For a smooth connection, follow these technical preparation steps: Version Match : Every player must have the exact same game version

Cap FPS to 60 on all LAN clients.

: Locate StrongholdLegends.exe in your installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Stronghold Legends ). Right-click, select Properties , go to the Compatibility tab, and set it to run in Windows XP (Service Pack 3) mode.

Before diving into the "how," you need to understand why is finicky. The game was released in 2006 and relies on older peer-to-peer networking protocols. Modern systems (Windows 10/11) often misinterpret the game’s network requests.