Which Classic RTS Games Can You Play on OpenRA?

OpenRA is an open-source project that rebuilds classic real-time strategy games for modern systems. According to the official site, it recreates and modernizes three titles: Red Alert, Command & Conquer (Tiberian Dawn), and Dune 2000. You can play all three through OpenRA, but each has its own state of development, so what you get differs by game.

The three supported games

All three share the same core OpenRA engine, which is what allows them to run on modern operating systems rather than requiring the original discs and compatibility patches.

What "modernized" actually means

OpenRA isn't a straight re-release. The project rebuilds each game on a new engine and layers on changes that the originals never had. Based on the latest playtest notes (playtest-20260222, posted 22 February 2026), the shared improvements include:

• Random map generators for Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, and Dune 2000. You select a biome, the number of players, and details about symmetry and resources, then play. Generated maps work in both Skirmish and Multiplayer.
• Map editor improvements, including a new Path Tiler tool that makes it easy to place cliffs, beaches, and roads.
• Quality-of-life options such as a new "Other RTS" mouse input mode and timed auto-save settings for missions and skirmish.
• Smarter bots that will now attempt to build expansion bases.
• New missions — one each for Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn.
• Ongoing localization work toward support in a future release.

How each game differs

Dune 2000

Dune 2000 received what the announcement calls a "glow-up": new visual effects for the Sonic Tank and for damaged structures, plus the long-awaited bulk purchase logic for the Starport. It also includes a complete, community-led balance overhaul for skirmish and multiplayer, and single-player campaign difficulty adjustments intended to ease the learning curve.

Tiberian Dawn

Tiberian Dawn benefits from the same random map generator and a new mission. Separately, the Tiberian Dawn HD mod adds support for the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection assets. As of this release the mod is feature-complete, with new HD sprites for the last custom assets and a content manager that lets you choose between remastered or classic artwork, audio, and music. Important caveat: the HD mod is still standalone — it has not yet been merged into core OpenRA Tiberian Dawn, though the project hopes to complete that merge in the next release.

Red Alert

Red Alert gets the random map generator, a new mission, and the shared engine improvements. The announcement doesn't list game-specific visual overhauls for Red Alert in this playtest, so its headline additions are the generator, the mission, and the general quality-of-life changes.

What this means for you

If you want to play any of these three games on a modern machine, OpenRA is the route — all three are supported. Your choice depends on what you care about:

• Want the most polished single-player experience right now? Dune 2000 has the most game-specific work in this release (effects, Starport logic, campaign difficulty tuning).
• Want remastered visuals? Tiberian Dawn is your only option, but only through the standalone HD mod, not the core game.
• Want to generate your own maps? All three support the new random map generator, and the map editor tools apply across them.

The full changelog is available alongside the release for details on fixes and smaller changes, and the project invites feedback through its forum.