Back in the golden days of real-time strategy (RTS) games, two titles stood out from two big clashing studios; one was Warcraft/Starcraft and the other was the Command & Conquer series. Now, since the former has besmirched itself thanks to a botched remaster, it's up to the Command & Conquer series to show the world how it's done with their recent and decent remasters.

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Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is mostly good and ought to trigger some nostalgia, prompting a look back at the good old Command & Conquer games. They're the pinnacle of simplified wargaming on the PC and these games best represent the series and its roots.

Updated June 23, 2022 by Michael Llewellyn: Next to the original Dune, the Command & Conquer series is still regarded as one of the best RTS games of all time. The long-running series has had some hits and misses with its less than stellar free-to-play spin-off and the poorly executed Renegade FPS series. However, thanks to Petroglyph Games taking on the Remastered Collection, the series has renewed interest among fans old and new. Petroglyph is a studio made up of former members of Westwood Studios — the original C&C developers — and fans are hoping that their next project is a new entry in the series. This list has been updated to include spin-off titles and the new remaster released in 2020.

13 Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Metascore TBD

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun
  • Released: 1999
  • Developer: Westwood Studios
  • Platform: PC

For some odd reason, Metacritic has not scored Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun yet. It's the sequel to the original Command & Conquer game from 1995 and follows the story of the global war caused by the otherworldly resource called Tiberium.

Tiberian Sun was released in 1999 and used an updated graphics engine and interface that would later serve as the precursor for childhood classics such as Red Alert 2. Don't be fooled by the lack of score, Tiberian Sun is very much worth trying out.

12 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Uprising - Metascore 64

Command & Conquer red alert 3 soviet base
  • Released: 2009
  • Developer: EA Los Angeles
  • Platform: PC, PS3, and Xbox 360

As a standalone expansion for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Uprising continues the Allied storyline by including four campaigns. The campaigns are smaller in scale as they include 3-4 missions each.

However, the story gets straight to the point, and the missions are thrilling affairs that C&C fans will appreciate. It also centers on the rise of the Commando known as Yuriko Omega and the Empire of the Rising Sun.

11 Command & Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight - Metascore 64

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Tiberian Twilight
  • Released: 2010
  • Developer: EA Los Angeles
  • Platform: PC

Coming in as one of the weakest Command & Conquer title is the fourth game in the series, Tiberium Twilight. It was released in 2010 at a time when the video game industry has moved on from RTS games and is starting to milk out the first-person shooter (FPS) genre.

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As a result, Tiberium Twilight was poorly received. It tried to change the Command & Conquer formula too drastically but failed miserably as it introduced a system too alien. Tiberium Twilight also botched the supposed finale of the Tiberium saga.

10 Command & Conquer: Rivals - Metascore 71

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Rivals
  • Released: 2018
  • Developer: EA Redwood
  • Platform: Android and iOS

Tiberium Twilight was so bad, that even an iOS and Android game was able to get a higher score. That game is Command & Conquer Rivals which received a rating of 71 on its iOS platform.

It's a simplified formula of the established Command & Conquer games and combines trading card game mechanics with the RTS genre. Command & Conquer: Rivals is also modified well enough to be able to play at a fast and hectic pace on a smaller screen with less than optimal controls.

9 Command & Conquer: Renegade - Metascore 75

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Renegade
  • Released: 2002
  • Developer: Westwood Studios
  • Platform: PC

Command & Conquer: Renegade marks the first time the developers tried to do something different. Instead of an RTS, Renegade is an odd FPS that was released back in 2002.

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The game puts you in the shoes of a GDI commando who must fight the forces of the Brotherhood of Nod to rescue his fellow kidnapped scientists. It was an odd departure to the genre and something that didn't take off despite being an "ok" game.

8 Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath - Metascore 76

Command & Conquer kanes wrath airforce fighting tanks
  • Released: 2007
  • Developer: EA Los Angeles and Breakaway Games
  • Platform: PC and Xbox 360

The Command & Conquer games traditionally allow us to play as the good guys and the bad guys. Command & Conquer 3 Kanes Wrath is a standalone expansion that focuses on the leader of the Brotherhood of Nod Kane and his rise to power.

Despite its slightly above-average score on Metacritic, Kane's Wrath was well-received by fans of the series. Furthermore, the Xbox 360 version features a challenge mode in gauntlet facing off against 9 factions. Along with its predecessor, Kane's Wrath once again proved that a complex RTS can work well on a console.

7 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Metascore 82

Promotional image for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
  • Released: 2008
  • Developer: EA Los Angeles
  • Platform: OS X, PS3, PC, and Xbox 360

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 was launched back in 2008 and came down in gaming history as the last good Command & Conquer game on the PC and consoles. It was outlandish, vibrant, and sexy.

That's only one of the draws of the game, of course. The other is being a refinement and improvement of the Command & Conquer gameplay loop and introducing a new wacky storyline separate from the first two games.

6 Command & Conquer Remastered Collection - Metascore 82

A screenshot showing gameplay in Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection
  • Released: 2020
  • Developer: Petroglyph Games
  • Platform: PC

Released in 2020 for the PC only, Command & Conquer Remastered Collection includes the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert as well as all their expansions and all previously exclusive console content.

The Collection includes over 100 missions, upscaled 4K resolution, upscaled cinematics, new online features, and more. Its incredible value for many and is the best way to experience the first two iconic RTS games on a modern machine without any of the drawbacks of running older games on a high-resolution screen.

5 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - Metascore 84

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Red Alert
  • Released: 2000
  • Developer: Westwood Pacific
  • Platform: PC

Before Red Alert 3 tried to make the series a comical cheese-fest, there was Command & Conquer Red Alert 2. It was one of the most popular RTS games of the early 2000s and is generally liked for its alternative and more violent take on the Cold War.

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Red Alert 2 was World War 3 where the Soviet Union is controlled by Tsarist-leftover whack-jobs and psychics while the United States is controlled by cowboys and Republicans. It was a glorious period in gaming where everyone just went along with the satire and black propaganda.

4 Command & Conquer: Generals - Metascore 84

Gameplay Screenshot of Command & Conquer Generals
  • Released: 2003
  • Developer: EA Pacific
  • Platform: Mac OS and PC

Command & Conquer never really delved into a contemporary settings until they introduced Generals. It was a modern-day take on the formula and featured accurate--even familiar factions such as China, the United States, and a bootleg Al Qaeda called GLA.

The graphics were also in full-3D and each of the three factions offered vastly different playstyles. It was even successful enough to get an expansion that doubled the explosions and the weapons of mass destruction but sadly not successful enough to get a sequel.

3 Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - Metascore 85

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Tiberium Wars
  • Released: 2007
  • Developer: EA Los Angeles
  • Platform: Mac OS, PC, PS3, and Xbox 360

It wasn't until 8 years later that Tiberian Sun would get a fellow-up. That's why 2007's Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was a beloved belated sequel. It continued the story of the Tiberium saga with GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod-- Kane returning as well.

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More than that, Tiberium Wars also introduced a third faction into the fray: the alien Scrin. There was no doubt it was the most beautiful game in the Tiberium saga that even its sequel, Command & Conquer 4, fell short and just couldn't compete.

2 Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Metascore 90

Gameplay screenshot of Command & Conquer Red Alert
  • Released: 1996
  • Developer: Westwood Studios
  • Platform: PC and PS1

After the success of Command & Conquer in 1995, developer Westwood Studios hatched some bigger ideas in the form of Red Alert. It was Cold War porn at its finest and reimagines what an all-out war between the Soviet Union and the United States would look like.

It didn't look as glorious as the more graphically advanced Command & Conquer games of the 2000-era, but the fast-paced gameplay and ridiculous story made it more than memorable—iconic even.

1 Command & Conquer - Metascore 94

Gameplay screenshot of original Command & Conquer
  • Released: 1995
  • Developer: Westwood Studios
  • Platform: PC and PS1

Speaking of iconic video games, here's Command & Conquer. It's the game that started a franchise of its own and put its electrifying spin on the RTS formula where the interface was simplified so that one can focus on the warfare and the action.

It also marks the start of the Tiberium saga where the two clashing factions of GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod duke it out in asymmetrical warfare. Thankfully, fans can finally relive these moments again with the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection.

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