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Stronghold: Definitive Edition

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2023

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Quick resume

Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. Build a castle economy, besiege unforgettable villains and return to the 'castle sim' that started it all. Experience this classic RTS with upgraded visuals, modernised gameplay, Steam multiplayer and a new campaign.

Global score

86/100

Genres

Simulator, Strategy, Real Time Strategy (RTS)

Similar games

    Pros

    • Faithful remaster with improved graphics and sound
    • Strong nostalgia and emotional connection
    • Challenging and rewarding gameplay
    • Creative castle building and map editor
    • Reasonable price with planned dlc and updates

    Cons

    • Lack of skirmish mode and ai opponents
    • Limited multiplayer cooperation and co-op
    • Some dated mechanics and pathfinding issues
    • Minor bugs and missing modern features
    • No significant story or character depth

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to design and build their own castles and manage economy and military strategies."

      Capsule for Stronghold HD (2012) Stronghold HD (2012)

      "Players have freedom to build castles in any design, manage economy and defense with many options, and choose campaigns or free-build modes."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Game offers challenging missions requiring tactical skill and unit management; some AI and pathfinding issues reduce challenge slightly."

      Capsule for Codename: Panzers, Phase One Codename: Panzers, Phase One

      "Game offers challenging missions, especially on higher difficulties, requiring skillful resource and defense management."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      1

      "Multiplayer exists but is limited and not a major focus; most play is single-player with personal challenge rather than direct competition."

      Capsule for Age of Fear 2: The Chaos Lord GOLD Age of Fear 2: The Chaos Lord GOLD

      "Multiplayer exists but no ranked or esports focus; some players enjoy multiplayer but no strong emphasis on competition."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Many players report long play sessions and addictive gameplay with ongoing updates and DLCs."

      Capsule for Car Mechanic Simulator 2015 Car Mechanic Simulator 2015

      "Many players report long play sessions, nostalgia-driven habitual play, and anticipation for DLCs and updates."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -2

      "Gameplay mostly single-player focused with limited multiplayer; cooperation is minimal and battles are often solo or AI controlled."

      Capsule for Divinity: Dragon Commander Divinity: Dragon Commander

      "Limited cooperation; no co-op vs AI or skirmish mode; multiplayer is mostly competitive or individual."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      4

      "Players can design custom castles, maps, and strategies, encouraging creative problem solving."

      Capsule for Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

      "Players can design castles freely, use map editor, and create custom maps; strong creative building aspect."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -3

      "Interactions are balanced with no evidence of dominance or trash talk; multiplayer is local and friendly."

      Capsule for FOTONICA FOTONICA

      "Interactions are balanced with no reports of trash talk or dominance; multiplayer is respectful and fair."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game for stress relief, nostalgia, and immersion in medieval fantasy worlds."

      Capsule for Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

      "Players use game for nostalgia, stress relief, and immersion in medieval castle building and defense."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal desire and nostalgia, not obligation or pressure."

      Capsule for Call of Duty®: Black Ops Call of Duty®: Black Ops

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal desire and nostalgia, not obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players experiment with different castle designs, economic strategies, and military tactics, as well as modding and map creation."

      Capsule for Stronghold 2: Steam Edition Stronghold 2: Steam Edition

      "Players try new castle designs, experiment with economy and defense setups, and explore new campaigns and maps."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Some exploration through different maps and expansions, but largely familiar game environments."

      Capsule for Terraforming Mars Terraforming Mars

      "Some exploration of new maps and scenarios, but mostly familiar environments and known gameplay."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      3

      "Customization of castles and maps allows for player self-expression within game constraints."

      Capsule for Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)

      "Customization through castle building and map creation allows self-expression within game mechanics."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      2

      "Medieval setting with some humorous and exaggerated elements, but grounded in plausible combat."

      Capsule for MORDHAU MORDHAU

      "Medieval setting with some theatrical and humorous elements, but grounded in plausible castle building and siege."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      0

      "Some multiplayer exists but social community aspects are minimal; mostly single-player experience."

      Capsule for Grand Theft Auto 2 Grand Theft Auto 2

      "Multiplayer exists but limited social community features; mostly individual play with some social interaction."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players learn resource management, card strategies, and improve skills through campaign and battles."

      Capsule for Skyworld Skyworld

      "Players learn resource management, castle defense strategies, and improve skills over campaigns and challenges."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Typical sedentary computer gameplay with no physical activity involved."

      Capsule for Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

      "Typical sedentary computer gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires active management and continuous attention; not a background or idle game."

      Capsule for Super Fantasy Kingdom Super Fantasy Kingdom

      "Requires continuous attention and management; not a background or idle game."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Minimal social or emotional connections; interactions are mostly gameplay focused and limited to brief multiplayer."

      Capsule for Disney's Treasure Planet: Battle of Procyon Disney's Treasure Planet: Battle of Procyon

      "Minimal social or emotional connection; interactions are surface-level in multiplayer."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      2

      "Players lead their armies and manage resources, but no evidence of leading other players or groups."

      Capsule for Skyworld Skyworld

      "Players lead their own castles and armies, but no evidence of leading others in groups or teams."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Strong focus on accumulating resources, building upgrades, and completing campaign objectives."

      Capsule for Pharaoh™: A New Era Pharaoh™: A New Era

      "Strong focus on accumulating resources, building upgrades, and completing campaigns with progression."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Game balances challenge and fun; some players find it relaxing and nostalgic."

      Capsule for HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed

      "Game offers a balance of challenge and flow; some players find it relaxing and nostalgic."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      2

      "Visual and auditory improvements enhance sensory experience but overall moderate stimulation."

      Capsule for Pharaoh™: A New Era Pharaoh™: A New Era

      "Visual and audio improvements enhance sensory experience but overall moderate stimulation."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      0

      "No strong emphasis on social recognition or status; achievements exist but are not central."

      Capsule for One-armed cook One-armed cook

      "No strong emphasis on social recognition or leaderboards; achievements present but not central."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      1

      "Contains campaign narratives and lore, but story is not the primary focus."

      Capsule for Mindustry Mindustry

      "Light narrative and lore present in campaigns, but story is not a major focus."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      4

      "Requires planning, resource management, and tactical defense strategies."

      Capsule for Grim Realms Grim Realms

      "Requires planning, resource management, and tactical defense/offense strategies."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Some suspense in combat and exploration, but overall controlled and predictable gameplay."

      Capsule for Regions Of Ruin Regions Of Ruin

      "Some suspense in defense and siege missions, but overall controlled and predictable gameplay."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players perceive good value for price and content, especially given nostalgia and features"

      Capsule for Total Miner Total Miner

      "Players perceive good value for price with added content, updates, and nostalgia factor."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      3

      "Combat and destruction are central gameplay elements with siege warfare and battles."

      Capsule for Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

      "Combat and siege are central mechanics involving destruction and fighting."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      3

      "Players must manage resources and defend against threats to survive and succeed."

      Capsule for Stronghold Crusader 2 Stronghold Crusader 2

      "Players must manage resources and defend against threats to survive and succeed."

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Leadership, Survival, Violence, Strategy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Competition, Status, Fellowship.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026