Stronghold 2

Tax, torture, or treat your peasants. Rehabilitate criminals—or sentence them to death. In Stronghold 2, you rule your castle and kingdom your way, even as the warmongering Lord Barclay lays siege and powerful barons fight for control of a disintegrating realm. Will you host lavish banquets and medieval tournaments, or enforce feudal justice with an iron fist as your overworked, malnourished population threatens to turn on you? Your goal: stop the rising ambition and unite the land under the one true King. Building on the simulation gameplay of the original Stronghold, Stronghold 2 blends castle management with brutal siege warfare. Unhappy peasants can turn to crime and must be punished, rival lords can raise armies on the strength of their titles, and battles can spill into close-quarters fighting inside your castle structures. Stronghold 2 Online expands the experience with competitive multiplayer for up to eight players, and also includes an offline skirmish mode against computer-controlled opponents. The original online services relied on GameSpy, which has shut down. The Steam Edition is the only version of Stronghold 2 that still includes multiplayer via Steam Multiplayer.

Stronghold 2 is a medieval castle-building strategy game where you rule a fortified stronghold and its uneasy kingdom. Balance law, punishment, and the daily needs of your peasants as you decide between lavish feasts and harsh justice—choices that determine whether your people stay loyal or rise in revolt. With Lord Barclay and rival barons threatening a realm on the verge of collapse, you must build defenses, maintain crime and order, and survive brutal sieges to unite the land under the one true King.