Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy video game from the Command & Conquer series. It was created and released by Westwood Studios in 1996. This game came before the original Command & Conquer (1995) and shows a different version of the past, where Allied Forces fight the Soviet Union for control of Europe.
The game was first released for personal computers, including versions for MS-DOS and Windows 95. Later, it was made available for the PlayStation. The PlayStation version was later offered as a download for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3, but it is no longer available for purchase. In 2008, Electronic Arts, which bought Westwood Studios in 1998, made Command & Conquer: Red Alert free to download and use.
The game is widely praised for its fun gameplay, unique alternate history setting, and multiplayer mode where players compete against each other. A remastered version of the game, called The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, was released on June 5, 2020, through Origin and Steam. This version includes an updated version of Red Alert, its expansions Counterstrike and The Aftermath, new missions and briefing videos from the PlayStation version of Retaliation, and a collection of unused and behind-the-scenes materials.
Gameplay
The game has different paths for most missions, similar to Tiberian Dawn. The main goal remains the same, but the map layout changes. The single-player story is accompanied by live-action movie scenes.
Players can give commands to groups of units using number keys and control many units at once.
Players collect resources, such as ores and gems (the Tiberium mineral from other games is not present here). These resources are turned into credits to build structures, create vehicles, train soldiers, and repair units. Rare gems are worth more credits than ores but do not regrow on the map. Players can build more ore refineries and trucks to gather resources faster, but extra credits must be stored in special buildings called "ore silos." Managing resources, like quickly gathering ore to build forces or blocking opponents from getting ore, is often important for winning.
When building a base, players must construct power plants to provide electricity. Without enough power, strong buildings like radar or Tesla Coils cannot work. Power plants are often the first targets in attacks. If an opponent’s building is damaged, players can capture it using engineers and produce units from that structure, even if it belongs to the enemy faction (for example, an Allied player capturing a Soviet war factory can build Soviet units like the Mammoth Tank).
The game includes a single-player campaign, multiplayer mode, a map editor, and bonus software called Westwood Chat.
There are two factions with different play styles. In Red Alert, players must use their faction’s strengths to overcome weaknesses, unlike games such as Total Annihilation or Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, where both sides have similar units and rely on numbers or balance.
The Soviets’ vehicles are stronger and more durable than Allied vehicles but are slower and cost more. They have better defenses against ground attacks, such as Flame Towers (towers with flamethrowers) and Tesla Coils (powerful weapons that can destroy Allied vehicles quickly but need a lot of electricity). Their weakness is at sea, where their only naval unit is a submarine (built in a submarine pen) used to attack Allied ships and gather intelligence. The submarine is invisible most of the time but becomes vulnerable when it surfaces. The Soviets also have many air units, including the Yak-9 (for attacking infantry and light buildings), the MiG-23 (for destroying armored vehicles and buildings), and the Mi-24 Hind (a helicopter that can fight for longer). They can also use spy planes to reveal parts of the map and drop paratroopers to deploy infantry. In the later part of the Soviet campaign (not in multiplayer), they can use airstrikes from Badger bombers. Their secret weapon is the Iron Curtain, which makes a unit invulnerable for a short time. A popular strategy online was the "tank rush," where players built many heavy tanks to overwhelm opponents.
The Allies’ units are cheaper, faster to build, and more agile. Their infantry can survive longer with the help of Medics. The Allies’ strongest tank (the Medium Tank) is weaker than the Soviets’ starting tank (the Heavy Tank) but is faster and cheaper. They also have anti-tank minelayers to counter Soviet armor. The Allies have only one air unit, the AH-64 Apache helicopter (mistakenly called "Longbow" in some scenes), while the Soviets have three air units. The Allies’ anti-aircraft guns are more powerful than Soviet missiles but have a shorter range. Their ground defenses, like pillboxes and turrets, are less strong than Soviet Tesla Coils but are cheaper and more reliable without needing much electricity. On maps with water, the Allies have an advantage with the Destroyer (a versatile warship) and the Cruiser (mistakenly shown as an Iowa-class battleship in some scenes), which can attack land, sea, and air targets. The Allies also have tools like spies to gather information or disable enemy buildings, thieves to steal resources, and a "gap generator" (a tower that hides units and structures from enemy view). They can also reveal the entire map with a prototype GPS satellite. Their secret weapon is the Chronosphere, which can teleport a unit to another part of the map.
In online play and computer battles, both factions can use transport helicopters and missile silos (which are not available in single-player mode, though some Soviet bases in the later part of the Allied campaign have them). In online play, the Soviets can also use two Allied infantry units: the Rocket Soldier (for fighting air and ground targets) and Tanya, a commando who can destroy enemy structures and kill infantry.
In multiplayer and skirmish modes, players choose a specific country instead of the standard Allied or Soviet factions. Allied countries include Germany (stronger firepower), England (tougher units), and France (faster attacks). Soviet countries include Russia (cheaper units) and Ukraine (faster movement).
Plot
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is set in a different version of history. In 1946, at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, Albert Einstein uses an experimental time machine to travel back to December 20, 1924, in Landsberg, Germany. There, he meets Adolf Hitler shortly after Hitler leaves Landsberg Prison. After a short conversation, Einstein shakes Hitler’s hand, which removes Hitler from history.
Because Hitler dies before gaining power, Nazi Germany does not form. Instead, the Soviet Union (USSR) becomes stronger under Joseph Stalin’s leadership. The USSR takes land from China and invades Eastern Europe to expand its territory across Eurasia. In response, Western European countries, including a re-armed Germany, join together as the Allied Nations and fight against the Soviet Union’s army. Throughout the game’s story, the Allies and Soviets battle for control of Europe in a different version of World War II.
Connection to theTiberiangames
Westwood Studios created Command & Conquer: Red Alert as a prequel to Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn, and by extension, the entire Tiberian series.
In the Soviet campaign, Kane appears occasionally as a mysterious advisor to Joseph Stalin. The story suggests that Kane is responsible for starting the world war between the USSR and the Allied nations to achieve the long-term goals of the Brotherhood of Nod. Nadia, the leader of the NKVD, Stalin’s mistress, and a secret member of the Brotherhood since the 1950s, tells the player to "keep the peace" until the Brotherhood of Nod loses interest in the USSR in the early 1990s after the campaign ends. However, Kane kills Nadia suddenly and tells the player, "I am the future." During the fifth cutscene of the Allied campaign, a news announcer mentions that the United Nations is forming a special military group to prevent future global conflicts. This group is strongly suggested to be "Special Operations Group Echo: Black Ops 9," a secret peacekeeping unit of the United Nations and the predecessor of the Global Defense Initiative, one of the main factions in the Tiberian series.
A widely discussed idea to explain the timeline differences between Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is that Red Alert creates two separate storylines. If the Soviet campaign in Red Alert is completed, the USSR would become the dominant power in Eurasia, and Kane and the Brotherhood of Nod would control this new empire. If the Allied campaign is completed instead, the Allies would win, and the timeline would lead to the events of Red Alert 2 (even though Red Alert 2 ignores any connection to the Tiberium timeline). However, Tiberian Dawn begins with the Brotherhood of Nod as an underground terrorist group, not as a political force controlling the Soviet empire. This is confirmed by Adam Isgreen, a former C&C designer, who stated that Tiberian Dawn follows the conclusion of the Allied campaign in Red Alert. Red Alert 2 and Yuri’s Revenge take place in a second parallel universe, created by an attempt to change history in "Tiberian Incursion," the working title for Westwood Studios’ canceled version of Command & Conquer 3. Isgreen also suggested that Nikola Tesla may have accidentally drawn the attention of the Scrin through his experiments, leading to the arrival of Tiberium on Earth.
When the Command & Conquer: The First Decade compilation was released in February 2006, Electronic Arts decided to treat the C&C franchise as three separate universes, ignoring the connections between Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn established by Westwood Studios. In March 2007, with the release of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Electronic Arts published a document that indirectly references Kane’s appearance in Red Alert. It mentions that GDI’s "InOps" intelligence division has photos of Kane taken by the CIA. If these photos are real, Kane would be nearly 125 years old in the year 2030.
Freeware release
To celebrate the 13th anniversary of Command and Conquer and the release of Red Alert 3, EA made Command and Conquer: Red Alert available for free. After the promotion ended, other websites began offering the game and its extra content at no cost. The game community then created new versions of the game that do not require using the original game files. These versions include updates from fans that improve the game’s visuals, remove unnecessary files, fix errors, and add content from the PlayStation version. These new versions also often include tools for customizing the game and utilities for playing online with others.
Soundtrack
The music for the game was created by Frank Klepacki. It was chosen as the best video game soundtrack of 1996 by PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines.
Reception
In the United States, Command & Conquer: Red Alert was ranked number 2 on PC Data's computer game sales chart for November 1996, behind Microsoft Flight Simulator. It finished third in December and became the seventh-best-selling computer game of 1996 overall. PC Data reported that it sold 347,844 copies in the United States during that time, earning $16.5 million in revenue. In 1997, Red Alert remained in PC Data's top 3 for the first four months of the year, reaching number 2 in April. It was the fourth most popular game in the first half of 1997, after being ranked number 4 in May and June. The game stayed in the top 10 through September but was not in the top 20 by October. By the end of 1997, it was the eighth-best-selling computer game in the United States, with 363,207 copies sold that year. By September 1999, total sales in the United States reached 869,623 copies. At that time, PC Data listed it as the 17th-best-selling computer game in the United States since January 1993.
In August 1998, Red Alert received a "Platinum" sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), meaning it sold at least 200,000 copies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Germany alone, the game sold 400,000 copies in 1996. Red Alert was a commercial success, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide in its debut month, with over half of those sales coming from North America. By mid-February 1997, it had sold nearly 2 million copies globally.
The PC version of the game received a score of 90.91% on GameRankings based on 11 reviews, while the PlayStation version scored 81.40% based on 5 reviews. A reviewer for Next Generation noted that Red Alert kept the gameplay from the original game but improved the graphics, added air and sea warfare, and adjusted the game balance so players could not rely on old tactics. He said, "in a holiday season full of similar games, smart players will choose Red Alert." Vince Broady of GameSpot mentioned that the game stood out among many real-time strategy games in 1996, praising its unit design, level design, and overall quality. He said, "Red Alert is as good as Civilization II and Quake, games that improved on their predecessors." Rob Smith of PC Games and GamePro said the game's new units, story, and mission variety made up for limited improvements in the AI. He also noted that the control system made it easy to manage units in battle.
Command & Conquer won the 1996 Spotlight Award for "Best Strategy/War Game" from the Game Developers Conference. Computer Gaming World gave it the Strategy Game of the Year award (Readers' Choice). It was also a finalist for the same award, which was won by Civilization II.
The PlayStation version was well-received but not as highly as the PC version. IGN called it "one of the best PC to PlayStation ports," praising its complete content, mouse support, and Link Cable compatibility. However, reviewers noted that the PlayStation Mouse was hard to find, and the standard controller was difficult to use. The Link Cable was also rare and impractical for most players. Some found the inability to save mid-mission frustrating. GamePro recommended the PlayStation version only for those who could not play the PC version, calling it addictive with good cutscenes and music. GameSpot said it was more of an improved version of the original than a true sequel. Electronic Gaming Monthly's reviewers gave it high scores, praising its strategic depth and FMV cutscenes. They called it "the best console real-time strategy game of all time."
In 1998, PC Gamer listed Red Alert as the 14th-best computer game ever released, calling it "a perfectly balanced and action-packed epic that works well in both multiplayer and solo campaigns."
Expansion packs
In 1997, two expansion packs for the game Red Alert were released for the PC: Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Counterstrike and Command & Conquer: Red Alert: The Aftermath. These expansions were created by Westwood Studios with help from Intelligent Games, a game developer based in London. Many of the multiplayer maps were developed by players on the Compuserve Red Alert ladder. The expansions added new units, missions, maps, and music to the game.
By October 1997, Counterstrike had sold 650,000 copies worldwide after being released in April of that year. Westwood stated that this made it the fastest-selling expansion pack for a computer game at that time. The Counterstrike add-on included secret missions called "It Came from Red Alert," where players fight an army of giant, mutant ants. This was a reference to the 1989 video game It Came from the Desert.
The Aftermath expansion added new units for both the Allied and Soviet sides in single-player and multiplayer modes. Allied units included the Field Mechanic and the Chrono Tank. Soviet units included the Missile Sub, the Shock Trooper, the M.A.D Tank, and the Tesla Tank. Both sides also received the Demolition Truck. The expansion included hundreds of new maps and a larger map size than before.
On August 28, 1998, Westwood Studios released Command & Conquer Red Alert: Retaliation for the PlayStation. This version combined the two PC expansion packs and included the secret Ant Missions. It was nearly identical to the PlayStation version of the original Red Alert, but it allowed players to save their progress mid-mission, added new units like Tesla Tanks and Shock Troopers, and included 105 skirmish maps. The game also featured an in-game mode called Soylent Green Mode, where ore fields turned into people, and ore trucks harvested them with unsettling sound effects.
Retaliation included 19 exclusive briefing FMV (full-motion video) clips that were not in the PC versions. These videos showed generals from each side explaining mission objectives. The Allied General Carville later appeared in Red Alert 2, while the Soviet General Topolov did not return in later Red Alert games.
The Retaliation videos were later added to the PC version of Red Alert through a modification called The Lost Files. This mod included the Retaliation videos in the Counterstrike and Aftermath missions. The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection officially includes the Retaliation cutscenes, linking them to their respective missions as the mod did.
Red Alert Retaliation was released as a downloadable game for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Network in Europe on March 27, 2008, and in North America on December 3, 2009.
Red Alert Retaliation was nominated for the "8th Annual GamePro Readers' Choice Awards" for "Best Strategy Game of The Year" but did not win, losing to Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy.
Open source
In 2020, when Electronic Arts released the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, they also shared the source code for the remastered versions of Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert on GitHub. This was done under the GNU General Public License, with help from the Command & Conquer community. The goal was to support the creation of game modifications. The release of the source code also allowed developers to make versions of the original PC game, which was later released as free software. These versions now include unofficial ports for devices like the PlayStation Vita, based on a project called Vanilla-Conquer.
The source code for the original game was made open source in February 2025.
OpenRA is an open source game engine that recreates several Command & Conquer games, including Red Alert. It uses OpenGL and SDL, supports high-resolution displays, and works on Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD. The engine includes tools for creating custom modifications. The games have been updated for modern computers, with new campaigns, maps, and online play features. Changes from the original games include options for right-click or left-click controls, improved menus for managing in-game actions, and features like game replays and live streaming support. The game includes fog of war, which hides parts of the battlefield from view, and allows players to capture civilian structures for benefits. Units gain experience and improve as they earn ranks. The game also supports player handicapping, Discord integration, and community leaderboards. In 2023, experimental support for remastered game assets was added as a separate mod that works with the original game files.