Build a castle and run the town around it in Stronghold, a series of medieval strategy games. Much of the early game is about gathering the basics, such as stone, iron ore, and food, because building and arming your castle depends on them.
Your townsfolk keep the economy running. Peasants work the jobs that produce goods, and taxes on them bring in the gold you use to run the castle. They also eat, and if taxes run too high or food runs short, they grow unhappy and start leaving, which slows your economy.
Once your town is stable, you can spend gold to turn peasants into soldiers, and those soldiers come from the same people who work your farms and workshops. Soldiers defend your castle against attacks and sieges, or march out to capture enemy castles. Each mission has its own objectives, and campaigns link missions into a story, such as a kingdom that has split apart and needs to be reunited.
The two current versions differ in setting and in what they add. Stronghold: Definitive Edition (released November 7, 2023) is set in medieval England, with the original military and economic campaigns, a new 14-mission campaign, and a Castle Trail of 10 siege scenarios. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition (released July 15, 2025) takes place in the desert during the Crusades, with European, Arab, and new Bedouin troops, AI lords to fight in skirmish mode, historical campaigns, skirmish trails, and co-op and online play. Pick the first for the English story, or the second for the desert Crusades.
- Developer
- Firefly Studios
- Publisher
- Firefly Studios
- Release
- Stronghold: 2001 · Stronghold Crusader: 2002 · Stronghold: Definitive Edition: 2023-11-07 · Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition: 2025-07-15
- Platforms
- Windows PC
Stronghold gameplay tips
- Add workplaces as your town grows. The campfire only holds a limited number of people, so new workplaces, such as woodcutter huts and mills, are what let more people arrive.
- Keep more than one food in stock. In Stronghold Crusader, low food variety pulls popularity down, and popularity below 50 is when peasants start leaving. Stocking several kinds of food keeps your town above that line.
- Plan your farms early. In Stronghold Crusader, farms can only go on oasis grass, and that farmland is limited. Choose your farm spots early, since you are competing for every patch.
- Build wells before enemies bring fire. Fires spread quickly, and a burning building can set nearby people and buildings alight. Wells help against enemies that use fire, so build them before the attacks start.
- Keep your lord out of the front line. The mission is lost if your lord dies. Pull your lord back when enemies close in, so one bad moment doesn't end the mission.
- Practice in Free Build. In Stronghold: Definitive Edition, Free Build is castle building without any objectives. That makes it a safe place to try different layouts without a mission to lose.