Stronghold: Crusader - Definitive Edition

15.07.2025
Gird your loins and sharpen your steel! Besiege 20 unique enemy lords and battle friends online, in this expanded remaster of the classic 'castle sim'. Relive history with new units, AI opponents, visuals, audio, campaigns, skirmish trails, co-op and larger maps.
Witness the struggle of wills between Richard the Lionheart, King of England, and Sultan Saladin, spearhead of the Islamic domain and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Command war-honed crusader warriors as they brave the merciless Arabian sands, then as Saladin lead a mighty army drawn from every corner of the Middle East to repel the invading zealots.

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Parent game

31.07.2002

Stronghold: Crusader is the successor to Firefly Studios's 2001 game Stronghold. Crusader has much in common with the original Stronghold, but differs from its predecessor in the fact that the game is no longer set in a pseudo-Europe, instead being set in the Middle East during the Crusades. The game features a multitude of new Arabian units that can be purchased in a new building, the mercenary post. Though the Arabian troops do not require any weapons to produce, they are rather expensive. The game was also released as Stronghold Warchest. This version was a compendium of Stronghold and an enhanced version of Stronghold: Crusader, containing additional characters and an additional Crusader Trail. Stronghold Warchest was only released in limited number of countries (i. e. USA or Poland), meaning players in the rest of the world have never encountered the second Crusader Trail, or second set of characters. This changed when an updated version of Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold: Crusader Extreme was released in early 2008.

DLCs

14.10.2025

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition’s first DLC, The Canary & The Trader, expands the base game with two additional CPU lords, each with their own distinctive playstyles, as well as an original nine mission Sands of Time trail to truly test the bounds of your strategic skills.

03.02.2026

Raise the portcullis and charge into fray! Witness the onslaught of new DLC content with a new Sands of Time trail, fresh maps, updates and two unique CPU lords to break or bend. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Editions second major DLC adds an AIV Editor, allowing you to forge your own CPU lords!

21.04.2026

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Editions third DLC, Baldwin and Bullseye, bolsters the base game with two further unique CPU lords, each with their own remarkable playstyles, as well as a fresh nine mission Sands of Time trail to stress your strategic abilities and see their true measure!

04.08.2026

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition’s fourth DLC, The Surgeon and Baibars, packs the base game with even more distinctive CPU lords, each with their own novel playstyles and a dastardly new nine mission Sands of Time trail to test your nerve and wits!

Part of collection:
Stronghold (last 3 games)

07.11.2023

Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. Build a castle economy, besiege unforgettable villains and return to the 'castle sim' that started it all. Experience this classic RTS with upgraded visuals, modernised gameplay, Steam multiplayer and a new campaign.

09.03.2021

The next chapter in Firefly Studios' real-time strategy series, Stronghold: Warlords is Firefly's first game to recreate the castle economies of the Far East. In Warlords you take command of Mongol hordes, imperial warriors and samurai clansmen as you lay siege to Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. Besiege historical warlords using new gunpowder-fuelled siege weapons, classic units and a completely new way to play Stronghold.

05.10.2017

Tax, torture or treat your peasants! Rehabilitate criminals or sentence them to death? Decide as you enjoy jousting over a lavish banquet, all while under siege from the warmongering Lord Barclay. The Steam Edition comes with tighter integration with Steam including Steam Achievements, Multiplayer, Trading Cards and Workshop plus some new additions such as new maps, visual enhancements and widescreen support.

Part of collection:
Stronghold: Crusader (last 3 games)

22.09.2014

Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to Stronghold: Crusader, the original 'castle sim'. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the deserts of the Middle East circa 1189, with a new 3D engine and realistic castle destruction powered by Havok Physics. Crusader 2 will recapture the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation. True to its roots this new Stronghold will define old school real time strategy, combining RTS and city builder gameplay. Playing as a brutal Crusader Knight or Arabic freedom fighter, you must use a deadly array of troops and destructive siege equipment to decide the fate of the holy lands. Lead your forces into battle as either Richard the Lionheart or the Sultan of Syria in two historic single-player campaigns, with dynamic events such as tornados and locust swarms. Become the greatest Lord by managing your desert economy and seizing control of vital oases. To dominate the battlefield you will need to command more than 25 unique unit types, mastering their special abilities. Raise morale with the Sergeant at Arms, charge in with the Sassanid Knight, use Archers to launch an arrow volley or scale castle walls with the deadly Assassin. Once your skills have been perfected put them to the test in skirmish mode or take the battle online with up to eight players. Create teams, choose different AI opponents and design your own map in the ultimate skirmish or multiplayer game!

21.10.2013

The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions. Stronghold Crusader HD features several campaigns documenting the First, Second and Third Crusades, as well as conflicts within the individual Crusader states. Battles such as Nicea, Heraclea, siege of Antioch, Krak des Chevaliers and the Siege of Jerusalem all feature, as do the Crusader Trails from the Stronghold Warchest and Stronghold Crusader Extreme.

Could be interesting

09.03.2021

The next chapter in Firefly Studios' real-time strategy series, Stronghold: Warlords is Firefly's first game to recreate the castle economies of the Far East. In Warlords you take command of Mongol hordes, imperial warriors and samurai clansmen as you lay siege to Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. Besiege historical warlords using new gunpowder-fuelled siege weapons, classic units and a completely new way to play Stronghold.

19.06.2025

Broken Arrow is a large-scale real-time modern warfare tactics game. The base game features both the American and Russian factions, more than 100 units and multiple deck specialisations per nation. Broken Arrow brings the genre to a whole new level by combining the complexity of a joint-forces wargame with the typical real-time tactics action-packed gameplay.

11.06.2021

Independently developed by Barbedwire studios, published by Digitalmindsoft. GoH is an RTS/ RTT that portrays WW2. It offers a choice of instantly switchable top- down, third person and first person (for vehicles). SP, PvE, PvP. Dynamic campaigns are available for singleplayer and in co-op.

17.03.2026

Build and manage your own castle settlement in a land reclaimed by wilderness. With detailed management, survival strategy, and a moddable sandbox world, Going Medieval challenges you to build the mightiest colony this side of the apocalypse.

17.04.2012

In the browser game Forge of Empires you can build your own city and experience all of history from its perspective - from the stone age on through the centuries. Explore new technologies that ring in a new era. Leave a mark with unique, contemporary buildings and establish a gigantic metropolis that is unparalleled anywhere. Increase your empire with sophisticated strategic campaigns and skilled actions in Forge of Empires. Create your own world: Forge your Empire! The strategy game Forge of Empires takes you through the different eras - explore new building types and technologies to continue developing your settlement. Meet the challenges of the single-player campaigns until you rule an entire continent, or compete against other players in the multiplayer mode. In the browser game Forge of Empires, dedicate yourself to research and develop more advanced battle units, innovative products and spectacular buildings. Passionate builders will have many opportunities to develop and beautify their cities in this strategy game. Good economic skills are essential in Forge of Empires to finance the growth of your empire with your residents’ tax money. But not everything is peaceful in Forge of Empires. Fight exciting battles, use a variety of units and incorporate the individual features of the terrain in order to win. On the battle field you can either take on the computer or give other players a lesson in battle strategy. Steer the fate of your empire: Forge of Empires!

18.10.2005

In this highly anticipated next installment in the Age of Empires franchise from Ensemble Studios, Age of Empires III places players in the time period of roughly 1500–1850, picking up where Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings left off. As players work to establish their empire, they take on the role of a European power struggling to explore, colonize, and conquer North and South America. Age of Empires III introduces exciting new gameplay elements, including the all-new Home City and an incredible combat system. Players have new civilizations to discover, random maps to conquer, and a single-player campaign unlike any other. Players also find stunning graphics as a result of a revolutionary graphics engine that pushes the limits of PC graphics technology in an entirely new way.

06.12.2022

Choose your kingdom and become the king as you wrestle over control of Europe in this fresh take on medieval real-time grand strategy. Manage provinces, gather armies, initiate diplomacy, and dabble in espionage. The path is open: become the true Sovereign of your people and bring them to glory.

31.10.2007

In this game, you start at the caveman age, then evolve! There are a total of 5 ages, each with its own unique units and turrets. Can you advance faster than your enemy?

13.07.2016

Strategy games have become too stuffy, bogged down with diplomacy, endless repositioning, waiting....ugh, so much waiting. Crush Your Enemies is a RTS distilled down to the basics - foul-mouthed barbarians, gratuitous use of "bollocks," and more chest hair than you can handle.

11.08.2017

Sudden Strike is back! The beloved Real Time Strategy series returns, this time with bigger battlefields, more units, better graphics, new scenarios and legendary commanders with individual abilities – all of which makes Sudden Strike 4 more tactical and realistic than ever before! Developed as a fully-fledged series entry and not a remake or reboot, Sudden Strike 4 sends you off on three extensive campaigns set amongst the battlefields of World War II. Commanding the British and American, German or Soviet troops, you will lead over 100 different units into battle, including the German bomber Heinkel He111, the Russian T-34 tank, the British Hawker Typhoon fighter plane and the notorious German Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger. In a first for the Sudden Strike series, you can now choose from one of nine individual commanders, such as George Patton or Bernard Montgomery, who will each allow for different approaches to combat and boast unique abilities. Prove your tactical expertise in over 20 demanding single player scenarios, the challenge-focused skirmish mode, and the competitive multiplayer mode. A new reward system rewards clever and tactical play, awarding the player with skill points and bonus content, such as historical film footage of the era. Sudden Strike 4 offers countless ways to vanquish your opponents. Exploit the weak spots of tanks, set up an ambush, occupy buildings with infantry, outmanoeuvre the enemy with clever positioning or unleash devastating air strikes – how you approach each mission is up to you!