Following the August 19, 2019 release of Age of Empires: Definitive Edition on Steam, existing owners of Age of Empires: Definitive Edition on the Microsoft Store need to download a new game client in order to enjoy all the benefits of cross-network play. This is a completely free upgrade for anyone who already has the game in their Microsoft Store library.
If you see a GREY client image, you are running the OLD game client.
To download the new game client, follow the steps below:
- Open the Microsoft Store. You can do this by pressing the Windows key and then typing ‘Store.’
- Search for Age of Empires: Definitive Edition.
- Click on the Age of Empires: Definitive Edition tile to enter the store page.
- Click Get. The game should be automatically added to your library.
- Click Install to begin downloading the game.
You may safely remove the old client at any point during the process to free up space; your progress will still transfer even if you’ve removed the old client.
Other details about this update can be found in the official forums:
Stuck on AoE:DE Build 27674? Upgrade to the latest client! (Windows Store)