Age of Empires 4 stress test starts Friday, here's how to play

Age of Empires 4
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

The Age of Empires 4 stress test is coming this weekend, and it's your best chance yet to try the game for free ahead of its proper launch.

The developers at World's Edge unveiled all of the details for the upcoming stress test on the official site for Age of Empires 4, including when you can play: the Age of Empires 4 stress test will begin on Friday, September 17 at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT / 6 pm BST and end at the same time on Monday, September 20. The full game launch will follow on October 28.

World's Edge wants to get as many players in as possible to put the game and its servers through the wringer, so you won't need to sign up ahead of time to play. All you'll need to do is download the stress test client on Steam or grab it via the Xbox Insider Hub app. The only requirement to participate is that your PC meets the minimum system requirements, which you'll find below.

Age of Empires 4 minimum system requirements

  • OS: Windows 10 – 64 bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-6300U or AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Graphics: Intel HD 520 or AMD Radeon RX Vega 11
  • DirectX: Version 12

Players will be able to try out the Abbasid Dynasty, Chinese, English, and Holy Roman Empire civilizations during the test. The content of the test will be focused on multiplayer, though you'll also be able to play through the tutorial mission or face off against the AI in custom lobby matches if you want to get some practice in first.

The full version of the game will also feature more than an hour's worth of mini-documentaries on trebuchets, medieval surgical procedures, and more. In the meantime, why not download and play one of the best games like Age of Empires.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.