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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Join us this weekend for the Age II: DE Campaign Weekend!

Recently, we unveiled the upcoming Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Beta “Campaign Weekend!" This exclusive, timed event grants one of the earliest looks at the game’s campaign mode. Throughout the event, beta participants will be able to play a remastered version of the age-old classic Joan of Arc campaign and join the Maid of Orléans herself in her battle with the English.

Today, we are excited to announce that the “Campaign Weekend” event will be available for a limited time to all Age II: DE beta participants from Thursday, 8/8, 4 p.m. PT | 23:00 GMT through Monday, 8/12, 12 a.m. PT | 7:00 GMT! Only one question remains… Are you ready to join Joan in her campaign?

Join Campaign Weekend – Current Beta Participants


Current beta participants will be able to join Joan as soon as the event opens! Once in-game, select Campaigns from the Main Menu and then dive into battle by selecting Joan of Arc’s name from the map.

Join Campaign Weekend – New User Registration


Not yet an Age II: DE beta participant? Not a problem!

You can still register as an Age Insider for the chance to access the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Beta and join us for Campaign Weekend, but you’ll need to act fast! The next wave of beta invites will be going out later this week, and only Age Insiders with a connected Steam account and DxDiag on file will be considered for this round of invites.

What is the Age of Empires Insider Program?


The Age of Empires Insider Program is a new opportunity for gamers who want to get an inside look and have a hand in the development of the Age of Empires franchise.

Insiders will be sent regular communications relating to Age of Empires, along with special survey opportunities to give the development team input on specific areas. Additionally, we’ll be selecting members of the Insider Program for beta events, such as Age II: DE’s Campaign Weekend. You must be signed up as an Insider to be considered for participation in these beta phases, so don’t wait! Our selections will depend on the options you select and the information you provide during registration, and a more complete profile will ensure you’re eligible for the widest range of opportunities.

Ready to jump in? Check out the following guide for step-by-step instructions on how to sign-up as an Age of Empires Insider:

  1. Visit our website by clicking here or logging on to https://www.ageofempires.com.
  2. Select Sign in to begin on the “Become an Age Insider” portion of the website.
  3. Login with your Microsoft Account.
  4. Carefully read over and complete the questions in the sign-up survey.
  5. Add a Steam Account when prompted to during the survey. This is required because the Age II: DE Beta (and Campaign Weekend) takes place on Steam!
  6. Confirm your survey responses and click Submit Survey.
  7. Welcome to the Age Insider program! We’ll reach out to you via email if you’re selected to participate in the beta.


If you encounter any questions on the Insider sign-up process, we encourage you to check out our Insider FAQ or reach out to us at [email protected].

We hope to have you with us for Campaign Weekend!

E3 2019 Demo Recap with Forgotten Empires

Looking to learn more about what’s on the way with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition? Look no further!

Forgotten Empires’ Community Manager, Matthew Turk, gives us a look at the E3 2019 demo with an overview of the most exciting features and details coming your way. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk1sVpI32Yo Here’s a synopsis of the features covered in the video:
  • Dynamic Zoom Controls
  • Stunning 4K graphics true to the look and feel of Age of Empires II
  • Fully Remastered Soundtrack
  • Simultaneous Research and Unit Build Queues
  • Global Queue at the Top of the Screen
  • Ability to Auto-Reset Fish Traps
  • Built-in Mods: Small Trees, Grid Mode, etc.
  • Additional Mod Support
  • Includes all DLC for HD
  • 4 New Civilizations (for a total of 35 Civs)
  • 3 Brand-new Campaigns
  • Over 200 hours of Campaign Gameplay
  • Integrated Leaderboard and Ladder
  • Balance Updates based on Player Feedback
  • Matchmaking Features
  • Scalable User Interface
  • Advanced Tutorials
  • Crossplay between Steam and the Microsoft Store

Additionally, players who already own Age of Empires II: HD will receive a 25% discount when upgrading to Age of Empires: DE (which will be available for $20 USD at launch). The Steam Summer Sale is happening now through July 9, making it the perfect time to pick up the HD edition and hone your skills before the release of the Definitive Edition later this year!


Join the Beta!

If you’re interested in stepping up to play a first-hand role in the development of the game, you can also sign up to join the beta now! As long as your computer meets our minimum specifications, you will receive an invite to the beta.

See you on the battlefield!

— The Age of Empires Community Team

E3 2019 Recap: A New Age for Empires!

What a week it has been! As always, E3 brings out the passion and excitement of the community, and this year was no exception! This year, the folks from the newly-created Age of Empires studio at Microsoft Games teamed up with our friends from Forgotten Empires to show off our work over the past year: bringing you a first look, a hands-on demo, and the chance to sign up for the first beta playtest of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition!
https://youtu.be/ZOgBVR21pWg
The announcement during Microsoft’s Keynote presentation kicked off a flood of news, discussion, and announcements from the event. On the heels of the official gameplay trailer, press and players began discussing and sharing news about all of the new features coming with the game. Here are just a few of the articles you can read to catch up with the conversation:

Throughout the week—with the help of the new and official Age of Empires Discord server—players have been doing some speculation of their own. The conversation has been amazing…the hype has been real…and we’ve even managed to answer several questions that caused some concern following the announcement. Here are some of the hottest discussion topics to emerge from E3 this week:

As a final treat, Mixer set aside some time to chat with Microsoft’s Adam Isgreen and Forgotten Empires’ Bert Beeckman about the game. While short, it provided a glimpse at a different experience than the E3 demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdqS0S2CgcQ
The week was HUGE for Age of Empires, the development team, and has been the PERFECT way to kick off the transition into the first beta of the Definitive Edition. If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up as an Age Insider for a chance to participate in the first playtest on June 18:

We also know there are still questions that remain after E3: about the Definitive Edition and some of the other projects we have in the works. We hear you, and we’re excited to share more information, teasers, and details as they get further along in development.

A huge thanks to everyone who dropped by the booth during E3, who shared their excitement with us on Discord, who helped share the news, and who have been a part of this wonderful community over the past two decades! We can’t wait to see what the journey holds in store for the next two decades!

See you on the battlefield!

— The Age of Empires Community Team

How to Sign-Up for the Age II: DE Beta

Recently, we announced that we are launching an Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition closed beta on Steam:


Invites will be sent out to eligible Age of Empires Insiders in multiple waves over the coming weeks. Our goal is to get as many of our fans’ hands on the game as early as possible, listening to your valuable feedback, and ultimately building a great game—together!

Signing Up as an Insider

To sign-up as an Age of Empires Insider and be considered for the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition beta, follow the guide below! Please note that this survey and sign-up process can only be completed successfully on a PC running on a Windows operating system (7, 8, or 10).
  1. Log on to the Age of Empires website.
  2. Enter your email address in the box and select Sign Up Now
  3. Check your email for a message from [email protected] and click Confirm Email. This will redirect you to the sign-up survey.
  4. Select Log In To Begin after reviewing the requirements. You will be redirected to a Microsoft Account (MSA) sign-in page.
  5. Sign in with a Microsoft Account (MSA) of your choice. It’s important to note that the Gamertag associated with the MSA that you sign into will be your Age of Empires Insider identity!
  6. Carefully read over the Age of Empires Insider Guidelines & NDA and confirm the information presented at the bottom of the page. You may also find the Guidelines & NDA here .

    After continuing, you will be asked to connect a Steam account. In order to be eligible for consideration for the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition beta, you will need a Steam account connected to your Age Insider profile.

  7. Select Add Steam Account to login with your Steam account and be eligible for this beta test.
  8. On the Steam Community screen, sign in with the Steam account of your choice.
  9. After signing in and being redirected back to the survey, you’ll be asked some questions on your interests and play style. Complete these questions and press Save & Continue.
  10. Follow the on-screen steps to upload your DxDiag.xml file. Please note that this file must have a .xml extension and that this step can only be completed on a PC.
  11. After uploading your DxDiag.xml, select Submit Survey.
  12. Congrats! You’re signed up as an Insider and now eligible to be considered for participation in the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition beta!


Existing Insiders

Already signed up as an Age of Empires Insider in the past? We’ll need some updated info from you, too! In addition to getting a refreshed DxDiag, we’ll also need you to connect a Steam account for you to use during the beta.

Follow the steps above to re-register and be considered for beta participation! In the future, we will have a more streamlined process for our valued Insiders to be able to update their profile information. We appreciate your patience!

Additional Questions?

Check out our Age of Empires Insider FAQ here.
Be sure to follow us on:

And check out our brand-new Age of Empires Discord channel:

E3 Mixer Stream - Watch AoEII: DE LIVE!

Looking for more #E32019 insight into Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition? Microsoft Creative Director, Adam Isgreen, will join Bert Beeckman (aka Cysion) from Forgotten Empires to play and discuss the game this coming Wednesday on Mixer!
  • When: Wednesday, June 12 @ 10:45a PDT / 1:45a EDT / 5:45p GMT
  • Where: https://mixer.com/ageofempires
  • Latest Info: https://twitter.com/ageofempires

See you soon!