Stronghold 4 is an upcoming castle-building RTS from Firefly Studios, set in medieval England and positioned as a spiritual successor to the first Stronghold and Stronghold 2. It was announced in June 2026, with a playable demo shown at gamescom 2026 and a planned appearance at TGS 2026; the game is scheduled for release on PC via Steam in 2026.
Stronghold 4 marks the first numbered entry in the series since Stronghold 3 in 2011, and Firefly Studios is using the return to hearken back to the franchise's early identity. The game is set several years before the first Stronghold, returning to the medieval England setting that defined the original. The story follows Penryn of Wessex, a shepherd who rises to leadership, across a 22-mission campaign.
The announcement during the PC Gaming Show 2026 emphasized a return to the atmosphere and gameplay of the early titles. By the time a playable demo appeared at gamescom 2026, the positioning had sharpened: the game is a spiritual successor to the first Stronghold and Stronghold 2, with the Honour system returning and castle customization expanded. It is the first game in the series to use Unreal Engine 5, and maps can reach up to 1 square kilometer.
Large-scale siege battles sit at the center of the design, with weather effects such as snow slowing crop growth and rain reducing bow range. A skirmish mode against up to eight CPU lords is planned for launch. The demo is available on Steam, and the game is set to appear at TGS 2026. Release is planned for PC via Steam in 2026.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
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Facts
- Noted
- positioned as the spiritual successor to the first Stronghold and Stronghold 2 · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- brings back the Honour system · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- expands castle customization · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- uses Unreal Engine 5 for the first time in the series · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- has maps up to 1 square kilometer · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- story is a prequel set in medieval England · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- follows a shepherd named Penryn · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- demo available on Steam · 2026-09-03
- Noted
- will appear at TGS 2026 · 2026-09-03
- Announced
- Stronghold 4 announced during the PC Gaming Show 2026 (PC Gaming Show 2026) · 2026-06-07
- Release
- game · 2026 · PC via Steam · 2026-06-07
Connections
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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.