Microsoft's next stress test for Age of Empires 4, in which it sees just how many people it can throw at the game before breaking it, finally has a date. From 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on September 17 and until September 20, you'll be able to grab the game from its Steam page or the Xbox Insider app.
Provided that your PC can meet the moderate minimum requirements for the real-time strategy title, the goal behind this weekend's test is to ensure that matchmaking, lobbies, and additional systems can hold up when the full game launches.
Age of Empires 4 will automatically check your PC to see if it can handle its visuals, and will assign graphics settings based on what it finds. Much like last week's stress test, the content on offer will include a tutorial mission, AI skirmishes, and a chance to throw down with real people in multiplayer.
Other changes from last month's closed beta are various bug fixes, more balancing of the English and Chinese civilizations, and changes to camera distance, as the maximum distance that the camera can zoom out has been tweaked to provide more visibility.
There won't be any Non-Disclosure Agreements to adhere to either so that fans are able to invite and play with their friends without needing to follow extra steps to do so.
Age of Empires 4 launches on October 28 on PC via Steam, the Windows Store, and through Xbox Game Pass. Developed by Relic Entertainment and World's Edge, Age of Empires puts you in the center of several historical eras from the Dark Ages up to the Renaissance and plays out across 35 missions over five centuries of conflict and war elephants.