About Age of Empires II
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is the second game in the Age of Empires series, developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. It came out for Windows in North America on September 27, 1999, and in the UK and Australia a month later. A Mac OS version followed in 2001, as did a PlayStation 2 version published by Konami, and an HD Edition was released in 2013. Bruce Shelley is credited as designer and Stephen Rippy wrote the music. Like the first game, it runs on the Genie Engine.
Where the original covered the ancient world, The Age of Kings moves to the Middle Ages. It has 13 playable civilizations. You gather resources and use them to build towns, raise armies and defeat your enemies. Five historically based campaigns put you in specific situations with a story behind them, and there are three more single-player modes alongside multiplayer.
How it runs in your browser
Select Play and dos.zone opens in a new tab with the game. DOS.Zone runs the original English Windows version of Age of Empires II in an emulated PC through js-dos, the browser build of DOSBox that it develops as open source. You won’t need to install anything, supply your own files or sign up for an account, and the site runs no ads.
DOS.Zone’s page for the game is brief. It calls it a sequel to Age of Empires and gives a rating of 5 from 417 player reviews, and the game bundle is named as the English version. It doesn’t mention The Conquerors expansion, so expect The Age of Kings on its own. Multiplayer isn’t listed for this version, and save support isn’t described, so check the host’s page before a long campaign.
Controls and devices
Age of Empires II was made for a keyboard and mouse. When the game has loaded, click inside it so the emulator takes your input. The host’s page doesn’t list the controls, so check the game’s own menus.
There are virtual on-screen controls on DOS.Zone for phones, but a game like this, with many units and buildings to select, works far better with a mouse. Play on a desktop or laptop.
Who it’s for
It suits players who knew The Age of Kings when it was new and want to see the original release again, and newcomers who want to try it without buying a remaster. If you’d like to start at the beginning, the first Age of Empires is on DOS.Zone as well. For another strategy series from the same years, Command & Conquer: Red Alert runs the same way.
Is Age of Empires II Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Age of Empires 2 in my browser for free?
Yes. DOS.Zone runs the original Windows version in a browser tab, free, with nothing to install and no account.
Does it include The Conquerors expansion?
DOS.Zone doesn’t say so. Its page only describes the game as a sequel to Age of Empires, and the files are labelled as the English version, so expect The Age of Kings.
Can I play Age of Empires II with friends online?
Multiplayer isn’t listed for this version, so plan on playing against the computer. The original supported multiplayer, but DOS.Zone doesn’t list a multiplayer room for this game.
