With the official system requirements and an official release date you might be asking yourself
“Can I run AOE:DE on my computer?”
A good question. There are a few key requirements that you will need to be aware of. These are non-negotiable requirements so be very mindful. Saying “Well X is sorta like Y” won’t cut it.
Windows 10
Yes the game requires Windows 10. You are free to hate on Window 10 all you want. You are free to use the subsequent posts to tell me how much Windows 7 is a million times better. That’s fine and all. But AOE:DE requires Windows 10. The game won’t run on Windows 7 no matter how much registry magic you try.
64-bit
The game requires a 64-bit version of Windows 10. While there probably isn’t a huge contingent of people running 32-bit Windows 10, it is possible (I’ve seen it). Make sure you have a 64-bit version of Windows 10. You can’t ‘upgrade’ to the 64-bit version without totally formatting your computer.
DirectX 11
The DirectX 11 requirement means you MUST have
AMD HD5000 or higher
Nvidia 400 GTX or higher
Intel HD4000 or higher
If your video card is lower than these cards, the game WILL NOT RUN. Period.
But DXDiag says I have DIrectX12! You’re lying to me!
This is ‘technically’ true but ‘practically’ false. The “DirectX Version” you see on the initial page of DXDiag only shows what the OS itself supports. And indeed Window 10 itself supports DX12. But your VIDEO CARD may not.
To check what DirectX versions your video card supports
Open DXDiag
Ignore the “DirectX Version”
Click “Display”
In the upper right look for “Feature Levels”
If you don’t see at least 11_1 in the upper right, your video card does not support DX11 and cannot run the game.
But AOE2:HD runs on my PC made from duct tape, bubble gum and Commodore 64 parts! Surely a prequel shoudn’t need a more powerful PC than the sequel!
While I admire your ingenuity for putting together your own Frankenstien-PC, you will still need to meet the minimum requirements set out above.
So keep those hard stop requirements in mind if you’re interested in AOE:DE. I hope this guide will assist you in making the correct determination as to your PC compatibility.
My build crushes the requirements. I hope they put in 144hz support…although, tbh, I don’t think that would make much difference considering the sprite nature of the game.
