Age of Empires 2: Which Version to Buy and Where to Get It
If you want to play Age of Empires 2 today, the short answer is: get the Definitive Edition. It's the only version of the game that's still updated, it's officially localized, and since 2024 it includes three expansion packs. Below we explain why, where you can buy the game and which add-ons are worth the money.
A warning: the pirated copies floating around the internet as "Age of Empires 2 full download" can't join online matches or get updates. The options below are legal, and if you have Game Pass you don't pay anything extra.
The difference between the versions
| Version | Status |
|---|---|
| The Age of Kings and The Conquerors (1999–2000) | The original game and its expansion. No new content or patches come to this version. |
| HD Edition (2013) | Sold on Steam as "Retired". According to the store page, it won't be updated any more. It has no official Turkish; for that you need a Turkish patch. |
| Definitive Edition (2019) | The current version. New civilizations, campaigns and balance patches are still coming. It has an official Turkish interface and subtitles, and cross-platform multiplayer (cross-play) is supported. |
If you own the HD version you can keep playing it, but new civilizations, campaigns and balance patches only come to the Definitive Edition.
Where to buy it
You can get the Definitive Edition on these platforms:
- Steam: List price $19.99. Steam runs frequent sales; on October 3, 2026 the game was 33% off.
- Microsoft Store and the Xbox app: For Windows PCs.
- Xbox and PlayStation 5: There are console versions too.
- Game Pass: The base game is on PC Game Pass and the higher Game Pass tiers. Paid DLCs aren't included in Game Pass; you have to buy them separately.
The Definitive Edition has official Turkish, so no patch is needed; we explain how to switch the language to Turkish on Steam in this guide. If you want to play the HD version in Turkish, see our AoE 2 HD Turkish patch page.
System requirements
These are the values listed on Steam. The game needs 64-bit Windows 10 and 15 GB of free space.
| Level | Hardware |
|---|---|
| Minimum | Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64x2 5600+, 4 GB RAM, GeForce GT 420, Radeon HD 6850 or Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 2 GB of video memory |
| Recommended | 2.4 GHz Intel i5 or AMD equivalent, 8 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 650 or Radeon HD 5850 |
Steam also has a free Enhanced Graphics Pack that pushes the graphics to a very high resolution, but only install it if you have a powerful system.
Expansions that come free
On the game's fifth anniversary, from November 14, 2024, three expansions became part of the Definitive Edition. New buyers get them automatically, and they were given free to existing owners:
- Lords of the West
- Dawn of the Dukes
- Dynasties of India
Steam may still list these packs with a price. If you own the game, you don't need to buy them again.
Paid DLCs: which should you buy?
Prices are Steam list prices as of October 3, 2026; they drop during sales.
| Pack | Content |
|---|---|
| The Viking Sagas (September 2026, $15.99) | The Danes, Saxons and Varangians, plus three campaigns about Harald Hardrada. The newest pack. |
| The Last Chieftains (February 2026, $15.99) | The Mapuche, Muisca and Tupi civilizations from South America, three campaigns. |
| The Three Kingdoms (May 2025, $14.99) | A thousand years of Chinese history and the story of the Three Kingdoms. |
| Chronicles: Alexander the Great (October 2025, $7.99) | Alexander the Great's campaign, three new civilizations. |
| Chronicles: Battle for Greece (November 2024, $7.49) | The first chapter of the Chronicles series, set in ancient Greece. |
| Victors and Vanquished (March 2024, $7.29) | 19 scenarios with historical figures like Ragnar Lothbrok and Oda Nobunaga. |
| The Mountain Royals (October 2023, $7.49) | The Armenians and Georgians, with the Tamar, Thoros the Great and Ismail campaigns. |
| Return of Rome (May 2023, $7.49) | The pack that lets you play the first Age of Empires inside AoE 2. |
Which one to buy depends on what you enjoy:
- For new civilizations and multiplayer, start with the two newest packs: The Viking Sagas and The Last Chieftains.
- For story and scenarios, Victors and Vanquished and the Chronicles packs are cheaper and campaign-focused.
- If you're into nostalgia, Return of Rome lets you play the first game on the new engine.
The other DLCs on Steam (animated icon packs, the soundtrack) don't add anything to gameplay.
Pages that will come in handy once you have the game: Age of Empires 2 cheat codes, the Age of Empires 2 Turks guide and, for the latest update, update 185872. To choose which civilization to start with, take a look at our Age of Empires 2 civilization picker guide.
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