Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition News

[p]Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition v1.01 Hotfix[/p][p]Date: 17 July 2025[/p][p]Update Size: 2.9 MB[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you to the thousands of you who have purchased Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition. It's been a whirlwind couple of days as you Build, Battle and Besiege, but we've been hard at work collating all your feedback and working on fixes and improvements. This initial hotfix aims to improve the multiplayer experience, by addressing some of the frequent resync messages players have been experiencing.[/p][p][/p][h3]Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition v1.01 Hotfix Notes:[/h3][h3]BUG FIXES & CHANGES[/h3][p]- Various Resync causes fixed[/p][p]- Resync Panel will now appear less frequently[/p][p]- Resync Panel is now smaller[/p][p][/p][p]We've noticed that playing Multiplayer games with the game speed significantly higher than default can cause instability if a players PC cannot sustain that speed. Please keep this in mind when setting multiplayer lobby speeds[/p][p][/p][p]We are also working hard on a full Update 1, and aim to have this with you next week.[/p][p][/p][h2]Thank you for playing Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition![/h2]

[h3]The time is NOW, Sire! The long march is finally over and your forces have finally arrived at our divine destination - Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is out now with a 10% launch discount![/h3][p][/p][h3]--> Behold this glorious love-letter to the golden age of strategy games with a freshly-forged launch trailer
[/h3][carousel][/carousel][p]The fan reception to Stronghold: Definitive Edition in 2023 showed us the hunger in the community for more games that take the cult classic games of the past, leaving the gold while elevating the old. The tremendous outpouring of love has pushed us to make this definitive edition of the fan-favourite Crusader the best it possibly can be, adding more features, fixes and content than anyone could have expected. We can't wait to see how fans take this reimagined classic and make it their own. [/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Every bit of feedback across our demos has helped to inform the final game, allowing us to craft this expanded remaster hand-in-hand with the community. This player-first development focus has helped to shape this into a love letter to the golden age of isometric strategy games, one that will continue after launch with a robust roadmap of updates and DLC.

The fundamental game will feel like an elevated version of the classic experience for returning fans and new players alike. With improvements and expansions to practically every core feature and beyond: reworked visuals, higher fidelity audio, new units, new AI Lords, new modes, 10k units cap, co-op, new missions, larger-than-ever maps, 8-player Steam multiplayer, Steam Workshop support, QoL improvements and more![/p][p][/p][p]Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is the culmination of almost a quarter century of development experience, fan support and technological advancements. Better-looking, smoother-running and bigger in all ways possible, Stronghold Crusader: DE is the ultimate way to take a trip down memory lane.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Critical Reception[/h3][p]Inverse (9/10) -- "This Definitive Edition is a genuinely massive update that improves the game in a handful of crucial ways. It’s taken one of the best castle builders of all time and transformed it into something truly definitive."[/p][p][/p][p]Finger Guns (9/10) -- "Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition sets a gold standard of what should be expected of remasters."[/p][p][/p][p]4Players (8.5/10) -- "Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition offers the core of the RTS masterpiece in a beautiful, fluid, and improved form."[/p][p][/p][h2]Stronghold Crusader DE is out NOW on Steam with a 10% launch discount![/h2][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Seen a bug? Got feedback? Please submit issues both large and small through the Firefly Studios support site. Between this and our planned post-launch roadmap we are dedicated to fixing any significant issues players are having and the more reports we get the faster and more effectively we can do that :)[/p][p]
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This game was one of FireFly Studios’ first games to introduce me to the concept of strategy, RTS games. Without Stronghold: Crusader and Rome: Total War, I would not be as into the Civilization or Europa Universalis games as I am today. With this new take, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition expands on the original game. FireFly Studios streamlines the classic 2002 strategy RTS game in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition.  

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition features eight new playable units, four fresh AI lords to face off against, and several additional campaigns. Play alone in two new historical campaigns and four Sands of Time skirmish trails or team up with a friend in the all-new co-op trail. Back in my day, co-op wasn’t a thing yet for this game! Players can also go head-to-head with eight-player online multiplayer, competing to see who is the best strategist. 

Players can also dive into skirmish mode with the addition of player-requested features,... Read more

[h3]Greetings Sire! We know there's still plenty of people who still have questions about Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition, so here’s a recap of everything you need to know about Stronghold Crusader DE – what it is, what it offers and what it doesn’t.[/h3][p]
What is Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition?
Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is an expanded remaster of the original 2002 ‘castle sim’ Stronghold Crusader from Firefly Studios. Overhauled by the original game’s veteran developers, this new definitive edition features remastered artwork, animations and music, in addition fresh gameplay content, returning voice actors and many fan-requested improvements including larger maps. Improved with new playable units, characters, campaigns and more, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is the ultimate way to play this classic RTS. [/p][p][/p][p]Will it have a skirmish?
Yes. Skirmish was introduced to the series in the original Stronghold Crusader (it was never in the first Stronghold game), so it naturally comes with Crusader DE.[/p][p][/p][p]Can we finally play via Steam directly, without GameRanger?
That’s right! Just like with Stronghold: DE, you can now besiege up to 8 friends and rivals via Steam multiplayer.[/p][p][/p][p]What makes it different to Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)?
The 2012 HD version is simply the original with a slight HD visual uplift in order to make it better playable on Steam (which launched after the game was already released) and to add compatibility with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10. It didn’t have any additional content or features.[/p][p]Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition elevates the original in practically every way. On top of rebuilt visuals and high fidelity audio, it has all the Crusader Extreme content as well as numerous modern updates. This means at launch you can expect a 10k unit cap, 800x800 maps (4 times bigger than base), a new co-op, 8 new units types, new 4 Lords, new modes, new campaigns, ultrawide support and more![/p][p][/p][p]What is going to be the launch price of Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition?
$19.99, €19.99 and £16.99. [/p][p][/p][p]What languages are available?
We’re providing support for 20 languages, more than the series has ever had. Depending on the language, this support may range from interface and subtitles to full audio. Languages that include both audio and text will be English, German, Polish, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Hungarian.

Then we will have text-only translations for Arabic, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Korean, Ukrainian, Turkish, Japanese, Swedish and Thai.[/p][p][/p][p]Will SHC: DE be an add-on to Stronghold: Definitive Edition (2023)?
No, Stronghold Crusader: DE is a completely new fully fledged title, combining the core Crusader formula with new gameplay content, fan-requested quality of life changes and key updates all enhanced by new art and animations. So just as Stronghold: Definitive Edition elevated the original Stronghold 2001 experience, Stronghold Crusader: DE stands on its own feet. [/p][p][/p][p]Are you still working on Stronghold Unreal?
Yes, we are! Firefly is still actively engaged in developing Stronghold Unreal. With new ideas, new talent and new technology, it is our biggest undertaking yet and one that we can’t wait to share with you when we’re ready.[/p][p][/p][p]What can be expected after launch?
Alongside community driven features coming at launch, which include new buildings and increased unit caps, Firefly has created a robust post-release plan so that players who have conquered the main game but want more have plenty to look forward to in the form of two free updates will be released alongside a paid DLC each.[/p][p]The first free Autumn Update will feature a series-first economic campaign and a brand new CPU commander (AI Lord) as well as three new maps - one for skirmish, another in Free Build mode and a balanced multiplayer map. The economic campaign will challenge players to complete a series of economic objectives across five missions, leaning heavily into the city builder gameplay mechanics of the castle sim series. The new Lord can meanwhile be played as friend or foe, selectable in the game’s offline skirmish and online multiplayer modes as an opponent or ally. [/p][p]Following this, the game’s second free Winter Update will add perhaps the most requested feature by players so far... the ability to customise CPU opponents, castles and campaigns! Create the fierce rivals or stalwart allies of your dreams (or nightmares), design their defences and then place all of this into custom mission scenarios created by the community. The Winter Update also continues our community-first trend with the addition of a second co-op campaign of missions as well as a new pack of three maps being added to the overall pool, keeping things fresh for players after launch.[/p][p]Alongside these updates, we’ll be releasing a pair of paid DLCs, which in Stronghold tradition, will each introduce two new CPU opponents and a new series of challenging missions (Stronghold fans know this as a ‘skirmish trail’). This would bring the number of CPU characters in the game to a total of 25![/p][p][/p][h3]We hope this answers the main questions you had about Stronghold Crusader DE. For even more details about what's in the game, please check out our YouTube Channel and socials.[/h3][p][/p][h2]Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition launches in one week on July 15th. Wishlist it now to be informed as soon as it's live![/h2][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p][/p]