Stronghold

This page is for the 2001 game. For the unrelated 1993 game, see Stronghold (1993). For the 2023 remaster, see Stronghold: Definitive Edition.

Stronghold
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

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

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

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

In 2002, the game was re-released as Stronghold Deluxe with the 1.2 patch streamlined and with exclusive extra singleplayer missions. In 2012, it was updated to the HD version with bugfixes and widescreen support, including all Deluxe content.

General information

Official Discord server for game series

Official support portal

Stronghold Heaven - a fan site for the game

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SafeDisc v2 DRM. The HD patch removes the DRM
GamersGate		Stronghold HD
		Stronghold HD
GOG.com		Stronghold HD. Comes bundled with the original retail release.
Green Man Gaming		Stronghold HD
Humble Store		Stronghold HD
Steam		Stronghold HD. Also available as part of The Stronghold Collection.

Demos

English (CNET)

English v1.3 (GameFront)

Italian v1.3

Polish

Version differences

Stronghold Deluxe is the 2002 re-release with additional maps and missions from the free Excalibur Pack, as well as the 1.2 patch.

Stronghold HD is the 2012 enhanced version of the game which adds widescreen support, bug fixes, and retail Deluxe edition content.

Essential improvements

Official HD patch

This official patch will upgrade a retail copy of Stronghold to Stronghold HD, with all content featured in the latest build. The latest version, 1.4.1, can be downloaded here.

Skip intro video

Delete/move/rename video file
Go to `<path-to-game>\binks`. Delete, move or rename `intro.bik`.

Game data

In-game general settings (HD version)

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold\stronghold.cfg
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40950/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Settings for the Windows version without the HD patch are stored in <path-to-game>\stronghold.cfg

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold\Saves
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40950/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Saves for the Windows pre-HD version are stored in <path-to-game>\Saves

Save game cloud syncing

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

Video

In-game video settings (HD version)

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		Resolutions up to 2560x1600.^[1] For the original release, install the official HD patch.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS	Depends on game speed; up to 90 FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

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

Controller types

Audio

In-game audio settings (HD version)

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, effects, speech
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Czech				Fan - 1 HD
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Polish				Details
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
LAN play		8	Versus
Online play		8	Versus GameSpy services have been shut down;^[2] see GameSpy for workarounds.

Connection types

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

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	2300-2400, 47624
UDP	2300-2400

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

Issues fixed

Game fails to launch on Windows 10

Install DirectPlay

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
DirectDraw	7.0
OpenGL		OS X only.

Executable	PPC	16-bit	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)					This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work* on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.*
Mac OS (Classic)

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Miles Sound System	6.1c
Cutscenes	Bink Video	1.2h
Multiplayer	GameSpy

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95, 98, ME, 2000	XP, Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	300 MHz	550 MHz
System memory (RAM)	64 MB	128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	750 MB
Video card (GPU)	4 MB of VRAM DirectX 7 compatible	DirectX 9.0c compatible

Mac OS
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	9
Processor (CPU)	PowerPC G3
System memory (RAM)	128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.6.8
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core Duo 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB	2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	750 MB
Video card (GPU)	64 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>/40950/.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (40950) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ What resolutions are supported for the game — Stronghold HD (Legacy & HD) Help Center - last accessed on 2024-08-13
↑ Pricing | GameSpy Technology

[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>/40950/.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (40950) 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>/40950/.

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

[5] The app ID (40950) may differ in some cases.

[6] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

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

[2] What resolutions are supported for the game — Stronghold HD (Legacy & HD) Help Center - last accessed on 2024-08-13

[3] Pricing | GameSpy Technology

[Note 1]

[1]

[2]

Developers

	Firefly Studios
macOS (OS X)	Crescent Vision Interactive
macOS (OS X)	Varcon Systems
Publishers
Retail	Take-Two Interactive
Retail	Gathering of Developers
OS X	MacSoft
Retail (Collection)	2K Games
HD	Firefly Studios
Release dates
Windows	October 12, 2001
Mac OS (Classic)	May 2002
macOS (OS X)	May 2002
Reception
Metacritic	81
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view, Isometric
Controls	Multiple select, Point and select
Genres	Building, RTS
Themes	Europe, Medieval
Series	Stronghold