Legendary RTS Stronghold Crusader is coming back, and it'll be bigger than ever

We're spoiled for choice when it comes to RTS games these days. Tempest Rising is a modern take on Command and Conquer with the destruction to match. Age of Empires 4 is the premier way to experience history's most brutal battles. You can even still go back to Starcraft 2 for some of the best the genre has to offer. But if you've never played Firefly's Stronghold Crusader, or you want to relive it, you're about to get the perfect excuse. More than two decades after its original launch, a new definitive edition is around the corner, and Firefly has some massive plans for post-launch updates and brand-new material.

First released in 2002, the original Stronghold Crusader is easily one of the best RTS games ever made. Set in the Middle East during the Crusades, you command troops and amass armies across a set of scorching skirmishes. You need to use siege engines, castle defenses, and whatever else you can get your hands on in the Holy Land to come out victorious.

Now, 23 years later, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is almost here. With veteran developers from the original Stronghold on board, this version is the ideal way to play. Firefly Studios has massively overhauled the game's visuals while keeping that gritty, lived-in aesthetic intact. You've also got eight new playable units to utilize, four more AI lords to face off against, and two extra historical campaigns to sink your teeth into. This is still Stronghold Crusader at its heart, but the ideal way to play.

When Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition finally launches, though, that won't be the end of the story. Firefly Studios has a slate of updates planned for the game throughout 2025.

First up is the Autumn Update, which will feature a series-first economic campaign and a new CPU commander. You'll have access to five missions with economic objectives, which will focus on the city-building game elements of Crusader, where you can design your own fortress. There are also going to be new maps for skirmish, free build mode, and multiplayer.

Firefly Studios is following this up with the Winter Update, which delivers on one of the Stronghold community's biggest requests. You'll now have the ability to customize CPU opponents, castles, and campaigns, allowing you to create exceptionally tough rivals and bespoke mission scenarios.

The Winter Update will also introduce a second co-op campaign and a new pack of three maps.

While the Autumn and Winter updates will both be free, they will each be released alongside paid DLC. The Stronghold Crusader DLC will introduce new opponents and a slate of extra-challenging missions.

Firefly Studios is launching Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition on Steam on Tuesday July 15. You can wishlist it right here.

While you wait for the launch, make sure you check out all the best grand strategy games and 4X games on PC right now.

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