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Latest News
Stronghold 4 Demo Released
Posted on 22nd Jun 2026
Ahoy Sirs and Ladies!
A playable demo for Stronghold 4 has been released on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2153760/Stronghold_4/, 10.53 GB size).
This alpha version gives a glimpse into the story of Penryn of Wethel, situated prior to the events of Stronghold 1. SH4 Alpha allows you to play one economic and one military invasion mission, akin to the classic Stronghold 1 presentation with some inspired mechanics from Stronghold 3.
The demo is scheduled to be up approximately one day long after its release (April 24th 16h GMT+0), after which it becomes unavailable to play.
Please note that this public demo does not reflect the ready product and as a result, bugs and unfinished features may occur. Refer to the SH4 megathread for more information about potential features, as well as the Stronghold 4 Steam page for system requirements.
Have fun with the demo!
A Brand New Stronghold Reveal Is Coming This Week!
Posted on 2nd Jun 2026
Hello Everyone!
Firefly has announced that they will be revealing a new Stronghold title at the PC Gaming Show this Sunday.
Date and Time:
- Sunday June 7th at 8pm BST / 9pm CEST / 12pm PDT / 3pm EDT
Announcement Video:
Have fun and let's see what'll be shown on Sunday!
Stronghold 4 Information & Features
General Information
Release date: 2026
Steam demo launch: 23 June 2026
Main Features
- 22 mission story campaign set before the events of the original Stronghold
- Skirmish mode featuring 8 AI opponents
- Skirmish trail
- Free-build mode
Gameplay features
- Grid based construction system as seen in Stronghold Crusader 2 and Warlords
- Honour and rank system like in Stronghold 2
- Lord's kitchen and royal foods (honey, grapes, wine and four different types of meat)
- Houses provide honour and can be upgraded for increased output
- Turnips added as a new basic food type for the general population, replacing meat from previous titles
- Cheese reworked into a multi building production chain (dairy farm to produce milk and cheesemaker to turn milk into cheese)
- Daily random events
- Weather types such as rain and snow
- Stronghold & Crusader style inns rather than a Stronghold 2 ale consumption slider
- Three different religious buildings - shrine, chapel and church
- New weapon types such as short bows and war hammers
- Moats, pitch traps and killing pits
- Stone and wooden versions of the barracks
New and returning units
- Armed Peasants, men at arms, macemen, crossbowmen, pikemen, swordsmen and knights return
- Archer split into two unit types - shortbowman and longbowmen
- Shortbowmen shoot faster and can set pitch on fire
- Longbowmen have greater range but slower rate of fire and are unable to set pitch ablaze
- Sergeant unit armed with war hammers (more information to come)
- Battering rams, catapults, tower mounted ballistae and tunnellers return
Story & Characters
- Set before the events of Stronghold
- The player takes on the role of Penryn of Wethel, a shepherd who rises to become a leader during a time of calamity
- Sir Longarm, Duke de Puce (the Rat) and Duke Beauregard (the Snake) confirmed to return