Age of Empires 3 "Initialization Failed"

Question

So I found the CD set of Age of Empires 3 in a old box and decided to install it on my Windows 10 laptop. The install went fine nothing wrong there, but when I try to start up AoE it will show a screen that has play, uninstall, website and exit as the options. When I click on play it shows the loading screen and then an error pops up that says Initialization Failed. I tried enabling compatibility mode, but that didn't work so I'm here hoping someone else has had the same issue.

Just as a quick clarification, This is not the Steam version (Age of Empires III: Collections), this is the regular CD version (Age of Empires III).

Answer 1

Age of Empires 3 uses an old Windows feature called DirectPlay which is disabled by default in Windows 10. Here's how to turn it back on:

• Open your Control Panel
• Select Programs & Features
• Select Turn Windows features on or off
• Open the drop-down box labelled Legacy
• Check the box marked DirectPlay
• Save and exit

Hopefully you'll be able to install and play Age of Empires 3 now!