Command & Conquer Remastered Collection

The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection from 2020 combines the first two entries of the legendary series – Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Command & Conquer: Red Alert – into a single package, including all their period expansions and bonus missions. The remaster was handled by Petroglyph Games, a studio founded by former Westwood Studios people, so the project was worked on by creators who had been directly present at the birth of the mid-nineties originals and had access to the original source materials.

The collection offers completely redone high-resolution graphics that can be switched back to the original pixel-art look at any time during gameplay with a single keypress, letting players compare both looks side by side. There's also a re-orchestrated soundtrack by Frank Klepacki recorded with a live orchestra, plus remapped controls for a modern mouse and keyboard, including the ability to select and group units in a way today's strategy players are used to. All the game content, units, and maps remain faithful to the originals, so the remaster aims to preserve the authentic experience and balance rather than reworking the gameplay or adding new units. It also includes restored online multiplayer, a full-featured map editor, and the ability to watch all the period live-action FMV sequences reworked into higher resolution. The collection additionally contains a gallery of period concept art and development materials that were never publicly available before, offered as a bonus to explore beyond the campaigns themselves.

Why play: The Remastered Collection is today the easiest way to play the founding titles of the RTS genre without dealing with an old engine, low resolution, and incompatibility with modern computers. It's worthwhile for veterans who want to reminisce with either the period or modern look depending on their mood, as well as newcomers who want to get to know the roots of the whole series in a comfortable, accessible form without having to worry about compatibility with today's operating systems.