Age of Empires® III (2007)

Age of Empires® III (2007)
81
Metacritic
90
Steam
88.357
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$39.99
Release date
5 January 2012
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
90 (26 874 votes)
Recent
91 (68 votes)

Microsoft Studios brings you three epic Age of Empires III games in one monumental collection for the first time.

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Age of Empires® III (2007) system requirements

  • OS:Windows XP
  • Processor:Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.0 GHz
  • Memory:2 GB RAM
  • Graphics:64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or ATI Radeon X1300
  • DirectX®:dx90c
  • Hard Drive:12 GB HD space

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
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tyler_a38
tyler_a38

These hours are just from this owning bought it the day it came out when I was younger at Walmart lol those discs were lost over time thankfully steam was there with digital back my son got to enjoy this as much as I did at his age fun for all ages

Twiggyalien
Twiggyalien

I really wish more people would play Vanilla AOE 3. And by that I mean pre WC/AD expacs.

Vanilla pop. was already dwindling due to the majority playing on AD. Once AoE 3 DE came out it really dealt a huge blow to the population. Now with AoE 4 out, there's is almost nobody who plays. Such an underrated game. If they lowered the price a ton with this game it would have more followers. Please do that.

Master Saber
Master Saber

Why would you want to buy the 2007 non-definitive edition?
- franchise collection
- graphics remain decent
- original civilizations
- steam trading cards (another way to level your steam profile)

Overall, this game is still a 9.9/10. I'm a strict critic only because as time goes on with new technology, older games get left behind. It's still going to be a wonderful addition to your library.

drsam
drsam

classic and beautiful and largely improved on age of empire 2, still doest charm you with the story like what age of mythology does, anyway it is a must play for any age of empire fan

Blargy, Destroyer of Worlds
Blargy, Destro…

A fun rts game, even with it being the black sheep of the franchise. I know I'm in the minority but I actually prefer it of AoE2. Why?
-Less villager micro, the main reason I can't get into AoE2
-Each civ is capable of many different strats thanks to the card system. Some cards are capable of huge effects like transforming units into other units or decreasing the cost of upgrades or even giving upgrades for free
-Trading posts provide "free" resources, encourging expansion
-The game centers around a time of history that isn't talked about very much, especially the asian dynasty expansion. The time period allows an interesting mix of melee and gunpowder units.
-Any special effects a unit has are told to you through its tool tip or stat page, something AoE2 doesn't do (at least when I played).

Some of the negatives?
-Some units are extremely overpowered. Shipment only units are infamous for this.
-It costs way too much to advance to the last age. And its almost like the devs knew because there are no new cards in the imperial age.
-Some civs are missing units and I don't really understand why. Germany for instance is missing both musketeers and grenadiers. And while I like their unique units I don't think they're strong enough on their own to justify that.
-Low unit cap on navy units. Can make naval battles a bit boring. Some cards help a little bit with this.

And why play this version over DE? More stable for one thing. And you actually have to unlock new cards which adds more replayability imo. Lastly, and this may just be me personally, but I just don't feel comfortable supporting DE after they decided that partaking in revisionist history was more important than fixing actual issues with the game. Terrible things happened in history, and we acknowledge it so we can learn from it. Trying to cover it up is self-defeating.

And besdies this is a series where you can summon a canon that shoots cows and a Canadian bear that shoots laser beams.

Bubs
Bubs

Game is fine, but the definitive edition is definitive, so there is no point in the 2007 game.

I am pro, I looked up my strategies on Quora. You should all check it out.

CountryDieselBoy
CountryDieselBoy

Age of Empires was the first game i ever played starting wit the Rise of Rome. Ever since i have played all of them and Age of Empires III set the bar high and i will never stop playing this game! Its great stragety, amazing variations of culture and as fast paced as you want it to be!

JasonBourne
JasonBourne

I thought I would enjoy it considering I love AOE2, but its pretty boring and uninteresting. The 3D graphics and dumbed-down gameplay don't do this any good.

ᎮiƸɘɿiꟻ | ɒʜq|A
ᎮiƸɘɿiꟻ | ɒʜq|A

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☑ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☑ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Lavalover
Lavalover

Game is fun, I like conquering the world, problem I have is that the AI is so stupid. You'll be in a battle with the other team and they will move their army right past you without helping. The voice actors are nice, they gave the AI good personalities except they become annoying because they are always complaining, asking for resources, or bragging. The story mode is fun, nothing to complain about. I suggest getting this game, just keep in mind that the AI will provide no helping hand even though their supposed to be your quote on quote "ally".

100% Ilu
100% Ilu

Amazing game, i use to play it in my childhood on a shitty laptop and absolutley enjoyd the fact that you can play 2v2 ( baislcy you and 3 AI's ). Then again the campaign is so good

DeadHead
DeadHead

I really tried with this game but the difficulty is set waaaaaaayyyyyyy too high. Even on "Easy" I can't make it past the very 1st mission. There may be some people that enjoy how hard this game is but it's not up my alley. After spending your hard earned money , how are you supposed to enjoy a game that you can't make it passed the very first 5 minutes. This game stank up my whole house. Thumbs Down.

bnny
bnny

Over a decade on this is still my favorite RTS game. I was introduced to it by my dad when I was a kid and he bought it on a fucking DVD. I have enjoyed it ever since.

Wildpokerman
Wildpokerman

Even with Definitive Edition out I'd still recommend this game. I like playing a city at different levels and unlocking my cards thank you and I think the AI in this version is better. It's still my most played RTS game ever.

hankey
hankey

The game itself isn't as good as Age of Empires 2, especially AoE2 definitive edition. A lot of basic stuff such as seeing inactive villagers, ability to zoom out further, etc. that is in 2, isn't in 3. I think there is a definitive edition coming out for 3, so that might be something to look into.

RyRy's Grand Buffet
RyRy's Grand Buffet

I love this game, but it is not the best AoE. I do not like the auto collecting that the settlers have in this game. They no longer have to drop off supplies at main base or outposts. I prefer AoE2. This game has a main base function from your home country and that adds a bit of strategy, but feels strange and I never really got used to it. I enjoy building walls and canons in this game. I enjoy the colonial age and I had a lot of fun with this game, but from now on any time I launch is just to scratch that old nostalgia itch. Buy on sale.

Slayer
Slayer

Terrible franchise - no help given to their paying customers. My multiplayer does not work at all, and all support can do is unhelpfully guide me to a Discord for technical help, who could also not help and said to get a refund. Now my refund request gets denied!

Mad Paragon
Mad Paragon

Don't waste your money on this version. Get the Definitive Edition. It's simply better. I should know since i have both.

Durabol
Durabol

I am a 52 year old father, probably one of the oldest people playing. I am a single father to my son, who is now 14. My son recently started playing and in less than a week, he had already played for over 20 hours. This was terrible for me because it was already hard enough for me to spend time with my son, as he is always out with his friends or just watching videos on Youtube. So I decided to make a Steam account and get this game to see if I could maybe play alongside him. I loaded into the game and started playing but I was stuck on what you where supposed to do. I asked my son for help, and together we spent hours playing . I loved it as it was the best time I had spent with my son since my wife had died. Steam has ever since brought me and my son closer again, and now we actually spend time together outside the house as well. reminded me that there's fun to be had in everything, and it has brought both my son and I many happy memories.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I like using control groups when moving the right group of people to the correct area. Switching between control groups helps me manage a lot of the micro. I definitely always use Control group #1 for my explorer and control group #9 for my town center. If i have a civ whose explorer has a pet I always use control group #2 for the dog. I like to put a healer on control group #4 . Scout goes to control group #3. Calvary go to control group #7 artillery to control group #8 ranged infantry go on control group #5 and regular melee go in control group #6. that is how my game unfolds. early in my game I sometimes send forward villagers out in control groups #7 and #8 and hold stray units in control group #3. to sum up, using the control grouping systems like i described really speed up micro managing all my empire. I usually eye ball the map to go about managing my military productions but maybe sometimes I do group a large number of similar structures with a control grouping system during an economic boom. P. S. Love this game...played many many games and hasn't changed.

Naruto Kaneki
Naruto Kaneki

AoE3 !!! one of the game where i truly enjoyed the campaign. The campaign reminds me so much of Age of Mythology which is scripted with cut scenes which is awesome. Recommended for the retro Nostalgia element!! if you want to enjoy it in HD buy the new definitive edition :)

GlacialKing
GlacialKing

One of my favorite games from childhood, a great campaign and single player

sky_linker
sky_linker

Great game! Each nation is really well developed and thought of. Unlike AOE2, each nation is fully unique, which is nice.

real pando
real pando

very time consuming which is the best part. i love all the mods you can add to the game and my favourite is easily the monster truck.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Best RTS game I've ever played. In depth, but not too complicated. There is a learning curve, but it not that steep and it fun every step of the way. I've tried the new one with all the fancy graphics and crap, but I went back to this one. Loads faster, I don't need all the bells and whistles and crap. Age of Empires III (2007) is the best!

Atomnyul
Atomnyul

This is the least good from the Age of Empires series, but still a good game.

Anonymous
Anonymous

the Original 8 are still my favorite way to play :)

25b.unit
25b.unit

Good old school strategic game.

CroaksAlot
CroaksAlot

As a fan of AoE and the seems to be forgotten AoK, this is a go to for me. I don't play online but, the skirmish mode puts up a decent challenge. All of the different peoples and the warfare specific to each, makes this game endlessly replayable. Not to mention each of the campaigns are interesting and challenging.

punchofdeath
punchofdeath

Always fun to go back to this game title- the expansions are best even though my favorite faction is the Spanish. Plenty of multiplayer games still out there if you want to get your butt kicked but the campaign is challenging and fun enough in my opinion if you were playing this game back then it is great to revisit.

As for a new dive into it for the first time, you will find the graphics underwhelming and probably wont be able to get past that.

Vexis009
Vexis009

Its aoe3 man. Cant not like it. lol

EOussama
EOussama

The franchise that never disappoints, the fourth installment (AOM included) and yet to have a less than average game in the rooster.

Age of Empires games have always introduced new things with every release, and this one does not shy from introduced a whole lot more than ever before, making it almost feel like a completely different game.

I've always thought that modern/colonial age games would make no sense in an RTS format, as we have sound breaking bullets that travel faster than you can devise any plan or strategies on the fly, but, Age of Empires III begs to differ, there was so much new to offer.

The varying civilizations and how greatly they offer not only in building/unite models but also gameplay features. And don't even get me stared on the Asian Dynasties and Fire and Shadow DLCs, literally games inside of a bigger game.

I still get dozed in by how amazing the graphics look in this game. For a game from 2008, it's insane how the visuals have aged, the lightning, water shaders, and destruction physics were an experience in and of themselves.

Crusader
Crusader

I definitely have more than 21hrs played, more like 200hrs and counting since I've been playing for years. Steam is stupid with how it detects games being started up.

The game has a solid "gunpowder frontier" feel to it that I like. The unit count is pretty high, 200-250 so sometimes my armies look huge and it's a nice change from small skirmishes in games like Warcraft 3 or Company of Heroes. Assemble some troops with firearms and watch the plumes of smoke fill the air as they unload on rows of enemies. Cannons sound awesome, are fully animated with a crew, send units flying when they hit a formation, and break pieces off of buildings. Everything in the game looks detailed and impressive, the textures and particles even on mundane objects like trees and houses are among the best ever done. You can hire strong mercenary units like Pistoleros or Riflemen which are basically cowboys in cool looking trench coats, and there are other cool units like the heavy armored Swiss knights which feel almost like hero units with how they can tank.

Some of the European nations share certain units, but the other nations have all unique troops which is really fun. By the way you get to play as Native Americans in this game which is really rare and awesome. Throw together a horseback raid in skirmish vs the AI and torch a colony to the ground; ambush an incoming army with a bunch of forest prowlers in the woods and watch the bodies laid out everywhere. Only other RTS games that let you do that are American Conquest, which sucks, and Rise of Nations which is fun but feels more like an overworld tabletop view than a visceral battlefield like AoE3.

Only two downsides I can think of are 1) That the game doesn't let you play a two of a same nation in games, every player has to use a different civilization so you can't for example do a 3v3 Aztec vs Spanish match in Skirmish mode. You need a mod for that I guess. And 2) The skirmish AI is decent but all have a personality attached, such as Queen Elizabeth for the British, and some of the personalities play more effectively than others. Like the Dutch, who are a solid AI ally who always builds a massive heavily defended base and still fields a large army that attacks often. Other AI can be kind of, idk, pansies? Definitely a buy if you're into RTS games.

Brummbar = Best tank _?_
Brummbar = Bes…

Love this game since I started playing it as a kid in 3rd grade and until now (I'm 24 now)

$OUND**W@VE>>>>>>
$OUND**W@VE&gt…

one of the best strategic game

nearlyatthestation
nearlyatthestation

The only reason this is worth more than £10 is they have no idea it's here still or that you still play it.

acjeww
acjeww

Continues to be enjoyable after all these years

Norm
Norm

strategic challenging and surprising

landstar07
landstar07

I liked the combat and defense style

Erzherzog Karl von Österreich
Erzherzog Karl…

15 years later - as funny as on the first day!!!

𝔾𝕃𝕀𝕋ℂℍ
𝔾𝕃𝕀𝕋ℂℍ

i don't even count this game, don't waste your money, or do. i ain't the boss of u

Anonymous
Anonymous

make boats for settlers and get 8 docks making them... u wil win :}

Jadinder
Jadinder

Great civilization building game. Their multiplayer server could be more user friendly, but works well overall. The Campaign story follows history very well. Although the graphics could be updated it is a great game!

Anonymous
Anonymous

Overall: 3.5/5
A decent game, made 15 years ago, still enjoyable today.

Gameplay: 5/5
This is a story-based sandbox civilization builder game, which I consider fun. It covers multiple eras and has free play when you feel like it.

Story: 4/5
Good for killing some time, I just wish the stories were longer.

Graphics: 2/5
You are not playing a game from 2007 for the graphics. They are passable.

voice-acting: 3/5
Voices are entertaining but repetitive.

Major Pain
Major Pain

Love this game. I have loved this game for may years.

Scotchya_SlippN
Scotchya_SlippN

childhood favourite now adulthood favourite fo sure

Galvatron
Galvatron

Great Game. Absolutely Fantastic. The best there is. Believe me, I would know

krez999
krez999

This game is dead and the card system is so horrible that it looks like it was designed for masochists, not to mention $40 for a 2005 game.

Willowman
Willowman

A wonderful game, an absolute classic. The Home City deck system was, and still is, an innovative addition to the classic AOE gameplay, and the native tribes and trading posts made each map feel that much more alive. But it's a crying shame that this game has been rendered obsolete with the release of the Definitive Edition, which has better graphics, extra factions, oh and it's also $20 cheaper for some reason?

To be clear, I LOVE this game. This game was my childhood, and if they counted the playtime on my old PC my hours would be in the thousands. But I cannot recommend it, because Ensemble Studios no longer exists and the current owners of the AOE franchise don't seem capable of updating the classics to modern standards.

umeshdebnath25
umeshdebnath25

its good game for RTS gamers its a old one but good

Noob0
Noob0

Steam version gave me strange problems, cut scenes not loading and some bugged missions.

stits
stits

This is one of the games ever made.

imperialsilver
imperialsilver

What can I say? I like this game. I liked AOE II and enjoyed countless hours there as well. This one has a different spin, but still true to it's roots. If you can pick it up on sale, by all means, give it a try! I have the Definitive edition also, but haven't played that version yet. This game has a beautiful mix of strategy vs action. A timeless magic that I intend to enjoy for many years to come.

Occasional Artist
Occasional Artist

Somehow the game doesn't feel like Age of Empires. the new mechanics and technology are kinda boring, the campaign does not have the same history-rich quality as the previous games, and the story is not interesting.

Sub_Zer0
Sub_Zer0

I grew up playing the original AoE and loved it. As I got older and more interested in this time-period, I found that AoE 3 existed. I've been hooked ever since. I have about 51 hours on the steam version but I probably have hundreds on my old disk version. Highly recommend if you enjoy strategy games or like the Napoleonic/colonial era.

valoursside
valoursside

familiar system, very playable

Aaron1249
Aaron1249

I've been a fan of the series for a long time, and the third game does not let me down at all. Really love the home city feature and customizing them. I can play for weeks and still not get bored so long as I mix things up here and there.

Medic225
Medic225

Game worked fine before rerereleased it now it doesnt

Fend
Fend

Really easy to learn and get right in to. I love the different hometowns that you can be and the campaigns are pretty lengthy for most of them, which I like.

Red Dracul
Red Dracul

love the canons, just so many canons

Captain_Alana
Captain_Alana

One of the best and most classic games to spend your life playing

1987awood
1987awood

Best game of its time and still fun to play

KingKenDj
KingKenDj

The best war-style strategy game to ever exist. It is an old game, yet has a large active community of strategy players. However, there are a few bugs with the online points system (e.g., after winning a game, you may be kicked out of the lobby and lose your points), but this impact your enjoyment with the game in the slightest. AO3 will forever remain a fantastic strategy game for every type of gamer.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I like the different action levels and the interaction with the computer simulator

FrankTheHealer_(STM)
FrankTheHealer_(STM)

It's pretty good. Card system is kind of annoying, but you can get around that by editing some game files.

Laniakea
Laniakea

No longer supported / Crashes on launch without Error Report or link to support page.

Bambin Insouciant
Bambin Insouciant

Clearly one of my favourite game to relax on.
Not too hard if you want and the mechanics are nice (with the trading posts).

I've had a lot of fun leading troops to the war zones and confirming control over those same trading posts.

Trading posts are nice
This game is nice.
Buy it (or get someone to gift it to you), play it and enjoy it

william condis
william condis

Fifteen years later, still fun

Marduk
Marduk

Yo... This is the best game ever. I have the best memories with this game. It's my childhood fav game and I truly recomand you to play it. Give it a try. You can control everything! Your Economy, enemy economy, there's a lot of tactics. Let's go!

greedo
greedo

good game, my ass gets very swampy playing this