FireFly Studios is developing Stronghold 4, a numbered entry in the castle-building RTS series set in medieval England, planned for PC via Steam in 2026. The game is positioned as a return to the series' roots, with a playable demo shown at gamescom 2026 and another appearance scheduled for TGS 2026.
FireFly Studios announced Stronghold 4 during the PC Gaming Show 2026 on June 8. The game is the first numbered Stronghold title since Stronghold 3 in 2011, and the most recent series release before it was Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition in 2025. The announcement set the tone for a deliberate return: the game takes place several years before the first Stronghold, in the original medieval England setting, and follows Penryn of Wessex, a shepherd who becomes a leader. The campaign includes 22 missions, with large-scale siege battles on vast maps and weather effects like snow slowing crop growth and rain reducing bow range. A skirmish mode against up to eight CPU lords is planned for launch.
Three months later, at gamescom 2026, FireFly showed a playable demo. The game is positioned as the spiritual successor to the first Stronghold and Stronghold 2, bringing back the Honour system and expanding castle customization. It is the first time the series uses Unreal Engine 5, and maps can reach up to 1 square kilometer. The story is a prequel set in medieval England, following a shepherd named Penryn. The demo appeared on Steam, and FireFly announced the game would appear at TGS 2026.
Across both stories, the throughline is a studio aiming to recapture the atmosphere and gameplay of the original games after a 15-year gap without a numbered entry. The focus on the Honour system, castle customization, and the medieval England setting ties directly to the early identity of the series. The release window remains 2026 on PC via Steam, with a demo originally planned for June 23 and later shown at gamescom.
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6d ago
Firefly Studios showed a playable Stronghold 4 demo at gamescom 2026. The game is positioned as the spiritual successor to the first Stronghold and Stronghold 2, bringing back the Honour system and expanding castle customization. It uses Unreal Engine 5 for the first time in the series, with maps up to 1 square kilometer. The story is a prequel set in medieval England, following a shepherd named Penryn. The demo is available on Steam, and the game will appear at TGS 2026.
Jun 7
FireFly Studios announced Stronghold 4 during the PC Gaming Show 2026 on June 8. The game is a new numbered entry in the castle-building RTS series, set several years before the first Stronghold. It returns to medieval England, the setting of the original game. The story follows Penryn of Wessex, a shepherd who becomes a leader. The campaign includes 22 missions. The game features large-scale siege battles on vast maps, with weather effects such as snow slowing crop growth and rain reducing bow range. A skirmish mode against up to eight CPU lords will be available at launch. Stronghold 4 is scheduled for release on PC via Steam in 2026. A demo is planned for June 23. This is the first numbered Stronghold title since Stronghold 3 in 2011. The most recent series release was Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition in 2025.