Community News
Stronghold 4 Information Megathread
Posted on 16th Jul 2026
Greetings to all!
Firefly Studios started teasing the upcoming SH4 game with bits of information in a Q&A video.
As time goes by, we obtain more and more information that we eventually are going to administer in the on-site wiki. Until then, the SHN staff pleasantly summarises you the points we find most worthy to know about Stronghold 4's lifecycle, release date and other features, in this thread. :-] We ask you however to kindly discuss SH4 in the dedicated forum rather than here.
Thanks to the baseline Unreal Engine 5, datamining has been possible to a great extent. If you are really curious and want no stone unturned, you can read about additional potential features and characters here at your leisure. Be warned, there is no turning back!
Key Points
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Release and Support
- SH4 will be released in 2027, preceded by a six-month-long early-access period that starts sometime in 2026.
- The price tag for both periods is unknown, but mostly determined by the community.
- Early Access will launch with Skirmish Mode (8 bots), a 10-mission-long Skirmish Trail, a 22-mission-long Story Campaign and Free Build modes.
- During Early Access, the Economic Campaign, the Online Multiplayer (with or without bots at will) and a Co-op Skirmish Trail will be added.
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Gameplay Features
- Most known features so far have already been unveiled by the first public demo, which we announced a while back here.
- Map sizes will go as large as 1000x1000, starting from 400x400 with increments of 200.
- Weather will have limited effect in the form of random events.
- Unit abilities will return, such as the man-at-arms can throw a recharging spear, or the longbowman can randomly land a critically hitting shot.
- Most buildings will be able to peeked into with a close enough zoom, or by hovering the cursor above the building while a worker operates it.
- Building will be possible in a certain radius around the Keep, rather than anywhere within the borders of the estate.
- Building and troop limits will be set for each player (numbers unknown).
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Story
- The main lore precedes that of SH1 by several years, featuring a bunch of characters well-known from that game.
- The protagonist will be Penryn of Wethel, a shepherd who is forced to climb the ranks. It will not be centered around either The Boy or The Wolf; the Boy is confirmed not to return due to his assumed young age.
- Stronghold 2 characters will not return.
- Most of the story will be narrated through interactive pre-rendered cutscenes.
If you still got questions remaining, don't panic. Hit us up in the SH4 sub-forum to discuss your ideas, or anything you want to clarify.
Until next time, my lord! :-]
Crusader Definitive Edition: Upcoming Summer Update
Posted on 9th Jul 2026
Hello All!
With Stronghold 4 having taken a spotlight for the last few weeks, Crusader DE was forced back in the shadows. Not anymore though, as news of the Summer Update has surfaced with a new teaser from Firefly Studios. This humble content update is planned to release on August 4, 2026.
Following suit, the Summer Update brings two-fold content in the form of free contents and paid DLC contents respectively. The downloadable content: The Surgeon and Baibars will be available for purchase at the cost of 5 EUR / 5 USD / 4 GBP on Steam.
Note: Kindly be advised that the Summer Update is scheduled to be the last one that is about to bring new content in the game, concerning the devs. Additional content will still be available via the Steam Workshop and alternative sources.
Contents - Free Update
- 3 new maps
- A new cooperative trail (Dance of the Scorpions)
Contents - DLC
- New Sands of Time Trail: Trail of the Vulture
New AI opponent: Sultan Baibars
- Sultan of the Mamelukes, Baibars is the literal panther of the desert: he will attack and defend ferociously, while neglecting his economy somewhat.
- His square-shaped castle features medium-sized towers, as well as a large Round Tower with double crenellations on the walls, and all sorts of nasty traps in the perimeter.
- Wields a streamlined Arabic-Bedouin mix of troops, with a particular emphasis on Eunuchs and Arabian Swordsmen. Also seems to deploy Tunnelers for assaults.
New AI opponent: The Surgeon
- A more mysterious, kind-hearted opponent who likes to build his domain with a sprawling and thriving economy, similar to the Emir or the Trader.
- His enclosures are densely packed with an average-sized industry, surrounded by Round Towers with Ballistae on top, as well as Killing Pits in generous supply, as well as Moat in his larger designs.
- Uses European ranged units to defend with Pikemen, backed by an overall preference to Skirmishers.
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), The demo is very likely to be available for an unspecified period of time, after which it may become 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
- Lord Woolsack, pig and wolf hinted at as returning
Crusader Definitive Edition Roadmap 2026
Posted on 18th Mar 2026
Hello All!
Firefly Studios recently published a status update video, detailing plans about continued support for SHC:DE in two waves of separate seasonal updates.
Both updates will continue the tradition of featuring two new AI lords and Sands of Time trails in the form of paid DLC, as well as a cooperative trail and an assortment of new maps as free content in each. Nothing else is mentioned regarding upcoming new features or fixes, implicating that these updates serve solely as additional content to the game.
Expected Contents - Spring Update (scheduled April 21, 2026 - price: 4 GBP / 5 USD / 5 EUR):
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AI Lord - Baldwin (paid DLC)
- A well-known legend of the Crusades, Baldwin IV ruled as King of Jerusalem in the twelfth century. His rule was riddled by infighting among other Crusader lords, while he also fought to strengthen his fiefdom against the ever increasing pressure of Saladin and his united Arab support.
- His castles and economy resemble much like those of Richard the Lionheart, with an extension per se. The castle with a square-shaped layout, a densely packed interior and square towers, with a second ring of walls being present. He also utilises pitch and stake traps in his outer defense.
- Baldwin's economy is very efficiently supported by bread production, a lot of weapons workshops and tightly packed religion buildings.
- His troops feature the sturdiest Barracks troops as backbone, mixed with Bedouin Skirmishers, Demolishers and a few other types of troops, with Tunnelers added in to sieges.
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AI Lord - Bullseye (paid DLC)
- Bullseye is the name coined for the European messenger, who informs you about invasions and various other events, predominantly in the historical campaigns. He wears a kettle hat with a mail coif and a red-colored padded vest.
- He is more of a humble opponent, who is said to be rather defensive in nature. His castles seal off a large swathe of the land, packed to the brim with Crossbowmen. The walls are thick and are surrounded by killing pits.
- Bullseye's economy seems to be mostly supported by sheer raw material extraction and weapons industry.
- Thematically his one and only favoured troop seems to be the Crossbowman, however in the preview a handful of Macemen can also be discerned.
- Sands of Time Trail - Trail of the Eagle (9 missions, paid DLC)
- Cooperative Trail - The Ravens' Duet
- Map Pack
Expected Contents - Summer Update:
- AI Lord - The Surgeon (paid DLC)
- AI Lord - Baibars, the Mameluke lord (paid DLC)
- Sands of Time Trail - Trail of the Vulture (9 missions, paid DLC)
- Cooperative Trail - Dance of the Scorpions
- Map Pack
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More information will be known over time, as the Studios reveals them. No additional news is shared, except that from now on the Steam Workshop has more categories for SHC:DE submissions in order to make content management and searching easier.
Feel free to share questions or your feedback in this thread!