Age of War — Play Free Online

What is Age of War?

Age of War is a side-scrolling base defense strategy game created by independent developer Louissi. Originally launched in 2007 as a web classic, the game pits two opposing strongholds against each other across five distinct evolutionary periods. You manage resource collection, train infantry and ranged units, reinforce your fortress with defensive turrets, and unleash destructive special attacks to shatter the enemy base. The title runs directly in your web browser with no download required, offering instant strategic warfare from the Stone Age all the way to futuristic hovercraft conflicts.

Key features

• Evolutionary progression: Earn experience in combat to advance across 5 historical periods from primal cavemen to futuristic hover tanks.
• Base fortifications: Construct and upgrade stationary turrets on your stronghold roof to repel aggressive pushes.
• Dual resource management: Balance gold income for immediate unit deployment against long-term experience accumulation for technological advancement.
• Special powers: Trigger emergency area-of-effect abilities, including falling meteor strikes and orbital artillery bombardments.
• Diverse unit rosters: Command melee brawlers, ranged attackers, cavalry, and armored vehicles tailored to each specific era.
• Instant browser access: Play smoothly on modern desktop and mobile browsers without plugins or downloads.

How to play

1. Deploy starter units: Spend your initial gold reserve to spawn basic melee fighters and establish control along the battlefield.
2. Defend your home base: Add turret slots to your stronghold and mount projectile launchers to protect against incoming assaults.
3. Accumulate combat experience: Eliminate hostile forces to fill your progression meter and unlock advanced eras.
4. Upgrade your era: Trigger technological evolution to access stronger troops, deadlier turrets, and upgraded special powers.
5. Destroy the enemy headquarters: Overwhelm the opposing fortifications with a decisive army push to win the match.

Controls

Action	Keyboard / mouse	Touch
Select and train units	Left mouse click on unit icons	Tap unit icons
Construct turrets	Left mouse click on turret menu	Tap turret menu
Activate special power	Left mouse click on ability icon	Tap ability icon
Evolve to next era	Left mouse click on evolution button	Tap evolution button
Pan battlefield camera	Move mouse cursor to screen borders	Drag across screen

Combat economy and evolution mechanics

Success in Age of War requires balancing two critical resources: gold and experience. Gold is earned steadily by eliminating hostile units and is spent immediately on spawning reinforcements, building turret slots, or buying defensive cannons. Because stronger units demand higher gold investments, overspending early on expensive troops can leave your base vulnerable if they are overwhelmed.

Experience points accumulate exclusively from defeating enemy soldiers. Unlike gold, experience is not spent; once you reach the milestone for the next era, clicking the evolution star upgrades your stronghold, replaces your unit roster with advanced equivalents, and unlocks a devastating era-specific super attack. Timing your evolution is essential, as advancing too quickly without adequate base defenses can leave you short on gold when high-tier enemy waves arrive.

Tips and strategy

• Invest in turret defense first: Building a sturdy turret early lets your base eliminate enemy scouts without draining gold on sacrificial infantry.
• Time your special attacks carefully: Reserve your emergency bombardment for massive hostile swarms that threaten your base, rather than wasting it on lone targets.
• Support melee units with ranged firepower: Pair sturdy front-line defenders with archers or gunners positioned directly behind them to maximize damage output.
• Do not rush evolution blindly: Ensure your bank balance can support the higher training costs of new units before advancing to the next period.
• Sell outdated turrets when evolving: Clear older defensive emplacements to make room for stronger modern cannons that match incoming enemy armor.

The five evolutionary eras

Stone Age

The opening phase features primal warfare where cavemen armed with wooden clubs, rock slingers, and dinosaur riders clash near simple stone caves.

Castle Age

Medieval combat introduces armored knights, swordsmen, and archers supported by stone catapult emplacements atop fortified castle walls.

Renaissance Age

Early gunpowder warfare brings musketeers, dueling skirmishers, and heavy cannon batteries capable of breaking fortified defensive lines.

Modern Age

Industrial combat unleashes automatic infantry, rocket squads, battle tanks, and artillery strikes that deal heavy splash damage across the lane.

Future Age

The ultimate era delivers futuristic hover tanks, cybernetic combat units, laser turrets, and orbital superweapons to decide the final battle.

Similar games on Retro Bowl

While Age of War delivers side-scrolling base defense warfare, Retro Bowl offers a varied lineup of tactical and action titles in the same browser library:

• Retro Bowl: A retro football simulation combining franchise management, offensive playcalling, and passing execution.
• Retro Bowl College: College-themed gridiron action focusing on dynamic recruitment, team rebuilding, and bowl tournament runs.
• Linebacker Alley 2: An arcade evasion runner where you dodge tacklers and sprint downfield toward the goal line.

Developer and history

Age of War was created by indie developer Louissi and originally published in October 2007 during the golden era of browser gaming. Its blend of strategic base fortification, tug-of-war tugging mechanics, and memorable soundtrack made it an enduring classic. The game was updated for modern web standards in 2017 and 2018, preserving its original five-era campaign for HTML5 web browsers.