head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is reads, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Mind & Math
An RTS where Greek, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons lend myth units and god powers to war.

Optimization · Mind & Math
Age-spanning RTS where city caps, territory borders, and tech-age races combine economics with military pressure.
Age of Mythology leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Rise of Nations leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Age of Mythology
Standard RTS micro demands
Rise of Nations
Rare great-wonder timing and military grouping need some precision
Rise of Nations leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Age of Mythology
Human opponents and god-power timing bluffs
Rise of Nations
Opponent nation pick and age-rush timing must be predicted
Age of Mythology leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Age of Mythology
Fog of war and random maps
Rise of Nations
Map resource placement and wonder race timing add moderate uncertainty
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Age of Mythology
God choices and favor economy reward planning
Rise of Nations
Territory cap optimization and age-advancement sequencing are deeply solvable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.