Stronghold 2

Stronghold 2: Steam Edition is the modern release of Firefly Studios' 2005 medieval castle simulator, updated with Steam multiplayer, Workshop integration, achievements, and new visual polish over the original release.

The game sits at the unusual intersection of city-builder and siege RTS. Manage your peasants — feed them, tax them, entertain them, punish criminals through gibbets, gallows, or rehabilitation — while building economy and military to fend off rival lords. Hungry, mistreated peasants turn to crime, which has its own dedicated subsystem.

Combat happens both at the castle scale, with siege engines and trebuchets battering walls, and inside buildings, where close-quarters duels can decide individual structures. Honor — earned through good rule, ceremony, or military strength — feeds into the Kingmaker skirmish mode, where eight players can fight for the throne.

The Steam Edition includes a new map pack, full Workshop integration for custom scenarios, and digital extras (art book, soundtrack, trading cards). The original online multiplayer relied on the long-defunct GameSpy services — this release is the only version where multiplayer still works, hence the rebuild.