This war spans three distinct continents, each offering unique and challenging combat environments, but among them all are charred corpses, bomb craters, and the scars of incessant fighting.

The Central Continent boasts swampy terrain and trench-ridden ground, making troop movement difficult and creating tactical challenges. The Eastern Continent is fortified with military bases, creating serious obstacles to any assault. The desert continent is famous for its sandstorms and dunes, which obscure visibility and complicate combat.

Most buildings are destructible, allowing for a variety of tactical approaches when assaulting enemy positions and forcing players to strategically think through cover options.

CONQUER THE DESERT – Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition expands on the original game with 8 new playable units, 4 fresh AI lords to face off against and several additional campaigns. Play alone in 2 new historical campaigns and 4 ‘Sands of Time’ skirmish trails or team up with a friend in the all-new co-op trail! Dive into skirmish mode with the addition of player-requested features including larger map sizes, custom options and quality of life improvements. Complete with never-before-seen characters, soldiers, strongholds, campaigns and more, this definitive edition is designed to test your mettle while offering new graphics, upgraded from their original pre-rendered isometric glory. Whether you’re flexing your might against 20 challenging AI lords, charging through the new co-op trail with a friend or simply marvelling at your majestic desert citadel, Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition allows veterans and newcomers alike to revisit a real-time strategy classic and play exactly the way they wish to.

RELIVE HISTORIC BATTLES – Witness the struggle of wills between Richard the Lionheart, King of England, and Sultan Saladin, spearhead of the Islamic domain and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Command war-honed crusader warriors as they brave the merciless Arabian sands, then as Saladin lead a mighty army drawn from every corner of the Middle East to repel the invading zealots. Don your Templar armour and relive wars that have shaped the world for a millennia, with historic campaigns from the First, Second and Third Crusades, as well as conflicts within the individual crusader states. Experience epic battles such as Nicaea, Heraclea and the sieges of Jerusalem and Antioch, rebuilt with new visual detail and a fully remastered soundtrack courtesy of legendary Stronghold series composer Robert L. Euvino.

Game Features

• CLAIM YOUR BIRTHRIGHT and build a thriving desert city with a full castle economy and vicious defences!
• COMMAND NEW UNITS in the form of 8 brave Bedouin warriors with unique attributes, strengths and abilities.
• CLASH AGAINST AI LORDS in skirmish mode, with 4 all-new adversaries employing unique castles and tactics.
• PROVE YOURSELF across 2 new historical campaigns, before facing the challenge of 4 ‘Sands of Time’ skirmish trails.
• SHARE THE LOAD in a new co-op trail, play together against the AI in skirmish or go head-to-head with 8 players online.
• BESIEGE NEW BATTLEFIELDS using larger map sizes, new multiplayer maps and Workshop support for custom scenarios.
• ADMIRE THINE KINGDOM with remastered visuals and music, as well as new recordings from the original game’s actors.