How to Play Custom Maps in Age of Empires 2 HD

Last Updated: October 30, 2022

After playing all the original maps, nothing modifies the AoE2 HD Edition playing experience better than introducing your own maps and scenarios. You can download new world maps and add them to AoE2 HD for a whole new thrilling experience. We'll show you how to play built-in custom maps in Age of Empires 2 HD, and how to add your own downloaded maps to the game.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Playing Inbuilt Custom ES Maps

1
Start a standard game. Inbuilt custom maps are maps created by Ensemble Studios (ES) and come with the game. Just start a AoE2HD Standard game. Once you select “Standard Game” from the menu, the Game Settings will open where you can set up the options for the game you want to play.
- You can play ES custom maps in both single-player games or multiplayer.
2
Choose “Custom” as the Map Style. On the Game Settings panel on the right-hand side of the page, select “Custom” from the Map Style drop-down menu. This will place all available custom maps in the Location menu.

Advertisement
3
Choose the custom map you want to play. On the Location drop-down menu, select the custom map you want to play. By default, only the following ES (Ensemble Studios) custom maps are included:
- ES@Canals_V2.rms
- ES@Metropolis_V2.rms
- ES@Capricious_V2.rms
- ES@Dingos_V2.rms
- ES@Shipwreck_V2.rms
- ES@Graveyards_V2.rms
- ES@Moats_V2.rms
- ES@Paradise_Island_V2.rms
- ES@Pilgrims_v2.rms
- ES@Prairie_V2.rms
- ES@Seasons_V2.rms
- ES@The_Unknown_V2.rms
- ES@Sherwood_Forest_V2.rms
- ES@Sherwood_Heroes_V2.rms
- ES@Team_Glaciers_V2.rms
4
Click “Start Game.” This will launch the game with the custom map you selected, and you can play the game as you would on an original map.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Playing Imported Custom Maps

1
Get the custom maps. AoE2HD custom maps are files of the extension *.rms. These files can be downloaded from the Internet. A couple of sites from where you can get them is IGN’s File Planet or Mod Database^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Also, if your friends have custom maps that you would like to use, ask for a copy of the .rms files from them.
2
Incorporate the custom map into your AoE2HD game. Once you have the custom map files, move the it into the “Random” folder of your AoE2HD installation. The “Random” folder will typically be found here: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II HD.
- To access the “Random” folder on a Mac, open the Applications folder from your Dock and then open the AoE2HD folder. All resource files for the game, including the “Random” folder, are stored therein.
3
Launch Aoe2HD and play the custom maps. Run your AoE2HD game, and on the Game Settings page on any game mode you chose (whether multiplayer or single player), choose “Custom” from under Map Style. Your custom map, which bears the name of the *.rms file you put in the Random folder, will appear in the Location drop-down menu. Select it, and click “Start Game” to play!