After a 16-year break, Age of Empires is returning on October 28 with its fourth entry. The release date announcement arrived during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase today alongside a new trailer, seen above, revealing a little more gameplay from the highly anticipated real-time strategy game.
Compared to the previous Age of Empires IV gameplay reveal, you can already see some improvements have been implemented in the latest trailer after feedback. For instance, the weapons and arrows have been scaled down to fit units better, plus the new army colors make them much easier to distinguish from each other.
Developer Relic Entertainment had already unveiled the English, Chinese, Mongols, and Delhi Sultanate as launch civilizations previously, and now it has been revealed Abbasid Dynasty and the French will also be joining the fray. As for playstyles, the Abbasid Dynasty is focused on technology as well as dominating with their Camel Archers and Riders, while the French will be all about trading and late game supremacy with help from their special units the Royal Knights.
There will be eight civilizations in total to experience when the game launches, so we still have two more reveals to go.
Ahead of the October launch, Relic is opening a beta program. Anyone interested in jumping in can become an Age Insider by heading here.
Pre-orders are now live across Steam and Microsoft Store. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are also getting the game on day one. A Digital Deluxe Edition is also available for pre-order now, which comes with bonus content like the original soundtrack, a handy chart with unit counters, a digital painting by Craig Mullens, and in-game cosmetic content.