Apple Silicon
Native ARM64 · custom Metal presentation
Current beta platformA new horizon for real-time strategy
Built for the future.
A fondness
for the past.
Azimuth Engine X (AEX) is a ground-up RTS engine built for new games, ambitious mods and fresh ideas across operating systems and ARM and x86 processors.
Our fondness for Total Annihilation brings the classic game and its mods into that vision—celebrating its legacy while opening the door to what comes next.
Official October 2026 footage. TA and mod content shown are not included with AEX.
Built across platforms
Your machine.
The same ambition.
Multiple operating systems. ARM and x86. Cross-platform play has been part of AEX’s design from the beginning.
We take care with how the game looks, feels and responds on every supported OS—including custom Metal presentation on macOS. Responsive controls and careful frame delivery matter wherever you play.
x86-64
Native Windows · play together with macOS
Current beta platformOn the horizon
Part of AEX’s cross-platform direction
Coming soonPlatform availability above describes the engine beta. See hardware guidance for your setup.
The view from command
See the battle.
Command the whole map.
Your economy, build choices and orders belong in view. The Tactical Command interface brings them together, from your first structure to a battlefield full of units.
Tactical Overview · October 31, 2026. View full screenshot · Selected units & ranges
Zoom out. Stay in command.
Tactical Overview turns the whole battlefield into readable unit icons. Select units, issue orders and place buildings from the wider view.
Make the controls yours.
Choose classic TA or standard RTS mouse controls, customize hotkeys, use camera bookmarks and keep track of your control groups.
Build with fewer clicks.
Anchor a line of buildings, choose its angle and adjust the spacing. Open the unit catalogue to explore what builds what.
X-Gate / the AEX community
Your next battle
starts with people.
Find open games, watch live battles and meet players in shared community chat. X-Gate connects AEX and the web, so your community is there before you enter the lobby.
Enter X-Gate- Players in AEX
- —
- Battles in progress
- —
- X-Gate accounts
- —
The player count reflects active game connections. Account totals are approximate and refresh about every six hours.
Find your game
Browse open and live games, filter for the games you have installed, then join or watch.
Bring your friends
Share a game link or code. Host a public, code-only or invite-only room and decide who can join.
Stay connected
Keep up with friends, see who is in a lobby or a match, and chat across the game and the web.
Multiplayer, considered
Set up together.
Keep the battle going.
Sixteen seats in the AEX lobby. Readable map previews. Starting positions you can plan together. A good match starts before the first order.
Explore multiplayer features
Current lobby · AEX v0.2.29+3965 · October 31, 2026
- A place for every commanderChoose sides, teams, starting resources and commander positions. Set team regions and bring in computer opponents.
- Rejoin after a dropped connectionThe match can pause while a player reconnects and returns to their seat.
- Recovery when the host dropsEligible game-code matches can move to an available hosted relay. Plain LAN and direct-IP matches do not use host migration.
Games & mods
Less setup.
More time playing.
Bring your existing TA collection, install supported hosted mods, or add a single AEX mod package. Your games live together in AEX’s Game Data library.
- 01
Find a battle
X-Gate shows the game a match is running and helps you find games you can play.
- 02
Get the right content
Already installed? Switch and join. If the required mod is hosted by AEX, the game offers its download.
- 03
Meet in the lobby
AEX checks the required game content and explains mismatches before the battle begins.
Your collection, welcome
Use original TA archives and mod folders without converting them. Add ZIP or RAR mod archives through Game Data. Your original installation stays untouched.
One file to share
An .aexmod package carries a mod in one file. AEX checks package content when players join, so a matching name is not mistaken for a matching copy.
Hosted and credited
Supported hosted content includes TA Escalation and the TA Features 2013 map-content pack. See the current catalogue in AEX; downloads require a licensed tester build.
More places to play
Find your next
battlefield.
Add maps to your shared collection and refresh the map list without restarting. Missing the host’s map? AEX can transfer it in the lobby and offer supported feature-pack downloads when needed.
See current map supportA fondness for the past
The games that
stay with us.
Total Annihilation has a special place here. AEX reads its original content and keeps TA behavior as the default, with optional AEX enhancements you can choose individually.
Play skirmishes and supported campaigns, explore familiar mods and revisit your battles. TA fidelity and mod compatibility remain active work, with the details kept visible.
Compatibility & development statusPlay the campaigns
Mission selection, briefings and saved progress are implemented. Full mission-by-mission validation continues.
Revisit the battle
Replay matches with speed controls, a free camera and player perspectives. Compatibility details are shown in game.
Share your view
Record native-resolution gameplay with audio, up to 4K, with configurable 30 or 60 fps capture.
You need your own TA game data and any required mods. TA content is not bundled with AEX.
For the next generation of creators
Make what
comes next.
AEX is built to be a home for many kinds of RTS games. Original-game support and creator tools are growing alongside the engine, giving new ideas room to become playable worlds.
AEX Studio
Map and native unit authoring in the engine that plays them. Shape terrain, place scenery, configure starting positions and playtest your project, with persistent edits and undo/redo.
Studio is not yet a public download. The complete creation and export workflow remains in development.
Follow development status
AEX Unit Editor
A separate desktop tool for TA units: work with models, BOS/COB scripts, textures and build pictures, preview weapons and animations, and check a mod for content problems.
macOS Apple Silicon · Windows x64
Download Unit EditorTake a seat at command
Be part of
what’s next.
The AEX engine is in beta testing. A tester licence is required; a beta code lets you join through the tester download page. Visit the community for access information and development news.
Tester downloads & beta signup Join the Discord communityExplore X-Gate
AEX is proprietary software. It is not open source.