Hello again, Age IV players! We’ve got a few changes rolling out with this patch, including a fix for an exploit involving the Golden Horde, extending the dates of our current Ranked Season and event, as well as some exciting improvements to Caster Mode.
Read on to learn more about what’s new with this patch!
Thanks again to our amazing community members, all of whom have helped to make Age of Empires what it is today!
—The Age of Empires Team
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in the Microsoft Store:
- Open the Microsoft Store.
- Click the [∙ ∙ ∙ ] symbol next to your profile picture.
- Select Downloads and updates.
- Press the Get updates button to automatically detect, download, and install the latest changes to your game!
- Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 15.4.8719.
If you are unable to launch the game after downloading the update, make sure you add (or re-add) the Age of Empires IV client or folder as an exception to your firewall and antivirus program. That’s it; you’re ready to play!
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in Steam:
- Open Steam.
- Click on Library to see your games list.
- Click Downloads at the bottom of the Library window.
- [If the new build does not download automatically,] click the Download Now button to manually download the new update.
- Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 15.4.8719.
That’s it; you’re ready to play!
Remember that you’ll need to update your game in the Xbox App for Windows.
- Open the Xbox app.
- Games that are installed show up on the left side of the app.
- Hover over the game or click it, and then select Update.
- [If the new build does not download automatically,] hover over the game, select More Options (…), choose Manage. Under the Files tab, choose the option to Check for Updates.
- Open the game. The title screen should show you on Build 15.4.8719.
That’s it; you’re ready to play!
- Under the games tab from the PlayStation Home Screen Locate the game and hover over it. Make sure not to select it!
- While hovering over the game press the Pause button (☰) on your controller.
- In the new pop up menu select the Check for Update option.
- If there is a new update available, this will automatically start the download. If your game is on the most recent version, selecting this option will confirm that information for you.
That’s it; you’re ready to play!
Still having trouble? Visit our support site!
Please Note: As part of updating to this latest build, any saved games and observable matches made on previous builds will be unable to be loaded or replayed.
Season Twelve
Ranked Season and Events Update
We’re extending Ranked Season Twelve and the ‘Something in the Water’ event from April 2nd to May 6th! These changes will be reflected in-game soon, but we wanted to give an early heads up. Make sure to plan in time to climb the ladder and get your rewards.
Something in the Water
The relaxing waves have brought back old friends but with new rewards! They might be monsters, but you’ll be the one sinking your teeth into the challenges while you take on the competition.
Improvements to the Map Monsters mode:
- Improved spawn logic for the monsters preventing them from spawning in inaccessible locations.
- Monster discovery results in the monster despawning with a visual effect.
Login NOW through May 6th at 10:00AM PT (1:00 PM ET / 17:00 UTC) to claim your bounty!
| Challenge | How to Unlock Reward |
| Something in the Water | 🔒 Login during Something in the Water 🚩 Event Profile Icon – Something in the Water |
| Sea Conquest | 🔒 Sink 10 enemy ships in multiplayer or skirmish matches. 🏆 Profile Icon – Sunk |
| Dockyard Demolition | 🔒 Destroy 4 enemy docks using ships multiplayer or skirmish matches. 🧱 Coat of Arms Sigil – Fire the cannons |
| Mythic Haul | 🔒 Gather 200 food from fishing spots in a single multiplayer or skirmish match. 🧱 Coat of Arms Sigil – Water Horse |
| Something Fishy Going On | 🔒 Be the first to discover the Dragon Turtle. 🧱 Coat of Arms Sigil Frame – Fin |
| Street Party | 🔒 Deploy 50 ship units in a single game. 🧱 Coat of Arms Banner Pattern – The Thousand Teeth |
Caster Mode
Additional civilization-specific information now available in Caster Mode
With this patch, we’re introducing some changes to Caster Mode that account for a variety of civilization-specific technologies and elements. With these changes, Caster Mode will provide a better top-level view of details pertaining to:
- Guild Hall
- The Tughluq Dynasty’s Governor System
- Khan/Jeanne d’Arc Respawn Timer
- Yatai counts
- Traders, fishing ships and sheep
Additional Design Improvements
- Previously casters had to toggle between villagers or resource/minute details, making it difficult to quickly ascertain various player advantages. Now these details are available simultaneously and visible underneath the general resource panel.
- Macedonian Dynasty technologies, such as the “Cavalry Damage” upgrade, now show in Caster Mode.
- Additional information has been added to the “Overview Statistics” in the Caster Mode view, including Town Center Idle Time, Economy Idle Time, and Total Collected Resources and Destroyed Values.
- Improved resources gathered information in Caster Mode with a new “Collected Resources” panel that showcases the total gathered resources for each player alongside updated UI to show the total amount of traders, fishing ships, and sheep for each player.
- Caster mode now reflects changes made to reduce the number of upgrades available for the Mongols’ “Improved Economy” technology.
- Fixed an exploit where it was possible to increase the Golden Horde batch size higher than intended.
Investigation
We have some additional improvements coming to Caster Mode, specifically related to more easily accessible information for “Emergency Repairs.”
Your reports continue being crucial to our prioritization and implementation of fixes and features in the game. Keep them coming!
For other known issues, please visit this page to see what’s being tracked!
Coming Up…
We’ll be sharing more news about our Spring 2026 DLC very soon! And don’t forget to tune in for the Red Bull Wololo: Londinium main event April 1st – 6th to see who’s crowned the winner in both Age of Empires IV and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
DISCLAIMER
Please note that this list is subject to change and should not be considered a comprehensive list of all the known issues we’re tracking. The above is to inform you of the team’s current priorities, which will change as other issues arise or take precedence.
For the latest updates and announcements, please visit our social channels.