Age of Empires II: Forgotten Empires vs Age of Empires II: HD Edition - The Forgotten

Age of Empires II: Forgotten Empires is the second official expansion for the HD Edition, bringing five brand‑new civilizations—Incas, Indians, Italians, Magyars and Slavs—along with fresh units, technologies, and maps. Developed with SkyBox Labs and released on Steam in 2013, it requires the base HD Edition to install. The expansion also introduces seven single‑player campaigns covering historic figures such as Alaric I, Sforza, and Dracula, plus a suite of balance tweaks, a higher population cap, and improved on‑screen rendering for a richer real‑time strategy experience.

The Forgotten is the first official expansion for Age of Empires II: HD Edition in over a decade, bringing five new civilizations—Incas, Indians, Italians, Magyars, and Slavs—along with fresh units, technologies, and enhanced AI. It also introduces seven single‑player campaigns covering historic figures like Alaric I, Sforza, and Dracula, plus new multiplayer modes and Steam Workshop support. Designed for PC, the expansion raises the population limit, improves on‑screen rendering, and adds Steam trading cards and rankings, delivering a richer, more balanced medieval warfare experience for both solo and competitive play.

• Five brand‑new civilizations with distinct playstyles
• Higher population cap for larger battles
• Rich, historically grounded campaign narratives
• Enhanced AI provides a tougher solo challenge

• Five diverse new civilizations expand strategic depth.
• Rich, historically grounded campaign content.
• Steam Workshop integration encourages community creativity.
• Higher population limit enables massive battles.

• Requires the base HD Edition, adding an extra purchase step
• Some balance issues persist with newly added units
• Limited to PC platform only

• Requires the base Age of Empires II: HD Edition to play.
• Some older AI scripts still feel dated compared to newer expansions.
• Limited to PC platform only.