Age of Empires: Gold Edition

Microsoft’s Age of Empires: Gold Edition is a real-time strategy classic that bundles the original Age of Empires with the Rise of Rome expansion on one disc. Spanning more than 10,000 years of history, it adds three new campaigns focused on Rome’s brutal battles, along with four new civilizations, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses, and dozens of scenarios. Win through world domination, economic victory, or a mix of both—the path to ruling the planet is up to you.

Age of Empires tasks you with growing a civilization from a small group of hunter-gatherers into a sprawling Iron Age empire. To win, you must gather and manage resources to afford new units, buildings, and increasingly advanced technologies. Careful planning matters because resources are finite: as the match continues, no new resources appear—if you cut down a tree, it will not grow back. The game includes twelve civilizations, each with its own attributes and a different set of available units and technologies. Every civilization also has unique technologies, meaning no single civilization can access everything. Progression is built around advancing through four ages: the Stone Age (Mesolithic/Paleolithic), Tool Age (Neolithic/Chalcolithic), Bronze Age, and Iron Age. You research each age-up at the Town Center, and every advancement unlocks new technologies, weapons, and units.