Who wants to sample a sweet, refreshing hit of real-time strategy nostalgia next month? Microsoft has confirmed that Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition will be getting a series of betas throughout February and March, giving players an early look at the third and final Age Of Empires remaster.
We're not exactly sure on dates just yet, but you will need to join the Age Of Empires Insider Program to be in with a chance of receiving a beta invite. If you're already signed up, you'll need to ensure all your details are up to date, and that you've a DXDiag (a troubleshooting tool) installed and uploaded.
This won't 100% confirm your access to the beta, but as we understand it there'll be several of them hosted across February and into March. Each will focus on a different aspect or feature of Age of Empires III, so everybody should get a crack at the game - hopefully.
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Oh, you'll also want to make sure your PC meets the system requirements below:
- Windows 10 64-bit
- 8GB RAM
- 2GB video memory
- DX11 / D3D11
- HD Graphics 4400 or more if using integrated Graphics
As explained on an Xbox Insider forum post, the multiplayer betas will be the main focus for Microsoft in February as the team works to ensure the game can run as intended. It seems Insiders and those who played the original Age of Empires III will be the priority next month, but it should open up to more players in March.
There'll also be separate betas for the game's campaign, but this'll be limited to much smaller groups playing through specific chunks. The real focus is, understandably, multiplayer.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition launched in November last year, and featured remastered 4K graphics and a new expansion, The Last Khans. The remaster also features various quality-of-life upgrades, and cross-play support between Steam and Windows 10, so expect Age Of Empires III to arrive with similar bells and whistles.
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We still don't have a release date for Age Of Empires III: Definitive Edition, but the upcoming beta certainly implies that it'll be coming sooner rather than later. It'll certainly arrive before Age Of Empires IV, at any rate.
The newest entry in the popular series was finally "unveiled" during Microsoft's X019 celebration last year... but beyond a brief trailer, we still don't really know anything about the game. Hopefully 2020 is the year that Microsoft fully spoils us with all the Age Of Empires content we can stomach.
Featured Image Credit: MicrosoftTopics: Xbox