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Latest News
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!