Split-screen on PC

Stronghold 3

Up to 4 players on one PC, with keyboard and mouse or several keyboards and mice.

4Verified handler

Handler “Stronghold 3” by Zensuu, version 1

What works

With Nucleus Co-op, up to 4 players can play Stronghold 3 together on one PC, each in their own part of the screen, with keyboard and mouse or several keyboards and mice. The free community handler “Stronghold 3” by Zensuu does the setup and was checked by hub moderators: version 1, updated 5 Jun 2024. Stronghold 3 is a real-time strategy, simulation and strategy game from 2011.

Players4
ControllersNot supported
Keyboard and mouseSupported
Several keyboards and miceOne per player
Hub moderatorsVerified

How to play Stronghold 3 split screen on PC

Get Nucleus Co-op
Download Nucleus Co-op, free for Windows 10 and 11, and unzip it into its own folder, for example C:\NucleusCo-op. There is no installer.
Keep it out of Program Files, your user folder and OneDrive.
Download Nucleus Co-op
Install the Stronghold 3 handler
In Nucleus Co-op, search the Hub for Stronghold 3 and install its handler, or download the handler file from this page and drop it on the Nucleus window. Then show Nucleus where Stronghold 3 is installed.
Download the handler file (.nc)
Take a seat
Each player joins with their own keyboard and mouse and takes a spot on the screen. Pick a layout that fits your players.
Playing with several keyboards and mice? Press End once everything is in place to give each window its own cursor.
Launch and connect
Press Launch: Nucleus opens one copy of Stronghold 3 per player and lays the windows out on your screen. Then link them in game, usually one player hosts a LAN or online session and the others join it. The handler notes say how.

What you need

A Windows 10 or 11 PC
Nucleus Co-op runs on Windows only. System requirements
Stronghold 3 for Windows
Installed on that PC. Nucleus starts every player's window from that one install.
Nucleus Co-op, free
With .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later and the Visual C++ 2015–2022 runtimes (x86 and x64). Download
Something to play with
One keyboard and mouse per player. Controllers · Keyboards and mice
A PC that can run 4 copies
Each player runs their own copy of Stronghold 3, so the PC carries several times the usual load. Lower the graphics settings if it struggles. Performance tips
A multiplayer mode
Nucleus links the windows through the game's own LAN or online mode; the handler takes care of it.

Handler notes

◦ Supports multiple mice and keyboards.

◦ Read the handler notes in the UI carefully.

◦ Authors and Contributors of this handler: Zensuu. A special thanks to the Nucleus Co-op and Split Screen Dreams communities.

About Stronghold 3

Stronghold 3 is the long-awaited third installment in the award winning castle-building series. Set 10 years after the original, the Wolf it seems, has cheated death and during his painful recovery he’s become even more bitter and twisted. Now he seeks revenge. Raiding villages and towns during the dead of night, the Wolf has created a tide of panic and you and your allies are the only force that stand against him. In this stunning new update to the world’s favorite Castle Sim - will you triumph by day or die by night?

Summary from IGDB