If the player has teammates, they and the land they visit are visible. When the game starts the exact terrain of the map which includes, the position of the enemy, native tribes, and trade post sites are blacked out. Unlike the other Age of Empires games, this game includes much prominent gunpowder warfare, including artillery and rifle companies. The player starts the game with a Town Center, an Explorer, and several Settlers or only a Covered Wagon and an Explorer depending on the type of game selected.
Age of Empires III follows in the style of the previous games of the series, with the player taking a European colony from a small settlement into a powerful empire. The game is set where Age of Empires II left off with the discovery of the New World and the beginning of colonial times between the 1500s to the year 1850.