What New Features Are in the Latest OpenRA Playtest?

Updated

The latest OpenRA playtest (playtest-20260222, announced 22 February 2026) adds random map generators for Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, and Dune 2000, a community-led balance overhaul for skirmish and multiplayer, single-player campaign difficulty adjustments, and new map editor tools including the Path Tiler. If you play OpenRA's supported classic RTS titles or make maps for them, this release is aimed directly at you.

Random map generators for three games

The headline feature is a new random map generator for each of Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, and Dune 2000. The workflow described in the announcement is straightforward:

  1. Select a biome.
  2. Set the number of players.
  3. Adjust details about symmetry and resources.
  4. Play.

Generated maps work in both Skirmish and Multiplayer. According to the announcement, the generators "can make better maps than me" — a useful signal that the tool is intended to produce playable results without heavy manual editing.

Balance and campaign changes

  • Skirmish and multiplayer: a complete, community-led balance overhaul is included.
  • Single-player campaign: difficulty adjustments are intended to ease the learning curve.

If you mainly play multiplayer, expect the balance overhaul to change how existing matchups play. If you are new to a campaign, the difficulty tuning is the relevant change.

Dune 2000 visual and Starport updates

Dune 2000 receives new visual effects for the Sonic Tank and for damaged structures, described as more faithful to the originals. The Starport also gains the long-awaited "bulk purchase" logic, which changes how you buy units through that building.

Tiberian Dawn HD mod progress

Support for the C&C Remastered Collection assets in Tiberian Dawn reached two milestones in the standalone Tiberian Dawn HD mod:

  • The mod is now feature-complete, with new HD sprites for the last custom assets.
  • A new content manager lets you choose between remastered or classic artwork, audio, and music.

Integration into the core OpenRA Tiberian Dawn is still in progress. This release remains a standalone mod, and the announcement states the hope is to complete the merge in the next release.

Map editor and quality-of-life additions

The release is also significant for map makers:

  • Path Tiler: a new map editor tool that makes it easy to place cliffs, beaches, and roads.
  • Random map generator tools: new tools that take advantage of the generator logic.
  • Further UI improvements to the OpenRA map editor.

Other notable changes listed in the announcement:

  • A new "Other RTS" mouse input mode.
  • Timed auto-save settings for missions and skirmish.
  • Bots will now attempt to build expansion bases.
  • Further progress toward localisation in a future release.
  • One new mission each for Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn.
  • Many bug fixes and minor performance optimisations.

How to try it and where to give feedback

The announcement points to the full changelog for details on the changes and fixes, and invites players to take part in the playtest and share feedback on the forum. If you want to evaluate the random map generators or the balance overhaul before they reach a stable release, joining the playtest is the way to do it.