Age of Empires 4 is holding a Technical Stress Test starting today, and it will be open to everyone through Steam and the Xbox Insider Hub in Microsoft Store. The test will go from Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. PT through Monday, September 20 at 10 a.m. PT, according to a news post on the Age of Empires website.
The four civilizations available in the beta are the English, the Chinese, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Abbasid Dynasty. Five different maps will be available with the developers stressing this test is "focused on the multiplayer experience." Single-player options available in the test include playing against AI in the Multiplayer Custom Lobby and playing the game's tutorial, Mission Zero.
A closed beta was held for Age of Empires 4 earlier this year. The developers made some changes since then including an increased camera distance option, "balance work" with the English and Chinese civilizations, and various bug fixes.
Age of Empires 4 is set to launch on October 28. It will be available on PC through Steam and Windows Store. Xbox Game Pass for PC members will be able to access the game on launch day.
It was recently found out that an hour of medieval history documentary material is included in Age of Empires 4.
PC players can get excited for the Steam Deck by checking out Steam Deck's specs and IGN's hands-on with Steam Deck. Anybody looking for the best PC games to play on it should check IGN's recently updated list of the best modern PC games.
Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.