Age of Empires II: Forgotten Empires vs Age of Empires II: The Conquerors
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.

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.
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors is the acclaimed expansion to the classic real‑time strategy masterpiece, adding five new civilizations, new campaigns, and a wealth of gameplay refinements. It builds on the solid foundation of the original, delivering deeper strategic options and richer historical scenarios for both solo and multiplayer experiences.
- 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
- Rich addition of new civilizations
- Deep strategic depth
- Strong multiplayer community
- Extensive modding tools
- Requires the base HD Edition, adding an extra purchase step
- Some balance issues persist with newly added units
- Limited to PC platform only
- Graphics are dated compared to modern RTS titles
- AI can still be predictable on higher difficulties
- Limited native support for newer operating systems without patches
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