The Wizard Kings have returned, and they want to take back what they've lost in Age of Wonders 4 by Triumph Games. Read on to learn the game's release date, price, and its playable races and factions.

Age of Wonders 4 Release Date and Time

Age of Wonders 4 is Already Out!

Age of Wonders 4 released on May 2 at noon Eastern Standard Time, and on May 3 for those residing in Asia and Australia.

Everything We Know About Age of Wonders 4

Age of Wonders 4 Latest Trailer

Age of Wonders 4 Story Plot

Athla had been ravaged continuously by conflicts between humanity and the high elves and other races. But now both sides must unite, as a new force emerges from outside the realm of reality. Wizard Kings, free from their imprisonment and looking to restore their lost magics, have begun their invasion from the Shadow Realm. Those foolish enough to face them lose their lives, and it falls to the mortal Champions of the realm to banish these wizards from the lands once and for all.

Age of Wonders 4 by Triumph Games is the latest entry in the two-decade-old series. Here, different races fight for dominance in a 4X-style map either through diplomacy, brutal force, or arcane knowledge. You are the head of one of these races, and you can choose to either be a Champion of the mortal realm or a Wizard King. To make your faction stronger, you must collect Tomes of Magic that both give buffs and change the physical look of your race.

Aside from attacking enemy factions, there are many locations around the map where you can have an adventure, fight enemies, and find hidden ancient tomes and other treasures. Age of Wonders 4 promises to combine the best of both a Role-Playing Game and a 4X strategy game, and it looks promising to us so far.

Age of Wonders 4 Gameplay

Gameplay in Age of Wonders is divided into two parts: an overworld where you move groups of units to cities and points of interest around the map, and tactical maps where you fight the enemy’s units in turn-based combat.

Before you begin, you can customize both your race and your leader. Want a race of cannibal orcs? You can do that. Want a race of high elves straight out of a Tolkien book? You can also do that. Then you choose the traits of their society, which affects the buffs they get and what kind of race they’ll eventually evolve into with your help.

You start your playthrough with just one city, but you can take over neighboring cities either by making them like you enough through diplomacy on the overworld or defeating them in battle on a tactical map. At first, you’ll be surrounded by independent Free Cities that you’re free to either befriend or dominate, but sooner or later you will run into enemy factions who will prove to be much tougher to put down.

In battle, each of your units will have its own ability, which can dictate whether or not the fight will come out in your favor. Once you’ve used a few spells on your units, they will have all sorts of passive and active buffs depending on where they’re fighting, who they’re fighting against, et cetera. There’s a morale system that decides how well your units will do even if their allies die in battle, as well as a flanking system that decides how powerful your attack will be depending on where you hit the enemy on the battlefield.

Age of Wonders 4 Playable Races and Factions

So far, there are 10 playable races in Age of Empires 4 – the Dwarves, the Elves, the Goblins, the Halflings, the Humans, the Moles, the Orcs, the Rats, the Tigrans, and the Toads. Each of these races can be assigned their own culture (Feudal, Barbarian, Industrious, High, Dark, and Mystic), as well as the kind of society they have.

Though there are already pre-made factions available in the game, one of Age of Wonders 4’s highlights is the creation of your own faction through mixing and matching races, cultures, and society traits.

Age of Wonders 4 Platforms, Editions, and Pre-Order Bonuses

Age of Wonders 4 will be released in two editions (Standard and Premium) for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

Pre-ordering the Standard Edition gets you both the Tigran High King Aric Rex, along with his Athlan Imperial Armor set that comes with a crown, a Lion Full Plate of Armor, and an Imperial Cape. But there are not just cosmetics, as you can use Aric Rex as your leader in the game.

Meanwhile, the Premium Edition comes with all the pre-order perks, as well as the Expansion Pass. The expansion pass not only unlocks a new set of clothing (Archmage Attire), but access to four content packs that will unlock new races, cultures, and locations.

Age of Wonders 4 Trailers

Announcement Trailer (Released January 20, 2023)

Just a short introduction to the world of Athla and the return of the Wizard Kings, who were banished way back in Age of Wonders 2. We also get a glimpse of both the game’s units, and its locations in the overworld and tactical maps.

Announcement Show and Gameplay Reveal (Released January 20, 2023)

The 40-minute showcase highlights the story of Age of Wonders 4, the creation of your own custom race, diplomatic options in the overworld, as well as your battles are fought on the tactical map. There is also discussion about Age of Wonders 4’s mid-game, with sieges and the race evolution mechanic.

Story Trailer (Released March 3, 2023)

In this trailer, we see more details about the Wizard Kings and their invasion of Athla, as well as the Champions that arose to fight against them. We also see a glimpse of the Tome system, which evolves your races, as well as the commander customization screen.

Launch Trailer (Released April 27, 2023)

This trailer highlights the use of spells in the overworld, as well as using tomes to evolve your race and make your warriors stronger. We also see parts of the diplomacy screen, where it’s possible to strike alliances with your allies in exchange for whatever support you think they need.

Age of Wonders 4 System Requirements

Based on Age of Wonders 4’s Steam page, the game isn’t really that demanding in terms of graphics. Those with mid or even low-tier PCs and laptops should expect to be able to play the game without much trouble.

Age of Wonders 4 Product Information

Title	AGE OF WONDERS 4
Release Date	May 2, 2023 (US - EST)
Developer	Triumph Studios
Supported Platforms	PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Genre	Turn-Based RPG, 4X Strategy Game
Number of Players	1-8 (expected)
ESRB Rating	Teen
Official Website	https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/age-of-wonders-4/about

Michael Mendoza Ab..

Reviews video games by day, tries to write novels by night. He's a sucker for open-world games (Bethesda Fallout titles, Mount and Blade Bannerlord, Grand Theft Auto), CRPGs (Planescape: Torment, Disco Elysium), and First-Person Shooters (Call of Duty, Battlefield, and immersive sims like Bioshock..