Age of Empires 4 Technical Stress Test Dates Revealed

Last month, Relic Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios held a closed beta for Age of Empires IV, but it was limited to select players. This weekend, invitations are out the window, as the game's creators are hosting a "technical stress test" designed to test the game's servers. That means that anyone that wants to try the game is free (and encouraged) to do so! With the game's official release date just over a month away, this weekend could give the team the perfect opportunity to see how the servers will hold up.

The Technical Stress Test will begin on September 17th at 10 a.m. PT, lasting through September 20th at 10 a.m. PT. Some fans might be disappointed by the brevity of the test, but there's a specific reason for the finite window: the team wants to get as many people playing in one span as possible.

"One reason we are hosting this event over a single weekend is that we are interested in driving as many people into the Technical Stress Test build as possible during this window to make sure that our matchmaking, lobbies and additional systems hold strong," the game's website reads.

Because of this, the majority of the test's focus will be on the game's multiplayer. There will be some single-player content offered, however. Mission Zero, the game's tutorial, will be available. Players can also battle AI opponents in the game's Multiplayer Custom Lobby. The game's creators have specified that the purpose of this preview is to test out the multiplayer though, so the majority of the focus will be on that. During the test, five maps will be available, as well as four civilizations: the English, the Chinese, the Abbasid Dynasty, and the Holy Roman Empire.

Age of Empires IV is set to release October 28th. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here and information on the game's minimum specs can be found right here.

Are you planning to participate in Age of Empires IV's Technical Stress Test? Did you have the chance to check out the game's beta last month? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!