About Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Red Alert was developed by Westwood Studios and released for PC in North America on November 22, 1996, with the European release following on December 4. Westwood published it in North America and Virgin Interactive in Europe. It was the second game to carry the Command & Conquer name, and a PlayStation version followed in November 1997.
Rather than continuing the story of the 1995 original, Red Alert goes back in time. It’s a prequel set in an alternate version of the series’ early history, in which the Allied Forces battle an aggressive Soviet Union for control of the European mainland. Adam P. Isgreen, Michael Lightner and Erik Yeo are credited as designers, Edward Alexander Del Castillo produced it, and Frank Klepacki returned to write the music. Like the first game, it offers both single-player and multiplayer modes. It also started a sub-series of its own, which continued with Red Alert 2.
Electronic Arts, which owns the Command & Conquer series today, released Red Alert as freeware in August 2008.
How it runs in your browser
Pressing Play takes you to Red Alert’s page on dos.zone, which opens in a new tab. The game itself is the original MS-DOS release, and it runs inside a virtual PC powered by js-dos, the open-source browser build of DOSBox that DOS.Zone maintains. Everything loads from the site: no installer, no files of your own and no sign-up. DOS.Zone doesn’t run ads on its game pages.
DOS.Zone’s description mentions tanks, soldiers and Tesla coils. Multiplayer isn’t listed for this version, so expect to play against the computer. Saving isn’t covered on the host’s page, so don’t assume progress will be kept between visits.
Controls and devices
Red Alert expects a keyboard and mouse. Once the game has loaded, click inside the picture so your clicks and key presses reach the game rather than the page. The key layout isn’t listed on the host’s page; the game’s own menus are the place to check.
Phones and tablets haven’t been checked for this version, and an army is much easier to manage with a mouse, so play on a desktop or laptop.
Who it’s for
It suits players who remember Red Alert from the 1990s and want it back without hunting for old discs, and newcomers who want to see where Red Alert started. If you’d rather begin at the start of the series, Command & Conquer from 1995 is also on DOS.Zone. For the sequel, our Red Alert 2 page covers Chrono Divide, a fan remake with online play that needs files from your own copy of the game.
Is Command & Conquer: Red Alert Free, Safe and Official?
Is Red Alert free to play?
Yes. Electronic Arts released Red Alert as freeware in August 2008, and DOS.Zone runs it in a browser tab with no account and nothing to install.
Is this Red Alert 1 or Red Alert 2?
It’s the first Red Alert from 1996, in its MS-DOS version. Red Alert 2 is a separate, later game; our Red Alert 2 page covers Chrono Divide, a fan remake that needs files from your own copy.
Can I play Red Alert online with friends?
Not on this listing. The original game had multiplayer, but DOS.Zone doesn’t list it for this version, so plan on playing against the computer.
