The system requirements for Age of Empires 4 are about what you’d expect from a real-time strategy game of its caliber. Despite its improved graphics and 4K educational videos, it’s not going to burn up your rig, that’s for sure. If you’ve been patiently waiting for the next installment in the Age of Empires franchise and wondering “Can I run it?”, the answer is most likely “Yes!”.
Before we jump in, it’s important to point out that the Age of Empires 4 system requirements are slightly different for Steam, Game Pass, and the Microsoft Store when it comes to storage.
Microsoft and World’s Edge suggest you have about 50GB available before installing Age of Empires 4. My Steam download came in at around 37GB when all was said and done.
However, Microsoft warns that you’ll need up to 90GB free when downloading from the Microsoft Store, and some that have downloaded AoE 4 via Game Pass have reported upwards of 200+ GB needed because of the 4K video files.
Here are the full minimum, low, recommended, and ideal system requirements for Age of Empires 4 as laid out by Microsoft and World’s Edge. Whether you’re playing on a high-end gaming rig or a mid-tier gaming laptop, it’s unlikely you’ll need to shell out for new hardware to run this one.
Minimum System Requirements
- CPU: Intel i5-6300U or AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
- GPU: Intel HD 520 or AMD Radeon RX Vega 11
- VRAM: N/A
- RAM: 8GB
- HDD/SSD: 50GB
- OS: Windows 10
Low System Requirements
- CPU: Intel i5-4460T or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 760 or AMD Radeon HD 7950
- VRAM: 2GB
- RAM: 8GB
- HDD/SSD: 50GB
- OS: Windows 10
Recommended System Requirements
- CPU: Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- GPU: Nvidia Geforce 970 or AMD Radeon RX 570
- VRAM: 4GB
- RAM: 16GB
- HDD/SSD: 50GB
- OS: Windows 10/11
Ideal System Requirements
- CPU: Intel i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- GPU: Intel RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
- VRAM: 8GB
- RAM: 16GB
- HDD/SSD: 50GB
- OS: Windows 10
If you’re looking to hit the higher end of the graphics spectrum and maintain steady frames while playing Age of Empires 4, you’ll want to come in somewhere between recommended and ideal system requirements. I’m able to hit 50-60fps with all graphics settings on high at 2K with a GTX 1080 8GB and i7-7700K, for what it’s worth. For more on Age 4, consider heading over to our other Age of Empires 4 guides.
Header image source: Microsoft
