Gaming News
Every Command & Conquer PC Game Ranked
Here’s our list of every Command and Conquer RTS PC game ranked from worst to best. The Real-Time Strategy (RTS) genre hit big time with the release of Command & Conquer in 1995. The series was a major influence of the RTS genre along with Blizzard’s Starcraft.
Command & Conquer’s creators Westwood Studios applied their RTS formula to Dune II in 1992. It wasn’t the first RTS game but laid the foundations for what was to follow.
Our rules
When ranking Command & Conquer games we’ll only be focusing on the PC RTS releases. Not included are Console ports, exclusives, remakes/releases, and mobile games.
Expansion pack reviews are combined into the game’s average score.
Review scores will be the main focus of how we rank the C&C games on this list. If two games have a close average review score the number of reviews for a game is taken into account. The game receiving the most reviews ranking higher. Rankings aren’t based on technical aspects of the games as some are more modern than others on the list.
So welcome, Commander!
8. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight
Released: 2010
Developer: EA Los Angeles
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Average Review Score: 66.4%
We start off with the lowest-ranked C&C RTS game in the series by a long way. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight was the nail in the coffin for the series. Its main sin was removing the base building, abandoning the cornerstone of RTS gameplay.
Instead, you control a unit called the Crawler that spawns your units. One good feature was the ability to play as Defence, Offence, or Support. If base building survived, these three branches could have made for great multiplayer gameplay.
It didn’t help back then that EA demanded every game needed a constant internet connection to play. (Oh how we all loved that!)
The response was a game that received mixed to panned reviews. Billed as the end to the Tiberium and Kane saga, it went out on a whimper. The series deserved a far better finale.
Eurogamer’s Alec Meer summed it up best by saying “The entire game has been rebuilt, leaving something that’s both back-to-basics and completely unrecognisable” Command & Conquer 4 was too much of a departure from the classic gameplay formula and C&C fans were left alienated as a result.
7. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and Firestorm
Released: 1999
Developer: Westwood Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Average Review Score: 80.4%
Tiberian Sun is by no means a bad game; the margins for ranking this list are very close. Set in a dystopian 2030 where Tiberium has ravaged the world. The Brotherhood of Nod and the GDI (Global Defence Initiative) embark on the Second Tiberium War. Kane Lives and returns. The gameplay is faster than the first games in the series and the units reflect a sci-fi look to match. GDI has swapped its tanks for walkers and Nod has cyborgs at their disposal with the AI Cabal overseeing them. (What could possibly go wrong!)
The game introduces mutants called the “Forgotten”. Nod tries to manipulate them whereas GDI seeks to help them. A big departure of Tiberian Sun is the lack of the GDI Commando, a fan favourite from the first game. In their place, GDI has the mutant Ghoststalker and Nod the Cyborg Commando.
The Firestorm expansion forces GDI and Nod to team up against the rogue psychopath of an AI Cabal, who wages war on humanity.
IGN’s Stephen Butts praised the game giving it a 8/10 “Tiberian Sun delivers phenomenal gameplay within an exciting context and that’s more than enough for me”
Tiberian Sun is still a lot of fun to play today.
6. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Kane’s Wrath
Released: 2007
Developer: EA Los Angeles/Breakaway Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Average Score: 80.2%
EA isn’t Westwood Studios, but for a time they actually put the effort in. Command & Conquer 3 fits into this category. The Nod and GDI campaigns are still worth a play through today. Tiberium Wars takes place where the green substance has further eroded the planet.
The Populous live in great disparity from one another. The rich in the safer blue zones and the poor in the dangerous yellow and inhospitable red zones. NOD sow uprising to the disenfranchised leading to the third war. We even get treated to a full-blown alien invasion.
Gamespot’s Kevin VanOrd gave Command & Conquer 3 a 9 out of 10 “The missions themselves are incredibly varied and involve a lot more than destroying an enemy base or defending a particular structure. You’ll have to do these things, of course, but you have both primary and secondary objectives to complete”
The attention to detail and care were present in this game, they even included the best version of the GDI Commando. The guy is an army of one. (He has a freaking jetpack, railgun, and C4 charges for crying out loud).
Rare to say this, but good job EA!
5. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and Uprising
Released: 2008
Developer: EA Los Angeles
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Average Score: 82.5%
The Soviets time travel to prevent their loss to the Allies. The cheesy acting is at its strongest here. JK Simmons is the US President, Tim Curry is the Soviet Premiere and George Takei is the Emperor of The Rising Sun. Expect more outlandish ways to wage war, with attack bears, psychic school girls and the ability to drop satellites on your enemies.
In a first for the series, the vast majority of buildings can be built on water. This allows for naval and amphibious combat like never before. Red Alert 3 is packed with colourful visuals when other games of the time were going for that murky overtone.
IGN’s Jason Ocampo claimed “Red Alert 3 feels like a bubblegum version of real-time strategy. It’s silly and campy, yes, and it’s also fun” and it’s hard to disagree, it’s bonkers but a good time.
4. Command & Conquer: Generals and Zero Hour
Released: 2003
Developer: EA Pacific & EA Los Angeles
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Average Score: 86%
Generals was the first EA-made C&C game. Set in a modern setting with players choosing from the USA, China, and the GLA, the latter being a terrorist faction.
The story and FMV cut scenes are gone, though some would return in the expansion pack. A big change was using workers or bulldozers to construct buildings instead of the Mobile Construction Vehicle. The downside is buildings took longer to build and the bulldozers had all the strength of paper.
The game relied too heavily on superweapons at times. It’s an interesting play-through. It was the first 3D game in the series. On release, Germany banned it for the glorification of terrorism. China also banned it as it angered the Chinese Communist Party,
Zero Hour added the hugely entertaining Generals Challenge. Where you chose a general whose forces had a modified faction of the USA, China or The GLA. Some of the generals to choose from were Airforce, Nuke, Tank and Toxic each with different and unique units.
3. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 & Yuri’s Revenge
Released: 2000
Developer: Westwood Studios & Westwood Pacific
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Average Review Score: 85.8%
Red Alert 2 gets so many things right, great gameplay a myriad of units, and a B Movie story featuring mind control. The Soviet Union launch an all-out invasion of the USA and the second war is on!
The gameplay was fast balanced and the maps need exploring as every corner could be hiding some very welcome surprises. Red Alert 2 lets you wage war without holding your hand. The mass variety of mad and wonderful units makes this game a joy to play even 20 years on from its release. (Providing you can get around the compatibility issues on modern PCs)
The evil psychic known only as Yuri is by far an underrated villain of the series, taunting you during battles.
Ben from Eurogamer said “My personal favourite is ‘Crazy Ivan‘, the Russian demolitions expert who can put explosives on anything. Yes, anything – buildings, vehicles, people, and even dogs and cows aren’t safe! This leads to some interesting tactics, such as building a pack of dogs, attaching bombs to them, and then running them into enemy units”
There are massive airships, squids, and units that can remove the enemy from time itself. Oh didn’t I mention mind control? It’s a blast to play even today. The multiplayer servers are still available through fan mods and downloads. EA can we get a remaster, please?
2. Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Released: 1996
Developer: Westwood Studios
Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Average Review Score: 88.2%
Red Alert the popular spin-off that became its own series within Command & Conquer. Hitler has been removed from history and the Allies now face an invasion from Stalin’s Soviet Union.
The game added a faster and more refined experience than the original and the much-loved Skirmish mode made its debut.
Much like the original, the soundtrack was composed by Frank Klepacki, with the game’s main title track becoming the iconic Hell March. Which has since featured as the main theme of every Red Alert game in newer and remixed versions.
“When Red Alert came out though, and even more fan letters and demand for the soundtrack and winning awards was happening, it was even more of an eye-opener and really solidified that this is bigger than I think it is. The fact that Hell March has been considered an all-time iconic track in our industry is quite a blessing. That is really the publics’ choice. So I’m very thankful for that.” Frank Klepacki.
Red Alert also introduced the over-the-top B movie-style cut scenes that would become a staple of the Red Alert games.
1. Command & Conquer
Released: 1995
Developer: Westwood Studios
Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Average Review Score: 94%
The original Command & Conquer takes the top spot on this list and why not? It built on gameplay elements from Dune 2 and influenced games across the whole RTS genre.
GDI and Nod do battle for the first time and deadly alien substance Tiberium is plunging the earth into disaster. The Brotherhood of Nod’s cult-like leader Kane made his debut by shooting a disgruntled underling in the head. One of the best ways to introduce a character in gaming to this day.
Frank Klepacki who created the soundtracks for the Command & Conquer games made by Westwood Studios was part of the original team working on C&C “Working on the first C&C was the wild west of game development. We were putting new technologies to use at the time and if something didn’t work right or didn’t exist the coders created it. Full motion video in games was a new thing.”
Command & Conquer was to build your base and crush the enemy. On release, it was met with near-universal praise from publications ranging from PC Gamer, EGM and even Entertainment Weekly’s Bob Strauss praising the game “If you liked playing with toy soldiers as a kid, you’ll think you’ve stepped on a land mine and gone to heaven”
“When the first C&C came out the reaction was overwhelming and I didn’t quite grasp it. We knew we had something special but didn’t know that it would gain the traction it did” Frank Klepacki.
It’s hard to imagine the RTS genre without the release of the original Command & Conquer which helped to define the genre.
And that’s our list of Command & Conquer PC games ranked. Did we miss any? Do you agree with our order? Let us know in the comments below.
A big thank you to Frank Klepacki from Petroglyph Games for his contribution to this article.
Read about 7 XBox games to get excited about HERE.
On November 5th, Animal Crossing 2.0 alongside the DLC Happy Home Paradise was released. It was the last major free update to hit the latest game in the franchise and added a host of new features to the game. After almost a month of playing it, here’s our review and everything new in Animal Crossing 2.0 from Nintendo.
Background
Animal Crossing has been around for 20 years, with its first release on 14th April 2001. Since then it’s released several versions of the game for the DS, Wii, and so on.
The latest version, New Horizons, came to the Nintendo Switch at just the right time; at the very beginning of Quarantine. It was easily the most popular Nintendo game last year. But it had a fatal flaw; rather than including everything upfront, Nintendo would release periodic updates where they would add to the game. The goal was to keep the game feeling fresh, but the result was that New Horizons felt unfinished. The game was bare-bones compared to past versions of Animal Crossing and didn’t have half as much to do. With the release of the last free update, New Horizons finally feels like a complete game. So what’s new? While there were a lot of things added and small things fixed, we’re just going to focus on the major gameplay changes and additions.
Brewster
The beloved pigeon, Brewster, has been in Animal Crossing since 2005. He runs a cosy coffee shop, The Roost, usually located in the Museum. But he has been missing from New Horizons. A fan favourite, his absence has definitely been felt. Brewster is one of the most demanded additions to New Horizons. With the update, you can find him gyroid hunting on one of Kapp’n’s Islands and invite him to your island, where he will set up the Roost once more. You will also find some of your residents and NPCs there and can invite current and past Animal Crossing characters to the Roost via Amiibo card.
Kapp’n
Speaking of Kapp’n, the turtle is back. In past versions of the game, Kapp’n is usually the one taking you to your new village at the start of every game. Whether it be by taxi, bus, or train, Animal Crossing typically kicks off with the retired seafarer. But New Horizons didn’t feature Kapp’n at all; until now. Now you can have him take you on island tours via his little boat off your dock. Some of these islands are extremely rare and feature exclusive items. He also sings you a little song while you make the journey..
Gyroids
Gyroids have, once again, been a part of every Animal Crossing game until New Horizons. They are little singing things that can be placed like furniture. In New Horizons, you can find a fragment on Kapp’n’s islands, bury it, water it, and a gyroid will grow the next day. Or some may be buried on your island after a rainy day. While past versions of gyroids have been annoying, the New Horizon’s gyroids are adorable and delightful. In New Horizons, Brewster is an avid collector. You’ll even get a Brewster gyroid after drinking enough coffee.
Cooking / Farming
Cooking has also been added to the game, something entirely unique to New Horizons. You can purchase crop starts from Leif, start a farm, and then cook the produce you grow. This opens up a whole host of fun recipes, and you can gift your creations to your residents. Eating a meal will make your villager stronger for longer, the same effect eating fruit previously had.
Group Stretching
You can also host a group stretching event in the plaza. Random villagers and NPCs will join you. You can use your controllers to actually stretch with them, or use the joysticks if you’re stuck with a Lite or don’t feel like standing up.
Harv’s Island
Harv’s Island was previously… pretty useless. There was really nothing to do there aside from taking pictures, which is fun once. Now you can help him build an open-air Farmers Market/Commune. For 100,000 bells each, you can invite NPCs to set up a permanent shop. Among these are Leif, Redd, Kicks, Saharah, Reese, and Cyrus, who have all been seen in New Horizons. But it also introduces the return of Tortimer, the mayor from past games. (Who some fans theorized was dead until now). Harriet, a hairdresser who introduces a ton of new hairstyles to the game. And the fortune-teller Katrina. This expansion to Harv’s island is a huge resource.
You no longer have to wait for these NPCs to come to your island to purchase goods from them. It also opens up more customization for previously uncustomisable items. And it’s another goal to work towards after you pay off your home loans.
Ordinances
You can now issue Ordinances through Isabelle in the town hall. These include things like adding a Bell Boom so that you find more bells and goods are worth more, but things also cost more. Or the Beautiful Island ordinance, which will have your villagers pick up weeds and trash and will cause your flowers to grow faster. You can also issue that your villagers wake up earlier or go to bed later.
Happy Home Paradise
In addition to 2.0, a DLC was added to the Nintendo Store. Happy Home Paradise allows you to “get a job” building vacation homes. You report to your boss Lottie for work, alongside your coworkers Niko and Wardell. From there, you choose a character and build a home for them. They will give you a theme and some items they want to see in their home. You can also design facilities, like a cafe or school and assign characters to work in them. Using an amiibo card, you can also design homes for NPCs like Isabelle or Tom Nook, where you will have free reign over the design.
Happy Home Paradise also introduces partition walls which allow for more design options in your house. It also includes a lot of new furniture. When you’ve designed enough vacation homes, you are able to then redesign the houses on your island.
HHP adds a lot to the game. Animal Crossing’s flaw has always been that it gets too repetitive. HHP adds some flavour and a lot more to do. So even long after you’ve paid off your home loan and made your island pretty, you can still really engage with the game. It adds to and boosts life on the island, but also extends the world a bit. You can interact with more characters beyond just your residents and have more interaction with NPCs beyond purchasing goods from them.
Overall
All in all, the 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise have elevated New Horizons. It makes the game feel new and adds what many fans have been asking for. While they are both great, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this all should have been included from the get-go like past versions of the game. After playing a skeleton of a game for a year, we now truly have a new Animal Crossing game.
Do you like Animal Crossing 2.0? Do you agree with our Animal Crossing review? Let us know in the comments below.
We compare Animal Crossing with Stardew Valley HERE.
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