Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition Announced + Demo Impressions
25 years on from their initial inception, Firefly Studios have announced Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition, a remastering of their magnum opus and fan-favourite real-time strategy game. Given the success of 2023’s Stronghold: Definitive Edition (it’s sold over half a million copies), it seemed but a matter of time until Crusader finally received the same treatment. It’s not like the fans were clamouring for it, or anything…
Taking the strategy series into the Arabian desert with Richard the Lionheart and Saladin ibn Ayyub, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is scheduled to release on July 15th, 2025. Quite how the team over at Firefly will have managed to release two full games (not including the expansions) in just under two years continues to mystify us, but here we are.
Once again, Crusader will be receiving a significant overhaul, with drastically improved graphics, improvements to the strategy gameplay, new features, fixes and custom options all introduced. Not content to simply enhance what already was a stellar RTS title, Firefly Studios have gone one step further, adding two new opponents, eight new unit types, two new campaigns and four “Sands of Time” skirmish trails to compliment the already bursting wealth of content the original had.
If cooperative strategy is more your jam, you can equally look forward to a brand new co-op skirmish trail too. There’s a whole lot of additions being made, which promise to expand the original’s … ahem… sandbox (no pun intended) significantly. Given how well received Stronghold: Definitive Edition was, expectations will be high for Crusader, and rightly so. Want to hear more from Nick Tannahill, Studio Head at Firefly Studios? Of course you do!
“We have tried to go beyond what our players expect. This is their favourite game and it deserves to be remastered in all its pre-rendered isometric glory, but with plenty of extra bells and whistles! We would not be doing this were it not for those still playing multiplayer, designing maps and creating mods, like the awesome Unofficial Crusader Patch, so I can’t wait to hear what they all think of our upcoming public demos. We really are dedicated to taking our time with Stronghold and acting on feedback whenever possible.”
You can wishlist Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition now on Steam ahead of the game’s full release on July 15th 2025. The desert is a cruel place to fight. Are you sure you have the heart for it?
Demo Impressions
Well, hasn’t this been the Christmas gift from 2024 to 2025 I hadn’t expected. Stronghold Crusader is probably my most played RTS of all time, owing the hundreds of hours I spent skirmishing with the AI, battling through the desert trails and creating custom maps for days. I played it as a child, I played it again as a teenager, and then a third time at university. Now, I’ll have the chance to live it all again, thanks to yet another Definitive Edition.
I was fortunate enough to be given a demo of Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition, featuring two missions from Firefly Studios’ new campaigns they’re adding. Returning to the desert battlements was a nostalgic experience, potentially even more so than when I played Stronghold: Definitive Edition. The iconic menu music, the instant regret from not being able to place my farms anywhere I want. Ah, memories.
The first of the two missions I got to try is featured in a new historical campaign, with the age-old objective of surviving until the time limit ran out. Periodic waves of Arabic soldiers descended upon my castle and I mustered crossbowmen and swordsmen to ward them off. It was here I got to see some of the new unit types, including a specialist for breaking down walls or towers, armoured camel mounts and a lightly armoured but highly mobile javelin throwing piece of… yeah.
Immediately, all of my Stronghold muscle memory comes in clutch as I throw up walls, set up ballistae and eventually get around to digging a moat. The new units demonstrate how this enhanced version of the game is going to be a challenge for veterans once again. Javelin throwers especially are tricky, able to advance rapidly and can deal out significant damage. It’s an encouraging way that the developers can slightly deepen the gameplay options, while retaining the spirit of the original game.
This was particularly apparent in the second mission, a castle trial level involving a 1 vs 3 skirmish where I was thoroughly trounced in less than 10 minutes. I’ve attempted it three times thus far and I’m yet to even make an excursion across my initial starting river. Wonderful. Joking aside, the ramping up of the difficulty is welcome, even it means getting your armour clad bottom whooped. I spent a long time mastering the campaign trail for the original game, owing to its intense challenge ceiling, so this feels right at home.
Both missions indicate yet again that the level of love and care that’s gone into Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is off the charts. Everything from the recreation of the graphical style, to the music, visual details and new additions oozes affection for its predecessor. I’m hugely excited to throw myself back into the demo and attempt (repeatedly, most likely) the harder mission numerous games again.
At risk of sounding like a broken record, I must again emphasise the graphical and visual improvements. The side-by-side comparisons show off just how many finer details have been included to demonstrate Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition in its finest knightly attire. It’s funny coming back to games like this, where dynamic and contrasting colour schemes were used so effectively to convey information to the player. Modern titles tend to be visually more homogenous, so seeing lucious greens stick out amongst the deep yellows and browns of the desert was a treat.
If this is the level of quality we can expect from the full release on July 15th, I couldn’t be any more filled with exhilaration to return to the Crusades. Did I mention the two new AI opponents are utterly savage and wrecked my castle while gleefully goading me as they did so? Yeah, quintessential Stronghold vibes that. Bookmark July 15th in your calendars, there’s a desert to conquer.
Source: Press Release
Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition will be available on July 15th on PC via Steam. A demo will be available to play on Steam from today.
Developer: Firefly Studios
Publisher: Firefly Studios
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