A Brand New Stronghold Reveal Is Coming This Week!

[Sir Windows 75]

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:

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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
• Lord Woolsack, pig and wolf hinted at as returning

[EaglePrince 261]

They announced Stronghold 4 this evening. Seems exciting!

I'm not sure, from the trailer, it feels like the old Stronghold with Stronghold Crusader 2 & Stronghold Warlords engine?

Disappointing if that would mean no moats in the new Stronghold, although I like the idea of going back to the original theme. They especially need to get back to it because of Stronghold 3, which they messed up.

Also, my guess is that we won't have a unit collision.

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[Sir Windows 75]

So far it looks like they took inspiration from SH2. The honour system, the lord's kitchen, treasury and ranks are all back. No gong, rats or crime by the looks of it though.

Also, unit collision is in! I believe it was in warlords as well but not sure any more. Hopefully moats are going to come back as well. 

There's going to be a steam demo on June 23. 

Sir Longarm, the rat and snake confirmed to be returning characters. I guess the pig and wolf are going to show up as well. Looks pretty exciting so far, especially since it's the first Stronghold set in Europe with a skirmish mode in twenty years (hard to believe SHL came out so long ago).

[Lady Ivonne 9]

 

From what I have seen in the various Stronghold 4 video previews, the game looks more like a refined continuation of Stronghold 3’s design philosophy, which itself built on Stronghold 1’s roots but with a full 3D presentation.

Stronghold 4 appears to carry forward features from Stronghold 3 such as dynamic weather changes, along with the honour system that was first introduced in Stronghold 2. It is also worth noting that Stronghold 3, Stronghold Crusader 2, and Stronghold Warlords all share the same Vision engine, which underpins their common technical foundation.

However, some of Stronghold 2’s distinctive mechanics have not been shown in previews so far — like gong and rat management, and immersive cutaway views of castle life such as feasts, dances, and activities in tower interiors.

That suggests fans of the Stronghold series will find the familiar castle‑building and warfare foundation intact, while Stronghold 2 fans will be especially attuned to whether the castle‑life simulation elements they valued make a return in Stronghold 4. If those features do reappear, Stronghold 4 could blend the best of both traditions; if not, Stronghold 2 remains a rich experience for those who enjoy exploring castle life in depth — something I have continued to chronicle through my own castle project (blog).

Edited June 8 by Lady Ivonne

[EaglePrince 261]

Well, if they removed gong, rats, and crime, most players would like that change. Even most of those who like Stronghold 2, in my opinion. That would be like taking the best from both games.

I'm looking forward to this new Stronghold.

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[Lady Ivonne 9]

@ EaglePrince  I like your optimism about Stronghold 4 focusing on the series’ strengths.

Stronghold 2 gave us a wide spectrum of mechanics — some loved for immersion, others debated as chores, hence different fans valued different parts of that spectrum.

My ultimate hope is that Stronghold 4 carries forward all of Stronghold 2’s traditions, but adapts them in ways that respect player preference. That could mean letting players toggle systems on or off based on which they valued, or redesigning divisive mechanics like gong and rat management into more streamlined or automated versions.

Either way, the goal is to retain immersion without forcing what is not valued onto players. If Stronghold 4 achieves this flexibility, it really could blend all of both traditions.

[Sir Windows 75]

Being able to look inside the keep would certainly be nice. Hopefully it'll get added later on as from the previews it's possible to look into the treasury and watch the clerk count coins like in SH2. Not sure about the kitchen, but I'd assume it's the same.

[EaglePrince 261]

I am indeed optimistic. If they are going to use the same engine as for SHC2 and SH Warlords, then my guess is that they learned from all their mistakes. They made SHC after gaining experience from SH1, and now they do it after gaining experience from SHC2 and SHW. Fingers crossed![emoji1696]

@Lady Ivonne I think that players liked that additional stuff that would reward you, like the lord's kitchen, clothes, candles for church, etc. On the other hand, crime, rats, and gong are there only to punish you; you need to dedicate some place and resources inside your castle for cleaning those, and you can't ever count on having the popularity impact of those three consistently at +0.

I can defend those three "baddies", since, once you build them, they just do their job. And you simply don't dedicate some +2 of your positive popularity impact on covering a few rats, criminals, and gongs now and then, which in the end costs you stiker gold. But that's how you do it if you want to focus on fighting just in Crusader.

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[Isaiah 32]

On 07/06/2026 at 17:31, EaglePrince said:

 

Disappointing if that would mean no moats in the new Stronghold, although I like the idea of going back to the original theme. 

 

The steam page does mention moats, so I imagine they will be in there. It looks pretty cool, but I'll probably wait and see before trying.

[Lady Ivonne 9]

@ EaglePrince  I do understand your perspective — I came from the same RTS background, with games like Ancient Art of War (1984), Age of Empires II (1999), Stronghold (2001) and Stronghold: Crusader (2002). So I know what you mean about wanting mechanics that support competition and tactical fighting without too much distraction from upkeep.

That said, the Stronghold series has always attracted more than one type of player. Over time I have become a hybrid player, also enjoying the base-building side in games like Stronghold 2 (2005) and Manor Lords (2024), where creativity and optimised castle life are just as rewarding.

It is worth remembering that the Stronghold series deliberately caters to different playstyles:

• Combat / war campaigns, missions and skirmish mode for players who thrive on RTS military victories.

• Economic / sim campaigns, missions and free-build mode for those who enjoy base-building castle design.

The challenge is not about striking a middle ground, but about ensuring both sides are fully supported without compromise. Stronghold: Warlords (2021) showed what happens when the balance slips — some RTS players felt restricted by its slow military buildup, while some builders found its stripped-down castle systems shallow. I even gave up blogging about a castle in Stronghold: Warlords because the mechanics did not sustain creative play.

So while your concern about balancing “reward” vs “punishment” mechanics is valid from the RTS angle, there are also players who enjoy managing those systems as part of their castle-building creativity. The beauty of the Stronghold series is that it has always tried to serve both groups — and I think Stronghold 4 will shine most if it fully commits to serving both sides.

Edited June 12 by Lady Ivonne

[EaglePrince 261]

I agree with your point @ Lady Ivonne , however, I just don't think that we love Stronghold 2 because of cleaning gong, catching rats and capturing criminals; but because of all the other stuff about the castle life that we displayed in detail.

I mean, I'm just a messenger. I like Stronghold 2 the way it is, together with the rats, gong, and criminals - I'd usually tell people "just build everything you need for that, and you won't need to think about that at all". Even if you start playing with a small amount of gold, you don't need to take care of any of that in the beginning; it starts showing up as you make your promotions. That makes it even easier.

That being said, I'm pretty sure SH2 would be as successful game as it was with or without gong, rats, and crime.

I also like what you wrote about SHW. I haven't played it enough, but I had a similar feeling.

Another story about crime in SH2. When I was a kid, and got SH2, I didn't have internet, and I was stuck with a version (1.2 I think) where there was a bug with the courthouse: it would become full of criminals, who would still be causing a large negative popularity effect for the rest of the game. I didn't know about later patches that fixed the bug, but I had kept playing anyway.😄 

[Lady Ivonne 9]

@ EaglePrince  Absolutely — Stronghold 2’s immersion in castle life was the real magic, with gong, rats, and crime just adding flavor!

Hoping Stronghold 4 at least carries that spirit forward...

[EaglePrince 261]

3 hours ago, EaglePrince said:

Another story about crime in SH2. When I was a kid, and got SH2, I didn't have internet, and I was stuck with a version (1.2 I think) where there was a bug with the courthouse: it would become full of criminals, who would still be causing a large negative popularity effect for the rest of the game. I didn't know about later patches that fixed the bug, but I had kept playing anyway.😄 

One perk of that bug was that, once the guards catch some number of criminals, no more peasants would turn to crime. I think the maximum number of criminals was 7. Then I would delete those workplaces, build them again, and from then on everything would run smoothly - no other workers would surprise me by turning to crime. (I'd just continue playing as if I had seven workers fewer, and with that negative popularity effect I already mentioned.)

Well, it is an interesting thing with Stronghold 2 - you could build an expensive blacksmiths workshop, then wait for the first sword, and then the blacksmith turns to crime. When the universe is just not on your side!😀

Anyway, I was happy to find out about the patch!😇

And now, I'm looking forward to see how Stronghold 4 is going to turn out.

[Sir Windows 75]

15 hours ago, Isaiah said:

The steam page does mention moats, so I imagine they will be in there. It looks pretty cool, but I'll probably wait and see before trying.

Good catch! The same section also mentions that tunnelers are back as well.

[EaglePrince 261]

That sounds amazing!

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[Sir Windows 75]

I've got to wonder if the mercenary camp will make a comeback. It's been absent from the demos and I don't believe it's mentioned anywhere in the previews.

Hopefully Firefly didn't decide to cut it. With the game set on the British Isles again there's potential for Irish, Welsh, Viking or Scottish mercenaries for sure.

[EaglePrince 261]

I agree, although, if it's a SH1 prequel, and SH1 doesn't have any of those...

However, maybe they plan to add that within a DLC.[emoji14]

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[Sir Windows 75]

@ EaglePrince  @ Lady Ivonne  by the way coming back to the castle life topic. 

Apparently the kitchen and feasts inside the keep will be animated after all. The current demo is simply missing the animations. 

[Lady Ivonne 9]

14 hours ago, Sir Windows said:

@ EaglePrince  @ Lady Ivonne  by the way coming back to the castle life topic. 

Apparently the kitchen and feasts inside the keep will be animated after all. The current demo is simply missing the animations. 

@ Sir Windows  What a relief! Where are these animations mentioned?

[Sir Windows 75]

It was in a Stronghold 4 discussion by the German video games journal GameStar. They got to talking about the castle life aspects of the game and one of the journalists mentioned that the feasts/kitchen animations are still missing. 

[EaglePrince 261]

Here's another video about Stronghold 4.

I like how the gameplay feels like Stronghold 2, and has a story like Stronghold 1. Stronghold 3 also wanted to continue the Stronghold 1 story, but it went much darker.

 

[Sir Windows 75]

Just noticed an interesting building at the 0:21 mark. It doesn't show up among the buildings unlocked by different ranks later in the video.

 

At first, I thought it was part of the kitchen, but it's not. I wonder what it could be? The balcony makes me think this could be the bedchamber for the lady.

[EaglePrince 261]

Nice catch!

It could be something like apothecary, too, but I wouldn't expect that to look this fancy. Bedchamber would be my guess as well.

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[Sir Windows 75]

So the official Stronghold 4 website also contains some more information. 

The first thing I noticed is four videos of different characters featuring the rat, Sir Longarms and two new characters. I'm guessing the boy is Penryn of Wethel, the new main character. It'd be pretty interesting if he's a possible skirmish opponent. Then there's the girl archer from the trailer. Also further down is a screenshot of the snake. I'd say it's safe to assume we know five of the eight skirmish opponents by now. Maybe even more if we assume that the wolf and pig aren't going to miss out on showing up later.

 

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[Asophix 189]

I tried the SH4 alpha and it is alright, despite the user interface being a little all over the place and the preview not offering very much for the moment.

Basically the whole feeling or gist to it is that it is what Stronghold 3 ever wanted to be, if it could. There are a lot of buildings to aesthetically build your castle, plenty of different resources and what-not, but in the end it's Stronghold. The economic mission is more of a tutorial to getting a feeling for the economy and the honor aspect, while the military mission offers a good, but relaxing challenge.

For those who like a simplistic introductory gameplay, will definitely get a basic good feeling from the demo.