Age of Empires IV: How to get into the public Technical Stress Test this weekend

Age of Empires IV Gameplay Reveal
Age of Empires IV Gameplay Reveal (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Age of Empires IV is the latest mainline entry in the long-running, Real-Time Strategy series, Age of Empires.
  • Relic Entertainment has announced that they will be hosting a Techincal Stress Test from Friday, September 17th, at 10 a.m. PT through Monday, September 20th, at 10 a.m. PT.
  • This event will be available to download for PC users via Steam and the Xbox Insider Hub App.

Age of Empires is a renowned series of Real-Time Strategy games that have revolutionized the genre since the late 1990s. The newest entry in the series, Age of Empires IV, will be coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC users on both the Windows 10 Microsoft Store and Steam.

However, the game's developers, Relic Entertainment, have just announced that they are offering gamers the opportunity to experience Age of Empires IV a whole month early through a Technical Stress Test this weekend. This limited timed event will be available for PC users on Steam and Windows 10 via the Xbox Insider Hub app, even if you haven't signed up for the Age Insider App or haven't participated in the Closed Beta Test in August. So long as your PC meets the minimum spec requirements below as state from the Age of Empires website, you can get in and run the Technical Stress Test:

Minimum System Requirements

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system.

  • 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

Recommended Requirements

  • OS: Windows 10 – 64 bit
  • CPU: 3.6 GHz 6-core (Intel i5) or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • GPU: Nvidia Geforce 970 GPU or AMD Radeon RX 570 GPU with 4GB of VRAM
  • VRAM: 4GB
  • DirectX: Version 12

This event will last from Friday, September 17th, at 10AM PT to Monday, September 20th, at 10AM PT. Players will get to play as the English, Chinese, Holy Roman Empire, and Abbasid Dynasty factions in this event. You can learn how to play in the Mission Zero tutorial, fight against AI bots, and battle against other players across five different maps.

The Age of Empires series is highly regarded for producing some of the greatest games in the RTS genre. With the fourth mainline game on the horizon, history will decide if Age of Empires IV will continue to uphold the series pedigree.

Alexander Cope

Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran of 30-plus years, primarily covering PC and Xbox games here on Windows Central. Gaming since the 8-bit era, Alexander's expertise revolves around gaming guides and news, with a particular focus on Japanese titles from the likes of Elden Ring to Final Fantasy. Alexander is always on deck to help our readers conquer the industry's most difficult games — when he can pry himself away from Monster Hunter that is!