Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a real-time strategy video game released for Microsoft Windows on October 25, 2000. It is a sequel to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. The game continues the Allied campaign from the first game. Its expansion pack, Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, was released in 2001. Red Alert 2 was mainly developed by Westwood Pacific with help from Westwood Studios.
The game features two playable groups, the Soviets and the Allies, which also appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert. The single-player story uses alternate-ending choices instead of a continuous storyline. Like the first game, Red Alert 2 includes many full-motion video scenes between missions and during gameplay. These scenes feature a group of actors, including Ray Wise, Udo Kier, Kari Wuhrer, and Barry Corbin.
Red Alert 2 was successful both commercially and critically, earning an 86% rating from GameRankings. It was released with a collector's edition. A follow-up game, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, was released in 2008.
Gameplay
The main goal of the game is to defeat enemy commanders, controlled by AI or human players, by destroying their bases until they surrender. Players must also protect their own bases to collect money and build units, both of which are needed to reach the main goal. When all enemy commanders are defeated, the game declares a winner.
Every part of the game depends on collecting money. Money can be gathered in several ways. The most common method is using miner trucks to collect ore or gems and deliver them to a refinery. Players can also earn a steady income by capturing oil derricks (neutral buildings found on some maps). Other one-time ways to gain money include collecting random crates on the map or selling buildings the player owns. Allied players have an additional one-time option: using a spy to steal money from an opponent. Money is used to build and repair structures and units. Players can start building before having all the money needed, as construction will pause if they run out.
The game's nations are divided into the Soviet or Allied factions, which are loosely based on real-life Cold War groups. After installing the Yuri's Revenge expansion, players can play a new campaign and choose to fight as the Yuri faction in skirmishes. This expansion also updates existing Soviet and Allied troops and adds new ones with unique voice lines. One reason Red Alert 2 was praised over the original Red Alert was that playing as a specific country had a bigger impact on gameplay. While all countries share basic buildings and units, each has a special unique unit, ability, or structure.
Red Alert 2 is the first Command & Conquer real-time strategy game to not include a "mission select" screen before levels that change the game's conditions.
Like previous Command & Conquer games, the two factions in Red Alert 2 have unique armies with their own strengths and weaknesses. To win, players must use their faction's strengths and take advantage of the other faction's weaknesses. The factions follow the same trends as in the previous title.
Soviet vehicles often have more powerful weapons and can survive more damage compared to Allied vehicles, such as the Heavy Rhino Tank with V3 Rocket Launchers. However, they cost more to build and sometimes move slower, allowing Allied vehicles to outmaneuver and outnumber them. Soviet infantry, like the Conscript, are much cheaper and faster to train than Allied G.I.s, making it easy to create large numbers. The Soviet faction is stronger in the early game and during land battles because of their advanced tanks, while the Allied faction excels in the late game with more advanced units, especially those used in naval warfare. Soviets are better for early game attacks, which are common in online games.
In single-player mode, players can choose from three campaigns or play Skirmish mode, where battle rules and settings can be customized.
Red Alert 2 includes three campaigns: Boot Camp, Allied, and Soviet. Each campaign is different. Boot Camp is a tutorial with two missions that teach players the basics of the game using Allied forces. Completing Boot Camp leads into the Allied Campaign. The Allied and Soviet campaigns are the main storylines, each with twelve missions where players face computer-controlled opponents. Some missions require defeating all enemies in an area, while others have specific goals, such as capturing or destroying a particular enemy structure or defending one of the player's own structures. Though the stories and units differ, both campaigns follow a similar structure. Both begin with the player starting with a limited base or a Mobile Construction Unit and a small group of units. In some missions, building structures is not required.
Skirmish mode is a multiplayer-style game where players fight against computer-controlled opponents. Players choose a map and can play against as many opponents as the map allows. Settings like starting units, initial money, game speed, and superweapon availability can be adjusted. The goal is to destroy all enemy units and structures with no special objectives.
Red Alert 2 includes two multiplayer modes. LAN allows players to play with friends or others without an internet connection. Online Play lets players compete against others worldwide over the internet. LAN only supports Skirmish Mode from the single-player game. Online Play supports tournaments, private and public games, ladder rankings, and a chat system. In 2005, control of online play for Red Alert 2 and older Command & Conquer games was transferred from EA to XWIS, a community-run server. As of August 2025, multiplayer is still active through CnCNet.
Synopsis
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a real-time strategy game that includes two separate campaigns with different storylines, one for each playable faction. The game takes place in an alternate history where Adolf Hitler was removed from history by Albert Einstein, who used a time machine to travel back in time. Without Hitler, the Soviet Union took the place of Nazi Germany and started World War II. Joseph Stalin tried to conquer Europe but was defeated by the Allied nations. To prevent unrest in the Soviet Union, the Allies placed Alexander Romanov, a distant relative of Tsar Nicholas II, as the Soviet leader. Romanov agreed to the Allies' demands at first but secretly built up the Soviet military to prepare for an invasion of the United States.
The game’s story begins in 1972, when the Soviet Union suddenly invades the United States. Soviet forces attack both the East and West Coasts, and many Soviet troops enter the U.S. through Mexico, starting World War III. The United States tries to fight back using nuclear missiles, but Yuri, a Soviet leader with psychic powers and Premier Romanov’s advisor, uses mind control to stop the missiles from launching. The U.S. is quickly overrun by Soviet forces. Players can choose to play as an American commander, defending the United States under General Ben Carville, or as a Soviet commander leading the invasion for Premier Romanov. Each choice leads to different storylines and endings.
The Allied commander is sent to New York City with a special forces team led by Special Agent Tanya Adams to stop the Soviet invasion. They later travel to Colorado Springs to free the Air Force Academy and an air base. After returning, they discover a Soviet device called the Psychic Beacon in Washington, D.C., which forces the U.S. president and General Carville to surrender. The commander rescues them, and the government moves to Canada.
When the Soviets deploy another device, the Psychic Amplifier, in Chicago, the Allies destroy it from their Canadian base. In response, the Soviets launch a nuclear missile at Chicago. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom agree to help the U.S. if the Allies disarm Soviet nuclear missile silos in Poland. The Allies complete this task, and the U.S. military launches an attack on Soviet-occupied Washington, D.C., reclaiming the city. After defending Pearl Harbor, the Allies free St. Louis and the Mississippi River from Soviet control and stop the Soviets from copying Allied technology that creates powerful energy beams.
General Carville sends the commander to protect Albert Einstein’s laboratory, which holds a prototype Chronosphere—a device that can teleport troops anywhere. Carville is killed by a Soviet suicide bomber. Einstein decides to build the Chronosphere on a small island in the Florida Keys, near Soviet Cuba. The Allies use the Chronosphere to teleport a strike team to Moscow, destroy Soviet defenses around the Kremlin, and capture Premier Romanov, forcing the Soviets to surrender.
Premier Alexander Romanov informs the commander about an upcoming Soviet invasion of the United States. The commander attacks Washington, D.C., and destroys the Pentagon. Another Soviet invasion targets Florida to destroy a U.S. fleet threatening the Soviet invasion of the East Coast. Despite this, General Vladimir, the Soviet chief commander, is credited with these successes. While Vladimir is in Moscow, Yuri, Romanov’s advisor, suggests the commander prove his worth by capturing New York City using a Psychic Beacon. When Allied forces from South Korea attack Vladivostok, the commander repels them, causing Germany and France to send troops to the German-Polish border to defend against Soviet aggression. The commander takes advantage of this by capturing Paris and using the Eiffel Tower as a Tesla coil to destroy the city, forcing European Allies to withdraw support for the United States.
Meanwhile, Yuri uses his psychic powers to control Romanov, who gives Yuri control of the Soviet military. This angers General Vladimir, who is dismissed by Yuri. Yuri assigns the commander to build a base on the Hawaiian Islands. When the Allies attempt to attack a Soviet research facility in the Ural Mountains using the Chronosphere, the commander defends the facility. Shortly after, Yuri tells the commander that Vladimir killed Romanov. Declaring Vladimir a traitor, Yuri orders the commander to capture Vladimir in the White House. After Vladimir’s capture and execution, the commander captures the U.S. president and destroys the Allied superweapon, a weather control device that creates powerful thunderstorms to destroy armored structures.
Impressed by the commander’s victories, Yuri invites them to Moscow but is confronted by Lt. Zofia, who reveals that Romanov recorded a message before his death, exposing Yuri’s control over him and ordering the commander to bring Yuri to justice. The commander attacks Moscow with the Soviet army, destroys the Kremlin, and appears to kill Yuri. Using information from Yuri’s files, the commander defeats the Allies’ final attempt to attack the Soviet Union with another Chronosphere, becoming the world’s ruler. In the final scene, Yuri is shown surviving, his brain floating in a glass jar filled with water. He telepathically communicates with the commander, saying, “It would have been good to see inside your mind, General. I still may get the chance…,” setting up the next game in the series, Command & Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge.
Development
Red Alert 2 was different from earlier games in the franchise because it was developed by Westwood Pacific. Westwood Studios, the original creators of the Command & Conquer series, helped with the game but had other work to do at the time. Even though they contributed, only Westwood Studios' name was listed on the game's packaging.
Soundtrack
The music for the Red Alert 2 game was created by Frank Klepacki, who has worked with the Command & Conquer series for many years.
Reception
In the United States, Red Alert 2 was the top-selling computer game on PC Data's chart for the week of October 22 to October 28. It stayed in the number one spot during its second week and became the ninth-largest computer game seller in October, according to PC Data. The game remained in the top 10 of the firm's weekly rankings through the end of 2000. It reached number one in November and number seven in December. By the end of 2000, the game had sold 334,400 units in the United States, earning $13.2 million. PC Data later ranked it as the 13th-best-selling computer game of 2000. In 2001, it was the 14th-best-selling game, with sales of 388,893 units and $15 million in revenue.
By August 2006, the game had sold 810,000 copies in the United States, earning $26.9 million since its release in October 2000. It was the 11th-best-selling computer game in the country between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all Command & Conquer strategy games released during that time, including Red Alert 2, reached 4.3 million units in the United States. Red Alert 2 received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
In Germany, Red Alert 2 was expected to be a major success. PC Player's Martin Schnelle predicted it could be the best-selling game of the 2000 holiday season. It was the top-selling computer game on Media Control's chart for October 2000 and stayed in first place the following month. The Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) gave Red Alert 2 a "Gold" award in November, showing it sold at least 100,000 units in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It ranked fourth in December and remained in Media Control's top 10 through February 2001 and in the top 14 through March. By May 2001, the game had sold about 180,000 units in the German region, a number that Electronic Arts described as "very pleased" with.
While Red Alert 2 sold well in Germany, it was less successful than its earlier game, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun. Herman Achilles of the VUD noted a "noticeable drop in sales" for Red Alert 2 and other top-selling games, which he linked to increasing piracy. Tom Meier of the German retailer PC Fun said lower demand for Red Alert 2 was due to player disappointment with Tiberian Sun. Udo Hoffman of PC Player wrote that Meier had to open his shop earlier to handle crowds for Tiberian Sun, while Red Alert 2 was "just a sale among many."
The Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection bundle includes Red Alert 2 and is still available to play.
Gary Whitta reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, giving it four stars out of five. He said Red Alert 2 was "much better than Tiberian Sun" and proved that Westwood could still create strong real-time strategy games.
Red Alert 2 received mostly positive reviews. IGN called it "outstanding," and GamePro named it an "Editor's Choice." A GamePro reviewer said the game was not the most innovative but had solid gameplay and a Cold War storyline, making it the best 2D real-time strategy game since StarCraft.
After the September 11 attacks, the game's cover art was changed to remove an image of a plane near the World Trade Center and replace the American flag with a mushroom cloud. EA offered retailers the chance to exchange copies with the updated cover. Even after the change, the World Trade Center remained in the game's campaign, with the Soviet campaign allowing players to occupy and destroy the buildings.
PC Gamer US named Red Alert 2 the best real-time strategy game and the best multiplayer game of 2000.
At the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Red Alert 2 for "Game of the Year," "PC Game of the Year," "PC Strategy," and "Online Gameplay" awards.