Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

Medieval real-time strategy built around desert castles and sieges

Firefly Studios · Released Oct 21, 2013

Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 97% of 21K
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 95% of 69 in 30 days
Playing now: 420; right now
Steam Deck: Playable
Last update: 1 year ago; Aug 7, 2025

What is Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)?

A real-time strategy and castle-building game set during the Crusades in Arabian desert regions. You gather resources, manage a castle economy, place defenses, raise troops, and besiege enemy fortresses across four historical campaigns and more than 100 skirmish missions. You can command Crusader or Saladin forces in single-player or online PvP, while the included Crusader Extreme variant adds larger armies and tactical powers.

For you if...

+you want historical campaigns and many standalone skirmish missions
+you like experimenting with slow buildups and surprise attacks
+you plan to play online matches with friends

Not for you if...

−you prefer turn-based strategy over real-time battles
−you want combat without managing resources and production chains

What players say

97% of 21,108 reviews are positive · 95% of 69 in the last 30 days

Players praise the combination of castle building, economy management, and real-time warfare, along with the music and voice lines. They complain that campaigns can be difficult and the AI unreliable. Recent reports also mention launch failures on Windows and lost saves.

Screenshots and trailer

Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 7/8/10/11 with latest service packs
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 1.6Ghz or equivalent
Graphics: 64MB DirectX 8.1 Compatible
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Storage: 850 MB available space
DirectX: Version 8.1
Notes: GameRanger software will be installed for mutiplayer matchmaking support

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows
Steam features: Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards

Steam Deck: Playable

Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

Multiplayer and co-op

Languages

Full audio: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Polish, Russian. Text only: Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Ukrainian, Portuguese - Brazil.