Age of Empires 2 for Mac is Finally Available

Age of Empires II, regarded as one of the best real-time strategy games of all time, is finally available for Mac. Sure, it originally debuted back in 1999 for Windows, but AoE 2’s depth and replayability has allowed it to maintain a longstanding following that has kept the game wildly popular even 25+ years later.

Thanks to native Mac support, Mac users can now play Age of Empires II directly on an Apple Silicon Mac. That means no more workarounds, Windows virtual machines, no more Age of Empires clone, 0 AD (though that’s still a fun alternative and remains free), and no spare PC’s are required, you can just play the game directly on your Mac after downloading it from Steam.

Age of Empires 2 for Mac offers single player and multiplayer mode, and you can play as over dozen civilizations ranging from Britons, Franks, Japanese, Chinese, to Byzantines, each with their own unique strengths and strategic advantages. In classic real-time-strategy form, you have to balance resources, economics, military, exploration, and diplomacy, as you navigate a world map, establish a civilization, grow and build cities, build armies, engage in warfare, research technologies, and conquer your way through history.

• Grab Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for Mac from Steam here ($35)

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition is a welcome addition to the Mac gaming pantheon, and whether you’re a longtime fan, a general fan of RTS’s, or a complete newbie to the series, you’re sure to appreciate and enjoy the classic gameplay, now natively on your modern Mac.

System requirements to play Age of Empires 2 on Mac are pretty straight forward: you will need to be running MacOS Sequoia 15.7 or newer (yes MacOS Tahoe 26+ is compatible with Age of Empires 2), have an Apple Silicon processor (any M-series including M1 or better, or A-series including A18 Pro or better), 8GB RAM, and at least 16GB of available storage space. That’s it, so basically any modern Mac will play the game with flying colors.

And if you aren’t sure if Age of Empires is for you but you don’t want to shell out the $35 for a copy, you can check out the popular game 0 AD, a free Age of Empires clone, to get a general idea of how a real-time strategy game like this operates. Age of Empires II is far more refined and wildly popular for a reason, so expect it to be even better than 0ad.