Rise of Empires is divided into three eras. Each era consists of two game turns. The core of the game is the Action Display where players conduct various actions during a turn. The first turn in an era is called the A turn, the second one the B turn. In a way, the B turn is a mirror image of the A turn.
The aim of the game is to have the most victory points at the end. Victory points are scored by building cities, by having an empire, and by trading goods.