Command & Conquer (C&C) is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game franchise created and originally developed by Westwood Studios and currently owned by Electronic Arts.

Highly successful, it was followed by Command & Conquer: Red Alert in 1996 which is set in an alternate universe where the Soviet Union wages war with the Allies.

A spin-off game in 2003, Command & Conquer: Generals, set in a more realistic near-future and featuring the United States, China and the Global Liberation Army was followed by an expansion pack, Zero Hour.

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, released in 2010 as the conclusion to the Tiberium saga, received mixed reviews because of its deviation from traditional gameplay and story.

The series is primarily developed for personal computers running Microsoft Windows, although some titles have been ported to various video game consoles and Apple Mac.

All games in the series have also offered online play, as well as "skirmish" matches in which players can face AI enemies.

All Command & Conquer real-time strategy games except Command & Conquer: Generals and its expansions have featured the "side bar" for navigation and control as opposed to many other similar games where the control bar is located on the bottom of the screen.

Units can be classified into infantry, vehicles, and aircraft, each with their own subdivisions (note: in the Red Alert series there is also naval craft available).

[7][8][11][12][13][14] Command & Conquer introduced the warring factions of the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod.

Compared to its predecessor, Tiberian Sun relies heavily on science fiction technologies and introduces a new isometric game engine featuring varying level terrain to give the impression of a true 3D environment.

The full motion video is also scripted differently; while the cutscenes of Command & Conquer and Red Alert were filmed from a first-person perspective, Tiberian Sun used traditional cinematic shots for its FMVs featuring actors such as James Earl Jones and Michael Biehn.

[18] Although receiving average reviews, with an aggregate score of 75% on both GameRankings and Metacritic, Renegade was praised for its online features.

[19] Online play was praised for encouraging teamwork and coordinated assaults, unlike other contemporary first-person shooters.

As a direct sequel to Tiberian Sun, Tiberium Wars is set in 2047 and features the introduction of a third faction, the Scrin.

PC Gamer U.S. gave the game its "Editor's Choice" rating at 90%, stating that "one of the greatest RTS franchises of all time returns to glory", while PC Gamer UK gave it a more reserved rating of 82%, stating that it was "a welcome, but limited, return".

Shortly after the release of Tiberium Wars, the expansion pack Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath was announced.

EA announced in November 2018 its plans to remaster Command & Conquer, including expansions and Red Alert, for modern computer systems through Petroglyph Games.

[22] The Remastered Collection received a score of 82/100 on Metacritic, with 48 positive, ten mixed and zero negative reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception.

[citation needed] Red Alert introduces the Allies and the Soviets as rival factions roughly analogous to NATO and the Warsaw Pact of the Cold War.

Before being re-released as freeware on August 31, 2008, by Electronic Arts Command & Conquer: Red Alert had sold over three million copies.

It featured a Soviet invasion of North America with tanks, conscripts, large airships, and psychically dominated anti-ship giant squid.

GameRankings reports an average score of 85% based on 31 reviews,[29] making Yuri's Revenge the best received expansion pack in the Command & Conquer series.

The Chinese developer Tencent made a new iOS version of Red Alert, with a highly mixed reception from fans online.

Generals is set in the near future and features the United States, China and the fictional terrorist organization, the Global Liberation Army.

Zero Hour added nine new armies to the game, over a dozen new campaign missions, and a gameplay mode known as Generals Challenge.

[49] In March 2024, EA released Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection on Steam, with newly added level editors in accordance to fan demand.

[50] In February 2025, EA made the original source code for Command & Conquer, Red Alert, Generals, Zero Hour and Renegade open-source.

The original score for Command & Conquer: Red Alert was composed by Frank Klepacki and was voted the best video game soundtrack of 1996 by PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines.

Originally intended to be the theme for the Brotherhood of Nod faction in the Covert Operations expansion to the original 1995 Command & Conquer game,[52] the track eventually ended up enlisting itself as a staple in the Red Alert series instead, and a second version of "Hell March" was specifically created for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.

I wrote some more ambient style themes they asked me for, and then I began tinkering with this heavy metal song that I was trying to gear towards Nod for the next big C&C game.