Choose Stronghold Kingdoms
Choose Stronghold Kingdoms if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 4,303 Steam reviews back the pick.
Stronghold Kingdoms vs Stardust Exile
Stronghold Kingdoms and Stardust Exile both land in Strategy, Massively Multiplayer on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Massively Multiplayer on Steam. Stronghold Kingdoms (2012) is 12 years older than Stardust Exile (2024). Stardust Exile scores higher on Steam reviews (68.4% positive) than Stronghold Kingdoms (56.7% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Stardust Exile
Choose Stardust Exile if you want an Indie and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Stardust Exile launched in 2024.
Both Stronghold Kingdoms and Stardust Exile sit in Strategy and Massively Multiplayer on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, and Online PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Stronghold Kingdoms |  Stardust Exile | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 56.7% positive (4,303 reviews) | 68.4% positive (19 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Firefly Studios | Apseren |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Massively Multiplayer on Steam.
- Stronghold Kingdoms (2012) is 12 years older than Stardust Exile (2024).
- Stardust Exile scores higher on Steam reviews (68.4% positive) than Stronghold Kingdoms (56.7% positive).
- Stronghold Kingdoms is free; Stardust Exile is paid (19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Stronghold Kingdoms is Deck Unsupported, Stardust Exile is Deck Playable.
Stronghold Kingdoms vs Stardust Exile — FAQ
- Should I play Stronghold Kingdoms or Stardust Exile first?
- If you want chronology, Stronghold Kingdoms (2012) came out before Stardust Exile (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Stronghold Kingdoms and Stardust Exile similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Massively Multiplayer on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Stronghold Kingdoms and Stardust Exile have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Stronghold Kingdoms ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Stardust Exile ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Stronghold Kingdoms free?
- Yes — Stronghold Kingdoms is a free-to-play Steam title. Stardust Exile is paid (19.99 USD).