Fans can finally get their first experience of playing Age of Empires 4, even as the closed beta for the real-time strategy game is live now. Those who have signed up for the Age Insiders program can now download and play the closed beta version.
August 5 to August 16 is the duration during which they will be able to dip their toes into Age of Empires 4. A tutorial mission and regular matches for up to eight AI or human players will be available. Several maps will be accessible as well, each with various sizes and biome options. Four of the game’s eight civilizations will be playable – Mongol, English, Delhi Sultanate, and Chinese.
The last date for registering for the beta was August 3, so there’s no way new users can play it now. However, there are hopes of further beta announcements so stay tuned. The makers of the game aim to use these tests to fine-tune systems, hunt down bugs, and balance issues. This should help them lay some early groundwork for post-launch support.
Age of Empires 4 was announced way back in 2017 and active development has been going on since before that. The game will be set during the Middle Ages. Apart from the four above mentioned civilizations, four more will be available in the form of the Abbassid Dynasty, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Rus, and the French.
The last big release from the series had come in 2019 with the launch of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, which was a remaster to the classic AoE 2 that was released in 1999. It includes significantly improved visuals, supports 4K resolution, and comes with previous expansions from the original and HD Edition.
Age of Empires 4 is scheduled to hit PC on October 28 this year.