The interesting thing about the Return of Rome expansion is that it largely revolves around bringing content from the original Age of Empires into Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. 16 of the 17 new factions coming to the game are returning from the original Age of Empires.

The Return of Rome expansion, rather than being more content for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, acts as a separate entity that has its own set of rules and factions. Players will be able to switch between the core Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and the Return of Rome expansion.

The expansion also brings with it the new D3 game mode, which is essentially an in-game implementation of an unofficial ruleset that was originally created by Vietnamese Age of Empires players. The ruleset revolves around players only having access to a single military unit until the bronze age, preventing rushing tactics.

The Return of Rome expansion for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Inkulinati go live on January 31st, though the latter is launching via Game Preview. Those looking for more action can check out JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R for consoles, cloud and PC on the same day.

February 2nd marks the arrival of Darkest Dungeon, the punishing rogue-like turn-based RPG, which will be playable on consoles, cloud and PC. Codemasters’ GRID Legends is out on the same day via the cloud on EA Play, while Hot Wheels Unleashed – Game of the Year Edition arrives on February 7th for consoles, cloud and PC.

In addition, these four titles will be leaving the service on January 31st. Play them now while you can:

• Donut County (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master (Console and PC)
• Telling Lies (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Worms WMD (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Both titles will be releasing for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One in 2023, with Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition launching on January 31, 2023, and Age of Empires 4 following later in the year. A specific launch date for the latter hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Both games will feature support for mouse and keyboard gameplay on Xbox consoles, along with the option to enable cross-play and play via Xbox Cloud Gaming. Of course, like all first party Microsoft releases, both will also be available via Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox players can also expect a new tutorial and user interface designed specifically with console gameplay in mind.

“We knew that bringing the complexity of RTS to Xbox consoles was a massive task and one we had to approach carefully and thoughtfully,” writes Emma Bridle, director of customer voice at World’s Edge. “The team has been working hard to bring an experience that not only feels great using a controller, but also teaches players how to play on Xbox. A new tutorial designed specifically for controller input paired with a new user experience for console will help players get started. We’ve also added a new game AI which helps make resource management in a strategy game efficient and intuitive.”

The announcement was made during a recent livestream celebrating Age of Empires’ 25th anniversary, where Microsoft also unveiled Age of Mythology: Retold and Age of Empires Mobile.

A livestream celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary will be kicking off today at 10 AM PDT, which is where it seems like the announcement is going to be made. As spotted by Gematsu on Twitter, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition has been rated for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One by European ratings board PEGI. Meanwhile, Xbox insider Klobrille is also hinting that the announcement will be made during the livestream, while fellow insider The Snitch seems to be suggesting that the console port of the strategy title will launch sometime in 2023.

As is the case with any real-time strategy game, Age of Empires is obviously particularly suited to a mouse and keyboard setup on PC, so it should be interesting to see how that’s translated to a console experience. Of course, we’ll be covering any and all announcements as they happen, so stay tuned for more updates.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition rated for Xbox Series / Xbox One in Europe: https://t.co/eO8yBCXuJu

Announcement likely during today's 25th anniversary live stream at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. Details here: https://t.co/tL53eN903G

Gematsu page: https://t.co/iIxy2yF8X4 pic.twitter.com/gs52BsHnXv

— Gematsu (@gematsu) October 25, 2022

See you in 2023

— Elesnicho (@elesnicho) October 25, 2022

Along many of the same gameplay tenets as previous titles, Age of Empires 4 features eight civilizations like the Holy Roman Empire, the Mongols and even new entries like the Delhi Sultanate. This is on top of four campaigns and multiplayer. It also doesn’t hurt that there’s a Min Spec mode that allows older and less powerful machines to play the game, further expanding its out-reach.

Age of Empires 4 is also available on PC via the Microsoft Store and on Xbox Game Pass for PC. Time will tell if it receives extensive post-launch support like Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition did so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Dawn of the Dukes is quite a meaty chunk of new content, adding two new civilizations to the mix- the Poles and the Bohemians, each with their own unique technologies, units, and buildings. Both of the new civilizations have also been added to the Barbarossa, Genghis Khan, and Ivaylo campaigns.

Meanwhile, three new fully voiced campaigns have also been added to the game. One sees you playing as the Poles as you attempt to create a united Poland-Lithuania kingdom, one sees you playing as the Bohemians and pits you against the Holy Roman Emperor’s knightly armies. Finally, in the third expansion, you play as the Lithuanians and fight against the fearsome horselords of the Golden Horde.

Dawn of the Dukes should keep you busy for a good while- at least until Age of Empires 4 launches in October. A closed beta of the game is also running right now.

At their recent Age of Empires fan event, Microsoft and series developers World’s Edge spend a healthy chunk of time talking about the upcoming Age of Empires 4, detailing the new Delhi Sultanate civilization, the Chinese civilization, showing an impressive amount of new gameplay footage, and more. As promised, however, they also provided updates on Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition. Both remasters are going strong, and both are going to keep trudging forward for the foreseeable future, with meaty new updates announced for both.

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is getting its second full-fledged expansion. Called Dawn of the Dukes, the expansion will take players to Eastern Europe, and is due out this Summer. There’s not a lot of info on what the expansion will entail, but a new campaign is kind of a given, while new civilizations are also very likely. In addition to that, the game is also going to see another update later this year that will add co-op, which will be a first for the series (and might be hinting at things to come in Age of Empires 4 later this year). Specific campaign missions and historical battles will be selected by the developers for co-op support.

And what about Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition? That’s getting its own update as well. The new content update is out on April 13, and it will be adding the United States as a new civilization. In addition, it will also add nine new units, a new age-up mechanic, a new explorer, and a new home city. Players who complete an in-game community challenge within a limited time period will be able to claim the update for free. Alternatively, it can be purchased for $4.99.

Meanwhile, it’s also been confirmed that an expansion for Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is also in the works. It’ll launch later this year and will add African civilizations to the game, but beyond that, details on it are scarce for now.

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Age of Empire 3: Definitive Edition are both available on PC.

True to recent leaks, Microsoft have announced an Age of Empirs-focused event for April 10. Age of Empires: Fan Preview will be streamed on the day at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST, and you can expect plenty of major new updates to drop for the series.

The highlight of the show, as you’d expect, is going to be Age of Empires 4. No specifics are given as to what we can expect (fingers crossed for a release date), but the announcement trailer for the event promises new gameplay, and it’s been a while since we last saw that– so there’s definitely reason to get excited.

On top of that, new updates will also be shared for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition, which will take the form of new campaigns and civilizations being revealed. Whether both will get major new content announcement remains to be seen.

Either way, Age of Empires fans will definitely want to tune in. We’ll be covering the event live, of course, so make sure you stick with GamingBolt for all the latest updates.