About Command & Conquer
Westwood Studios developed Command & Conquer and released it for MS-DOS on September 26, 1995 in North America, with Europe following three days later. Westwood published it in North America, and Virgin Interactive handled the European release. Erik Yeo is credited as designer, Brett Sperry and Edward Del Castillo produced it, and Frank Klepacki wrote the music. Versions for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Mac OS and Windows 95 followed in 1996 and 1997, and a Nintendo 64 version, developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Nintendo, came out in 1999.
The game is set in an alternate history and tells the story of a world war between two global factions. One is the Global Defense Initiative of the United Nations. The other is the Brotherhood of Nod, a revolutionary militant organization led by the mysterious Kane. As in any real-time strategy game, you and your opponent act at the same moment rather than taking turns. It was the first game in the Command & Conquer series, and Red Alert, released the following year, was written as its prequel.
In August 2007, for the series’ 12th anniversary, Electronic Arts released the Gold edition of Command & Conquer as freeware. EA still owns the series today.
How it runs in your browser
When you press Play, the game’s page on dos.zone opens in a new tab. DOS.Zone runs the original MS-DOS release inside an emulated PC using js-dos, its open-source version of the DOSBox emulator compiled for the browser. The site supplies the game files itself, so there is nothing to install and nothing of your own to provide. You don’t need an account, and DOS.Zone doesn’t show ads.
The original game had both single-player and multiplayer modes, but multiplayer isn’t listed for this listing, so plan on facing the computer. Save support isn’t described either. The DOS.Zone page shows a rating of 5 from 163 reviews.
Controls and devices
Command & Conquer was designed for a keyboard and mouse, and that’s how it runs here. Click inside the game picture once it loads so the emulator picks up your input. The exact controls aren’t listed on the host’s page, so look at the game’s own menus before your first mission.
DOS.Zone mentions virtual on-screen controls that let you try the game on a phone. Commanding an army with your thumb is a different experience from using a mouse, though, and we haven’t tried it, so a desktop or laptop is the safer choice.
Who it’s for
This page suits players who want the game that started the series, in the DOS form it first shipped in, and anyone curious about where Kane and the Brotherhood of Nod began. If you want to follow the timeline backwards, Command & Conquer: Red Alert runs the same way on DOS.Zone. For something newer from Westwood, our Red Alert 2 page covers a fan remake with online play.
Is Command & Conquer Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Command & Conquer online for free?
Yes, in a browser tab. Electronic Arts made the game freeware in 2007, and DOS.Zone runs it with no account and nothing to install. Multiplayer isn’t listed for this version, so expect to play against the computer.
Do I need the original Command & Conquer files or discs?
No. DOS.Zone loads the game files from its own site, so you don’t supply a disc image or any files of your own.
Does Command & Conquer work on a phone?
DOS.Zone offers virtual on-screen controls for phones, but the game was made for a keyboard and mouse and we haven’t tested it on a phone. A computer is the better fit.
