Age of Empires 3 is an incredibly popular real-time strategy game developed by Microsoft Corporation’s Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It has been around since 2005 and provides players with an immersive experience that can last many hours.
Unfortunately, some players have experienced errors when trying to launch the game, specifically the message “failed to contact key server”. While this can be extremely frustrating, it is possible to fix the problem and get back to playing the game. Here’s how:
Age of Empires 3 "Failed to Contact Key Server Problem" Message: 3 Surefire Fixes
If you’ve been receiving this error, you should first check your internet connection. Make sure that your router is working correctly, and that you have a stable connection.
If everything is in working order, then you can try the following steps to fix the problem.
Fix #1: Troubleshoot Firewall Settings
It is possible that one of your firewall settings [1] is blocking the game from connecting to the server.
To troubleshoot this, you should disable any antivirus or firewall programs that you have installed on your computer and try to launch the game again.
Fix #2: Make Sure You Are Using the Correct Version of Age of Empires 3
If you are still receiving the error after disabling your firewall, it is possible that you are using the wrong version of Age of Empires 3. Make sure that you are running the latest version of the game, as older versions may be incompatible with the key server.
If you are unsure which version you are running, you can check the version information in the game’s main menu.
Fix #3: Disable Background Applications
If you are still receiving the “failed to contact key server” error on Age of Empires 3, then it is possible that other applications running in the background are causing the issue.
To make sure that these applications are not interfering with the game, you should disable any unnecessary applications or programs.
You can do this by opening the Task Manager, selecting the processes tab, and disabling any applications that you don’t need.
Conclusion
If you have been receiving the “failed to contact key server” error on Age of Empires 3, the above steps should help you to fix the issue. The likely culprit for this issue may be your internet connection or firewall settings.
If you are still having problems, you should contact Microsoft support for further assistance.
