Updated daily · 28 Oct 2026
Player reception
Age of Wonders 4
As of 28 October 2026, 81% of 17,088 player reviews of Age of Wonders 4 recommend it. Players love designing their own faction in Age of Wonders 4 and fighting its tactical battles, and the price of its expansions draws the most anger.
In short
Players praise faction creation that combines races, cultures and tomes into very different rulers, manual battles that reward tactics, and maps and music that make every run feel fresh. The complaints are expansion packs that cost too much for what they add, late-game turns that slow to minutes, AI that feels passive or unfairly strong, and multiplayer desyncs. Players who love building their own faction and can buy expansions on sale get the most from it.
What players say
What players say about Age of Wonders 4.
Players praise faction creation, the battles, the look and music and the replay value. Expansion prices, slow late-game turns, the AI and multiplayer desyncs draw the complaints.153
Read in full
We read every one of these reviews on 20 October 2026 and judged each by what it says.
- Faction and race creation is the main draw.
- Races, cultures, traits and tomes combine into very different leaders, from elf barbarians to dragon overlords, and the combinations rarely run out.153
- The look and music stand out.
- Monster designs, varied maps and a sweeping soundtrack make the game easy to look at, and battles get singled out for their music.153
- Every run plays out differently.
- Random maps, many cultures and a long unlock path keep new games feeling fresh, and some players log hundreds of hours without buying extra content.153
- Turn-based battles are deep and fun.
- Manual battles reward tactics and well-timed spells, and auto-resolve is often seen as the weaker option.153
- Expansion prices draw the most anger.
- Many reviews say the expansion packs cost too much for what they add. Some races, rulers and units sit behind paid packs, and some call the release model predatory.153
- Late-game turns slow down and saves break.
- Big late-game matches can take several minutes per AI turn, and some players report crashes that corrupt saves and force a restart of the campaign.153
- AI opponents feel passive or unfairly strong.
- Some find the AI passive and others find it cheats through fast reinforcements and bonus resources, so battles tend to drag on.153
- Multiplayer desyncs and crashes.
- Multiplayer is the most repeated problem. Players describe desyncs, dropped connections and resets to an early turn, and some say the issues have lasted for years.153
Themes raised
| Theme | Most helpful, of 77 | Latest, of 35 |
|---|---|---|
| Customization | 37 | 7 |
| DLC and price | 36 | 10 |
| Performance and stability | 24 | 2 |
| Replayability and length | 23 | 5 |
| Combat | 22 | 3 |
| Campaign and story | 20 | 1 |
| Magic and tomes | 19 | 1 |
| Art and music | 17 | 4 |
| Empire and city management | 16 | 0 |
| Multiplayer and sync | 14 | 2 |
Questions
Age of Wonders 4, in short.
Is Age of Wonders 4 worth it?
Most players say yes. As of 28 October 2026, 81% of 17,088 reviews recommend it, and players who mention the price usually suggest buying on sale, since the expansions add up.153
Do you need the DLC for Age of Wonders 4?
Players split. Some say the base game holds up on its own, and others find it thin without the expansions.153
How long is a game of Age of Wonders 4?
A single match can run for days, and players with hundreds of hours still find new things to learn.153
How does Age of Wonders 4 run on PC?
Well on high settings for most, with occasional frame dips. Late-game turns can take minutes, and some players report crashes and broken saves.153
What PC do you need for Age of Wonders 4?
The minimum is a Core i5-2500K or Ryzen 5 1600X, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 670, Radeon HD 7870 or Arc A380. The recommended setup is a Core i7-9700K or Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1070 Ti or Radeon RX 5700 XT. It needs 35 GB of storage.153
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Link
https://creativecult.digital/games/age-of-wonders-4Citation
Creative Cult (2026). How players received Age of Wonders 4. Updated 28 October 2026. https://creativecult.digital/games/age-of-wonders-4Badge
<a href="https://creativecult.digital/games/age-of-wonders-4"><img src="https://creativecult.digital/games/age-of-wonders-4/badge.png" width="320" height="100" alt="How players received Age of Wonders 4, by Creative Cult"></a>Sources
- 153Steam: Age of Wonders 4, store page and user reviews (opens in a new tab) Accessed 20 Oct 2026