1.0·Every feature free until Premium arrives in October
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition vs Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III is the more played game right now: 18,218 players on Steam against 17,520 for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, a similar number of players. Crusader Kings III has been ahead for 11 days straight, and has led on 103 days of the 136 days Coilr has tracked both games.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition counters with better Steam reviews: 95% positive vs 90%. Crusader Kings III is currently 70% off on Steam. Across all tracked metrics, Crusader Kings III leads 5 of 9.
Players over time
Live Steam player counts, read every 10 minutes. Both are Strategy games.
Which one have you played more?
Coilr members average 37.1h in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and 191h in Crusader Kings III. Connect your Steam account and this row fills in with your own hours instead — then keeps tracking both, so you can see which one you are actually still playing.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
37.1h
average of 31 members
Crusader Kings III
191h
average of 47 members
See my hours in both
Free · read-only via Steam OpenID · no password · delete anytime
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
18,222Crusader Kings III
20,937Daily averages · latest day · Crusader Kings III, 15% ahead of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
One point per day, averaged · Your time zone · drag or use arrow keys to read the lines
Tracked by Coilr since April 2026 · Read every 10 minutes · methodology
These are Steam players only. A game that also runs on its own launcher, a storefront of its own or on console has players this number cannot see, so read it as a comparison of Steam audiences rather than of total ones.
Head-to-head record
Crusader Kings III has had the higher daily player count for the last 11 days. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition last led on Sep 29, 2026.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition led 33 daysCrusader Kings III led 103 days
- Days tracked
- 136
- Current streak
- 11 days
- Crusader Kings III
- Lead changes
- 5
- Closest gap
- <1%
- Jun 24, 2026
How this works: each game's daily average concurrent players (from Coilr's own Steam readings), compared on the 136 days where both games have data. Whichever averages higher leads that day.
Side by side
Every number Coilr has for both games. The better figure in each row is in green.
| Metric | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | Crusader Kings III |
|---|---|---|
| Players right now | 17,520 | 18,218 |
| 24-hour peak | 24,186 | 28,146 |
| 7-day average | 18,638 | 22,194 |
| 30-day average | 18,097 | 18,566 |
| 30-day trend | +7% | −9% |
| Peak (tracked) | 30,474 | 35,940 |
| Steam reviews | 95% positive | 90% positive |
| Recent reviews (3 mo) | 93% positive | 21% positive |
| Total reviews | 182,989 | 142,484 |
| Owners (SteamSpy est.) | ~2,000,000 | ~2,000,000 |
| Release date | Nov 14, 2019 | Sep 1, 2020 |
| Price | $34.99 | $14.99 (−70%) |
Players by month
Monthly average and peak concurrent players on Steam, from Coilr's own tracking (readings every few minutes for the biggest games, hourly averages beyond 30 days).
| Month | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | Crusader Kings III | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | Peak | Avg | Peak | |
| Apr 2026 | 19,728 | 20,903 | — | — |
| May 2026 | 19,237 | 26,937 | 18,238 | 25,816 |
| Jun 2026 | 17,533 | 28,327 | 16,745 | 27,303 |
| Jul 2026 | 16,903 | 26,598 | 19,498 | 29,912 |
| Aug 2026 | 17,083 | 26,525 | 20,878 | 33,017 |
| Sep 2026 | 17,560 | 30,474 | 17,538 | 28,486 |
| Oct 2026 (so far) | 18,470 | 29,276 | 21,927 | 35,940 |
Frequently asked
Which has more players, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition or Crusader Kings III?
Crusader Kings III currently has more players: 18,218 concurrent players on Steam vs 17,520 for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, a similar number of players.
Is Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition bigger than Crusader Kings III on Steam?
Over the last 30 days Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition averaged 18,097 concurrent players and Crusader Kings III averaged 18,566. By that measure Crusader Kings III is currently the bigger game.
Has Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition ever had more players than Crusader Kings III?
Yes. Across the 136 days Coilr has tracked both games, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition had the higher daily average on 33 days, most recently on Sep 29, 2026. Crusader Kings III has led for the last 11 days.
Is Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition better than Crusader Kings III?
By Steam review score, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition rates higher: 95% positive across 182,989 reviews vs 90% across 142,484 for Crusader Kings III. Crusader Kings III has the larger player base right now (18,218 vs 17,520 concurrent). Player counts, ratings, price and trend are compared side by side above.
Is Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition growing or declining on Steam?
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition averaged 18,097 concurrent players over the last 30 days, up 7% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 30,474.
Is Crusader Kings III growing or declining on Steam?
Crusader Kings III averaged 18,566 concurrent players over the last 30 days, down 9% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 35,940.
More comparisons
Crusader Kings III vs Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
18K vs 22K playing
Crusader Kings III vs Hearts of Iron IV
18K vs 24K playing
Crusader Kings III vs Total War: WARHAMMER III
18K vs 38K playing
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition vs Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
18K vs 22K playing
Crusader Kings III vs Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
18K vs 16K playing
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition vs Factorio
18K vs 13K playing
Crusader Kings III vs Sid Meier's Civilization® V
18K vs 12K playing
Crusader Kings III vs Stellaris
18K vs 10K playing