Stronghold Crusader 2 vs Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)
Stronghold Crusader 2 is an open-world sandbox game from Firefly Studios (2014) while Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) is a sandbox simulation game from Firefly Studios (2013).
What each one is
Steam files Stronghold Crusader 2 under Open-World and Sandbox. In contrast, it files Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) under Sandbox and Simulation.
Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to the original castle sim. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the desert with a new 3D engine and powerful Havok Physics. Crusader 2 recaptures the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation.
The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions.
At a glance
| Stronghold Crusader 2 | Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.5/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (72%, 18,080) | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 21,059) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 78/100 |
| Price | $3.99 | $1.99 |
| Install size | 4 GB | 0.83 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2014 | 2013 |
| Developer | Firefly Studios | Firefly Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Stronghold Crusader 2 vs Stronghold Crusader HD (2012), point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Stronghold Crusader 2Open-world sandbox gameStronghold Crusader HD (2012)Sandbox simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Stronghold Crusader 2Strategy, Medieval, City BuilderStronghold Crusader HD (2012)Military, City Builder, Real Time TacticsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Stronghold Crusader 2Score 6.5 · 72% on SteamStronghold Crusader HD (2012) ✓Score 8.1 · 97% on Steam · 78 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Stronghold Crusader 218,080 reviews · 6 add-ons · 4 GBStronghold Crusader HD (2012)21,059 reviews · 0.83 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Stronghold Crusader 2$3.99Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) ✓$1.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Stronghold Crusader 2PlayableStronghold Crusader HD (2012)PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueStronghold Crusader 2 and Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- The cheaper right now: Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) ($1.99)
- Lighter on storage: Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) (0.83 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategyMedievalCity BuilderRTSSimulationHistoricalBuildingResource Management
Where they differ
MultiplayerCo-opClassicSingleplayerAtmosphericTactical
MilitaryReal Time TacticsColony SimWarManagementReal-Time
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Stronghold Crusader 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Stronghold Crusader 2 | Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT 512MB | 64MB |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core2 Duo 2Ghz | Intel Pentium 4 1.6Ghz |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | 0.5 GB |
| Install size | 4 GB | 0.83 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Stronghold Crusader 2 · Stronghold Crusader HD (2012).
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Stronghold Crusader 2 and 0 for Stronghold Crusader HD (2012). A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Stronghold Crusader 2 and Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) in scope?
Stronghold Crusader 2 has drawn 18,080 Steam reviews, ships 6 add-ons and installs in 4 GB. Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) has drawn 21,059 Steam reviews and installs in 0.83 GB.
Is Stronghold Crusader 2 or Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) rates higher (8.1 to 6.5). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Stronghold Crusader 2 or Stronghold Crusader HD (2012)?
Stronghold Crusader HD (2012) is cheaper right now at $1.99, against $3.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.