgrade called "Blockade" prevents opponents from receiving Home City shipments. The Home City remains the same between games, keeping upgrades and improvements. Players can create multiple Home Cities, each supporting one civilization.
The Home City has five main buildings: The New World Trading Company, the Military Academy, the Cathedral, the Manufacturing Plant, and the Harbor. Players can access the Home City during a match by clicking the nation's flag on the screen. Inside a game, players use pre-selected cards from their Home City.
Players earn experience points (XP) by completing actions like building structures, training units, defeating enemies, or collecting treasures. When players reach certain XP levels, they can use shipments from their Home City. As the game progresses, more XP is needed for each shipment. XP also helps the Home City level up over time. Players can arrange their cards into three strategies: "Boom" (economic), "Rush" (military), or "Turtle" (defensive). Early cards are automatically added to a player's portfolio, which can be copied into a deck for use in a game. Later, players must choose cards manually because each deck can only hold 20 cards. Some cards are available to all civilizations, while others are unique to specific ones. If a Home City has multiple decks, players must choose which one to use first. Players keep the initial deck during a game, encouraging them to customize decks for specific maps or to counter opponents. As the Home City improves, players gain extra card slots for every 10 levels.
Units in Age of Empires III are based on military classes from historical time periods. Players control civilian and military units to expand their civilization and fight opponents. The settler is the base unit, responsible for gathering resources and building structures to improve the economy.
Plot
The story follows the fictional Black family through three parts called "Acts," each showing a different generation. All three parts are narrated by Amelia Black, voiced by Tasia Valenza.
Instead of controlling standard civilizations, the player leads special civilizations tied to the characters or time periods in each Act: the Knights of St. John for Act I, John Black's Mercenaries for Act II, and the United States for Act III.
In the late 16th century, Morgan Black—a Scottish-born commander of the Knights of St. John—defends Malta from the Ottoman Empire’s forces, led by Sahin "The Falcon." After the Ottomans retreat, Morgan and his leader, Alain Magnan, find a stone library describing the Lake of the Moon, the Fountain of Youth, and a secret group called the Circle of Ossus. Alain orders Morgan to search for the Lake, but Morgan is attacked by pirate Elisabet "Lizzie" Ramsey and lands in the Caribbean. After defeating Lizzie, Morgan travels to New Spain, where Spanish conquistador Francisco Juan Delgado de Leon captures Sahin. Morgan protects his Aztec allies from the Spanish and learns Delgado seeks the Lake’s map. Morgan’s fleet is damaged by a hurricane, and he docks in Havana, Cuba, where he promises Lizzie gold from the Spanish treasure fleet if she helps him reach Florida.
In Florida, Alain claims the Lake, while Morgan and Lizzie capture Spanish treasure ships and Sahin, killing Delgado. Sahin tells Morgan he wanted to stop the Circle of Ossus from claiming the Fountain. Alain orders Morgan to execute Sahin, but Sahin and Lizzie convince Morgan that Alain leads the Circle. At the Lake of the Moon, the group defeats Alain and destroys the Fountain. Sahin returns to Turkey, and Lizzie leaves for the Caribbean, though it is hinted she and Morgan may reunite. Alone, Morgan considers drinking from the Lake’s water.
In the mid-18th century, Morgan’s grandson, John Black, his Mohawk friend Kanyenke (renamed Ká꞉nien in the Definitive Edition), and their mercenaries are called to defend the colony of Brunswick from Cherokee raiders. After saving the colony, John and Kanyenke attack the Cherokee war camps, forcing a truce. While negotiating, British General Warwick attacks and captures Brunswick. John and Kanyenke rescue Stuart Black, John’s uncle, and learn the Circle of Ossus has returned. They travel to New England, where Warwick attacks Kanyenke’s sister, Nonahkee. After a battle, Kanyenke learns John and Nonahkee are in love.
John and Kanyenke ally with the French during the Seven Years’ War to fight Warwick. Colonel George Washington tells them Warwick is a British renegade, and John helps track him. John’s mercenaries and Washington’s forces destroy Warwick’s base in the Great Lakes, where John finds Stuart’s decapitated body. They pursue Warwick to the Rocky Mountains, destroy a Circle base, and later to Colorado, where Warwick allies with Russians. John and Kanyenke learn the Circle plans to take over North America. While John pursues Warwick, Kanyenke and miners stop Russian artillery. John and Kanyenke return east, where John kills Warwick and himself in an avalanche. Kanyenke returns to his village and learns Nonahkee has given birth to John’s son, Nathaniel, whom he helps raise.
In 1817, five years after Nathaniel’s death in 1812, Amelia Black, Nathaniel’s daughter and heiress of The Falcon Company, an American railroad company, seeks to expand operations after Nathaniel used up compensation for John’s sacrifice. After laying tracks near the Mexican border, Amelia meets French prospector Pierre Beaumont, who helps her and US Cavalry commander Major Ryan Cooper defeat a Mexican army. Beaumont leads Amelia to a Colorado mine, where aged Kanyenke warns her Beaumont now leads the Circle of Ossus. They chase Beaumont through the mines and find a map to the Lake of the Moon. At the swampy Lake, they destroy a Circle base, and one of Beaumont’s wolves kills Cooper. Amelia learns from Seminoles that an Inca city in Pacamayo Valley holds barrels of the Fountain’s water.
Amelia and Kanyenke sail to South America and help Simón Bolívar defeat the Spanish. Bolívar provides guides, and they travel through the Andes to find the Inca city in Pacamayo Valley, defending it from the Circle. Amelia discovers Beaumont has escaped with the Fountain’s water. They fight the Circle at their last stronghold, the Ossuary, in Cuba. With help from Havana, they destroy the Ossuary. Beaumont ambushes Amelia and Kanyenke, but Amelia kills him. She uses the Circle’s treasure to revive The Falcon Company and builds railroads to the future west coast of the United States. In the US, an elderly man congratulates Amelia, hinting he is Morgan Black, who drank from the Fountain of Youth and lived longer.
Development
Age of Empires III uses and adds new features to the Age of Mythology engine, called the Bang! Engine. A new feature includes the Havok physics simulation software on the Windows version and the PhysX engine on Mac OS X. This means events like building destruction and falling trees are not pre-made animations but are instead calculated by the physics engine, a new innovation for the series. Other visual features include bloom lighting and support for pixel shader 3.0.
The Age of Empires III original soundtrack includes music composed by Ensemble Studios musicians Stephen Rippy and Kevin McMullan. They previously worked on other games in the Age of Empires series and Age of Mythology. The soundtrack was released on November 11, 2005, by Sumthing Else Music Works. Stephen Rippy, the music and sound director at Ensemble Studios, explained, "Age of Empires III covers the colonization of the Americas over three hundred years, so the music needed to match the grand story. Using a full orchestra, choir, and instruments from that time period, the music follows the journey of Morgan Black and his descendants as they face the Circle of Ossus in the New World." The soundtrack also includes a bonus DVD with fourteen tracks remixed in 5.1 surround sound, a behind-the-scenes video of the studio session, the Age of Empires III cinematic trailer, and five exclusive bonus tracks.
Unlike earlier versions of Age of Empires, the AI nations in single-player skirmish mode will send voice messages to the player at different points in the game. If the player is an enemy, the AI may tease them, or if they are allies, the AI may share military plans. Each AI character has a unique personality, and many different lines of dialogue are included. This feature can be turned off if needed.
Release history
After the game was announced on January 4, 2005, a trial version was released on September 7, 2005. This version included a simplified version of the game with new features, such as two campaign scenarios, two random map scenarios (New England and Texas), access to two civilizations (British and Spanish), and various modifications. An updated demo version was released when the game officially launched on September 22, 2005.
As part of the Age of Empires III launch, Ensemble Studios announced the release of the Age of Empires III Fan Site Kit on September 9, 2005.
When the game was released on September 22, 2005, two editions were available. The standard edition included the game and a manual. The collector’s edition came in a presentation box and included the official soundtrack, extra documentation, a hardback book titled Art of Empires with concept art and 3D renders from the game, and a DVD titled The Making of Age of Empires III.
After the game’s release, a series of patches were introduced to fix small software issues or add new features.
Ensemble Studios released an expansion called Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs on October 17, 2006. This expansion added three new civilizations (the Aztecs, Iroquois, and Sioux) that players could fully control. It also included new content for existing European civilizations, new maps, and gameplay additions, such as a "revolution" feature that allowed players to "revolt" from their mother country and start a military coup in the game.
A second expansion, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, was announced on May 18, 2007, and included three Asian civilizations: the Chinese, Indians, and Japanese. It was released on October 23, 2007.
A version of the game for Mac OS X was released on November 13, 2006, by MacSoft. The first expansion for Mac OS X was released on June 18, 2007.
In 2009, when Ensemble Studios closed and Robot Entertainment, the new company, did not provide support, the game community created fan patches to fix remaining issues.
The original game and the first expansion were released together in a collection called the Gold Edition on October 23, 2007.
On November 21, 2010, Microsoft sold the game and its two expansion packs as part of a relaunch of its Games for Windows Live platform for 10 cents or 10 Microsoft points. The high demand caused a shortage of account keys, leaving some buyers unable to install the game. Microsoft fixed the problem by guaranteeing that account keys would be generated and uploaded within one week. This promotion led to a sharp increase in game sales.
A mobile version of the game titled Age of Empires III was released on September 16, 2007, for J2ME. It included a campaign based on the Great Siege of Malta with 15 missions where players controlled the Knights Hospitaller and fought against Ottoman forces. The game had limitations, such as a low population limit of 30 players per side.
The game included 12 skirmish maps that could be played against computer opponents. Some maps allowed three players to compete in formats like 2 vs. 1, 1 vs. 2, or free-for-all.
A sequel mobile game, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, was released in 2010 for J2ME.
On August 21, 2017, Microsoft announced a remastered version of the game called Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition at Gamescom 2017. The remaster included updated 4K graphics and the two previous expansions, The WarChiefs and The Asian Dynasties. It also added two new civilizations (the Incas and Swedes), new "Historical Battles," and "The Art of War" challenge missions similar to those in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
The Definitive Edition was developed by Tantalus Media, with oversight from Xbox Game Studios’ internal World’s Edge studio. It was released on October 15, 2020. On April 13, 2021, an expansion adding the United States civilization was released. On August 2, 2021, an expansion adding the Ethiopians and Hausa civilizations was released. On December 1, 2021, an expansion adding the Mexico civilization was released. Another expansion, Knights of the Mediterranean, was announced on May 12, 2022, and included the Italian and Maltese (Knights Hospitaller) civilizations. It was released on May 26, 2022.
Reception
Age of Empires III received good reviews from critics and reviewers. According to GameRankings, the game had an average score of 82%. It was listed as the eighth best-selling PC game of 2005. By May 2007, over two million copies had been sold. GameSpot said, "Age of Empires III has some very big shoes to fill." GameSpy noted, "It may not redefine real-time strategy gaming, but it sets the bar so high that we will be comparing games to this for years." IGN said, "Age of Empires III is a superbly balanced and polished game," and "Discounting a few niggles in the interface, the whole presentation is rock solid." Game Revolution described it as "as detailed as a history book, and about as much fun." GameZone stated it is "one purchase you will not come to regret."
Age of Empires III was the eighth best-selling PC game of 2005 despite its late release. By May 2007, it had sold over two million copies. It received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
Reviewers praised the game's visuals. IGN said, "After seeing the screenshots, our jaws hit the floor at the amount of detail." 1UP.com described it as "one of the most beautiful games you will put on your computer for the foreseeable future." GameSpy agreed, stating, "Age III's graphics are unmatched in the strategy genre." GameSpot admired the graphics but noted, "Were it not for the awkward unit behavior… Age of Empires III would look truly amazing." GameSpy awarded Age of Empires III the "Best Graphics" award at GameSpy's "Game of the Year 2005," saying the graphics engine used "all the high-end technology you would normally find in first-person shooters."
GameZone praised the game's sound effects, saying, "You will feel the explosions of the cannon balls, the muskets firing their endless volleys, and the destruction of a building. It all sounds extremely realistic, and makes the game come that much more alive." Eurogamer said, "AoE3… sounds fantastic," while Game Revolution mentioned, "The ambient sounds, music and voice work all suit the colonial theme."
Reviewers had mixed opinions about the single-player campaign. GameSpot said it was "standard for a real-time strategy game" but had "less-than-stellar voice work and awkward cutscenes." GameSpy agreed that "Age of Empires III's campaign is not revolutionary" but praised the "great" voice acting. IGN said the campaign's story gave players a "nice sense of purpose" and called the 24-mission campaign "very well designed." Eurogamer said the campaign lacked originality, noting it "offers exactly the same kind of challenges that RTS campaigns have been offering for years." Game Revolution disliked the campaign more than other reviewers, comparing it to Age of Empires II's campaign and saying, "The plot actually got worse. Age of Empires III… avoids all the interesting and prickly issues like genocide, epidemics and slavery, instead subbing in a wimpy tale of a family destined to protect the Holy Grail from a Satanic Cult."
Age of Empires III's multiplayer was the first in the series to be integrated into the game interface and was highly praised. GameZone said, "This game demands multiplayer mode, and Ensemble Studios provided this for the players." 1UP said, "Multiplayer support has been significantly upgraded with a slick interface, support for clans and a number of other useful features." GameSpy said, "The 'home city' system creates long-term depth and strategy." EuroGamer criticized the Home City feature, saying, "Stop with the gifts!… You do not need to let me flick to a home city screen every few minutes so that I can select a free unit or resource windfall. I'm not some spoilt toddler that needs to be bribed with endless sweeties." Age of Empires III uses the ESO server for multiplayer.
Age of Empires III won PC Gamer US's "Best Real-Time Strategy Game 2005" award. Brett Todd of the magazine wrote, "It was astounding how Ensemble managed to stick to the historical RTS formula yet keep the gameplay feeling fresh." The game received two awards from GameSpy in 2005: "Real-time strategy game of the year" and "Best Graphics." GameSpy gave the game five stars in its review, highlighting the graphics and multiplayer experience. The game was named fifth-best game of 2005 by GameSpy.
Other awards, including an "Outstanding" from GameZone, show the game was well-received by critics.
The game was given an "honorable mention" in the "Best Music" category.
At the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Age of Empires III with "Computer Game of the Year." It also received nominations for "Strategy Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay."
Yahoo! reported mixed opinions but still praised the game's graphics and physics. Like GameSpy, Yahoo! said these features were "eye-candy." Both Yahoo! and Eurogamer were disappointed by the game's traditional economics-based strategy and lack of useful formation and tactics, saying this made the game less competitive with modern real-time strategy games. Eurogamer described the Home City shipments and treasures as "silly and childish" but acknowledged that Ensemble Studios was brave to include the Home City concept, which was different from other real-time strategy games.