The game was released in March 2005[1] and features a detailed story written by Dale Brown, a retired captain of the United States Air Force and a bestselling author.

An expansion pack called Act of War: High Treason was released in March 2006 in Europe and Australia, and in May 2006 in North America.

[citation needed] The original game and expansion were later released as Act of War: Gold Edition, on 28 September 2007 in Europe.

In Act of War, heavily wounded soldiers are immobilized and are unable to engage in combat until they receive medical attention.

Act of War is set in what is only referred to as "a near future" (presumably 2017 or 2023, since the game starts on Wednesday, 10 May) where gasoline prices in the United States have reached over $7 a gallon due to a global economic crisis.

One week before the "World Energy Forum" meeting in London, a terrorist bombing destroys an oil facility in Houston.

As such, an elite top-secret military unit known as Task Force Talon is assigned to guard the World Energy Forum, which is attacked by terrorists hiding amongst the anti-WEF protestors.

Therefore, Major Richter goes against executive orders from the U.S. president and deploys Task Force Talon forces to Egypt, where they gather enough intelligence to convince the President to support their pre-emptive action and also defend the TGE oil refinery complex in Egypt, deploying cutting-edge military technology against an enemy that now possesses self-propelled artillery and stealth tanks.

Even as the U.S. forces struggle to liberate the United States Capitol, the 81st U.S. Armored Division, taken over by the Consortium, rescues Zakharov and occupies the White House area.

Eventually, the U.S. Army and Task Force Talon mount a counter-attack on the Consortium-occupied White House, facing cutting-edge enemy technology that is supposed to be top-secret U.S. and Russian prototypes.

Zakharov is discovered dead after Major Richter, standing atop of a massive smoldering crater, orders a DNA analysis of the remains.

Therefore, losing too many units early in a game due to misuse and poor strategic choices quickly decide the outcome of the battle.