Stronghold 2


⤏ Go to series page
Stronghold	2001
Stronghold Crusader	2002
Stronghold 2	2005
Stronghold Legends	2006
Stronghold Crusader Extreme	2008
Stronghold 3	2011
Stronghold Kingdoms	2012
Stronghold Crusader 2	2014
Stronghold: Warlords	2021
Stronghold: Definitive Edition	2023
Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition	2025

Warnings

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

Stronghold 2 is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view building and RTS game in the Stronghold series.

General information

Official Discord server for game series

Official support portal

Steam Community Discussions

Stronghold 2 Heaven

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM 7 DRM
GamersGate

Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Steam		Steam Edition. Also available as part of The Stronghold Collection.
Amazon.com (unavailable)		The Stronghold Collection

Version differences

The Deluxe Edition is the 2005 re-release pre-patched to v1.3.1, with 3 new AI lords, a new skirmish trail mode, and 12 maps which come with said patch.

The Steam Edition is the 2017 enhanced release with Steamworks multiplayer (in place of LAN and the deprecated GameSpy service), Workshop integration, an exclusive map pack, native widescreen support, and some redone graphics.

Demo versions

Free demo versions are available from GameFront: English, German.

Essential improvements

Patches

The newest patch for the non-Steam version is 1.41. Patches for the game can be found on the official website or Patches-Scrolls.

The Steam version received a special patch and shows version 1.5 Steam.

Skip intro videos

Instructions
Go to `<path-to-game>\ui\frontend` Rename, move or delete the file `Stronghold2 FMV.bik`

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold 2\Stronghold2.GraphicsSettings.xml
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40960/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold 2\Saves
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40960/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents* folder in OneDrive on all computers.*
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics settings are only available in the launcher, not in-game.

The Steam launcher shows different options.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		Non-Steam versions are stretched from 4:3 when editing the configuration file. The Steam version supports widescreen resolutions.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen		Cutscenes and menu at 16:9.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS
120+ FPS	"Game Speed" in options menu; FPS is locked to game speed, and capped at 90.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Input

Input and game settings (Steam Edition)

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Audio

Audio settings (Steam Edition)

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, SFX, speech.
Surround sound
Subtitles		Certain important messages not subtitled.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese				Steam Edition only
Czech				Fan translation; download
French
German
Italian
Polish
Russian
Slovak				Fan translation; download.
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
LAN play		Versus Removed from the Steam Edition
Online play		Versus The official GameSpy service has been shut down; Steam version has been updated with Steamworks support.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
vorpX		G3D User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Miles Sound System	6.5e^[1]
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	Steamworks, GameSpy	Only the Steam version uses Steamworks.

System requirements

Retail release

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98 SE, ME, 2000, XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 1.4 GHz or equivalent	Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or equivalent
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	2.5 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 32 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	64 MB of VRAM

Steam Edition

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	7, 8.x, 10
Processor (CPU)	1.6 GHz	2.3 GHz
System memory (RAM)	512 MB	1 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	3 GB
Video card (GPU)	256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	512 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/40960/.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (40960) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ Verified by User:Nessy on 2019-08-11
Version number found in Mss32.dll in the game installation folder.

[Proton_path_note-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/40960/.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (40960) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[3] Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/40960/.

[4] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[5] The app ID (40960) may differ in some cases.

[6] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[7] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] Verified by User:Nessy on 2019-08-11
Version number found in Mss32.dll in the game installation folder.

[Note 1]

[1]

Developers

	Firefly Studios
Publishers
Retail, Collection	2K Games
Retail re-release	Sold Out Software
Steam Edition	Firefly Studios
Engines
	DragonFly
Release dates
Windows	April 18, 2005
Reception
Metacritic	63
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view
Controls	Multiple select, Point and select
Genres	Building, RTS
Themes	Europe, Medieval
Series	Stronghold