# Command & Conquer
**Command & Conquer** is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game franchise created by [Westwood Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/westwood-studios), whose first entry, released in 1995, became a benchmark of the genre through its distinct faction play styles, its Tiberium resource economy, and full-motion video storytelling.[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) • [2](https://www.mobygames.com/game/338/command-conquer/reviews/dos/) The series ran to nearly 20 releases bearing its name, and had sold over 25 million copies worldwide by 2007.[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) • [3](https://s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/files/doc_news/2007/10/1/313967.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First release | Command & Conquer, Westwood Studios, 1995; a September 26, 1995 press release announced 200,000 units shipped[4](https://cnc-comm.com/news/a-tale-of-a-release-date) |
| Genre | Real-time strategy, following Westwood's Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (1992)[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) |
| Signature resource | Tiberium, a toxic substance mined by harvesters and processed in refineries to fund bases and units[2](https://www.mobygames.com/game/338/command-conquer/reviews/dos/) |
| Sales | Over 25 million copies sold worldwide as of the franchise's 12th anniversary in 2007[3](https://s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/files/doc_news/2007/10/1/313967.pdf) |
| Output | Nearly 20 releases, described by Xbox Wire as the most prolific RTS franchise in gaming history[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) |
| Modern availability | Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (2020), later joined EA Play's The Play List; Generals and Zero Hour source code released under GPL in 2025[5](https://www.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer) • [6](https://careers.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer/command-and-conquer-remastered/news/steam-workshop-support) |
## Origins and development
Westwood Studios, a Las Vegas-based developer, had established the template with [Dune II](https://www.edgepedia.org/dune-ii): The Building of a Dynasty in 1992, a game that infused [Frank Herbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-herbert)'s science-fiction universe with elements that became RTS staples, including fog-of-war, precise mouse controls, and resource management.[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) Three years after Dune II's success, Westwood released Command & Conquer as its next title.[7](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/128576/thesis_final.pdf)
The people behind the 1995 release included Westwood co-founder Louis Castle, lead designer Erik Yeo, composer [Frank Klepacki](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-klepacki), and VP of product development Steve Wetherill, who together presented an hour-long postmortem of the game's creation at GDC 2019.[8](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/video-a-classic-game-postmortem-of-westwood-studios-i-command-conquer-i-) Klepacki's score made early use of sampled audio, which he included for effect and for setting the mood of the battlefield.[9](https://cncnz.com/features/other-specials/cncnz-com-20th-anniversary-frank-klepacki-interview/) Demand at launch was strong enough that a press release, saved on September 26, 1995, announced that 200,000 units of the game had already shipped.[4](https://cnc-comm.com/news/a-tale-of-a-release-date)
## Gameplay
The original game is built on harvesting Tiberium, the primary resource, using special harvesters that return it to refineries for processing; the cash funds base construction and unit production, and structures unlock the tech tree that leads to more advanced buildings and units.[2](https://www.mobygames.com/game/338/command-conquer/reviews/dos/) The setting is a near-future Earth succumbing to a mysterious infection known as Tiberium, with factions fighting for control of the extraterrestrial resource in a worldwide war.[10](https://as.com/meristation/2014/07/14/reportajes/1405324800_133839.html)
Two design choices distinguished the series from its contemporaries. Command & Conquer offered noticeably different faction play styles, and its full-motion video segments added true storytelling elements to the genre.[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) The Spanish retrospective in MeriStation credits the first game, also called [Tiberian Dawn](https://www.edgepedia.org/command-and-conquer-1995-video-game), with marked depth from the start, refined mechanics, and a mature, complex script narrated through numerous pre-rendered scenes.[10](https://as.com/meristation/2014/07/14/reportajes/1405324800_133839.html)
## Series history
**Expansion under Westwood.** The franchise grew through offshoots and expansions, including the Red Alert line. Tiberian Sun, the biggest project in Westwood Studios' history at the time, was designed to appeal to a broad audience as well as core players and series fans.[11](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_February_2000.pdf) Red Alert 2 changed the series' building rules, allowing more than one type of structure to be built at a time, and its resource gathering was fully automated.[12](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-red-alert-2-review/1900-2646216/)
**The EA era.** EA closed Westwood Studios in 2003, and the studio and some of its members were absorbed into EA Los Angeles, which continued development of the series.[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) • [13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBlBvwGcefs) [Command & Conquer: Generals](https://www.edgepedia.org/command-and-conquer-generals), developed outside the Tiberium storyline, replaced the series' signature base building, in which new structures had to be placed adjacent to existing ones, with worker-based construction almost anywhere, and introduced the GLA faction, which compensates for its lack of technology with tenacity.[14](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-generals-review/1900-2910715/) EA Los Angeles granted fans' wishes in 2007 with [Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/command-and-conquer-3-tiberium-wars), the first mainline entry since 1999, starring [Tricia Helfer](https://www.edgepedia.org/tricia-helfer) and Billy Dee Williams.[1](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1) The final mainline release of that period, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, reinvented the mechanics: base-building and broad strategizing gave way to small-scale micromanagement and capture-point conquest.[15](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-4-tiberian-twilight-review/1900-6253523/)
**Spin-offs.** The franchise also experimented with formats. Tiberium Alliances, a browser-based, free-to-play massively multiplayer strategy game launched in May 2012, surpassed one million players, and by 2012 the series had reached 17 games over 17 years.[16](https://s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/files/doc_news/2012/08/1/703743.pdf) Command & Conquer: Rivals, a real-time 1v1 mobile game, remains part of EA's current catalog alongside the Remastered Collection and The Ultimate Collection.[5](https://www.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer)
## Legacy
The 1995 game's influence spread quickly: during the mid-to-late 1990s the PC market was full of Command & Conquer clones that were selling well, and [Creative Assembly](https://www.edgepedia.org/creative-assembly)'s initial brief for [Shogun: Total War](https://www.edgepedia.org/shogun-total-war) was a simple Command & Conquer-style RTS in a historical setting.[17](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/strategy/it-felt-like-a-great-natural-fit-it-was-just-a-matter-of-tuning-the-gameplay-how-shogun-total-war-marched-into-new-territory-and-laid-the-foundations-for-a-strategy-game-empire/) Commentators place the game among the standard bearers of the RTS genre's early years, alongside Dune II and Warcraft.[18](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-is-still-the-most-relevant-rts-game-20-y/1100-6458055/)
The franchise's later life has centered on preservation and community. The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, released in 2020, joined EA Play's The Play List in December 2020.[5](https://www.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer) In February 2025 EA announced Steam Workshop support and released the full source code under the GPL for Command & Conquer: Generals and its expansion pack Zero Hour, after having released the Remastered Collection's DLL source code about five years earlier; EA stated that Command & Conquer continues its legacy of empowering gaming communities.[6](https://careers.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer/command-and-conquer-remastered/news/steam-workshop-support) New titles still trade on the formula: [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer)'s 2026 strategy roundup describes Tempest Rising as a brilliant modern Command & Conquer that defends the asymmetric factions, resource races, and playful sci-fi units that made the originals compelling.[19](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-strategy-games/)
## References
1. [Know Your Genre: Real-Time Strategy, Xbox Wire](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/08/07/games-know-your-genre-rts/?ver=3.7.1)
2. [Command & Conquer reviews, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/338/command-conquer/reviews/dos/)
3. [EA Announces The Command & Conquer Saga and Celebrates 12 Years of the Popular Series (2007 press release, PDF)](https://s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/files/doc_news/2007/10/1/313967.pdf)
4. [The tale of a release date, Command & Conquer Communications Center](https://cnc-comm.com/news/a-tale-of-a-release-date)
5. [Command & Conquer, Official EA Site](https://www.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer)
6. [C&C Steam Workshop Support & Source Code, EA](https://careers.ea.com/games/command-and-conquer/command-and-conquer-remastered/news/steam-workshop-support)
7. [Xamk thesis on RTS history, Theseus](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/128576/thesis_final.pdf)
8. [Video: A classic game postmortem of Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer, Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/video-a-classic-game-postmortem-of-westwood-studios-i-command-conquer-i-)
9. [CNCNZ.com 20th Anniversary: Frank Klepacki Interview](https://cncnz.com/features/other-specials/cncnz-com-20th-anniversary-frank-klepacki-interview/)
10. [101 Juegos de Culto, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2014/07/14/reportajes/1405324800_133839.html)
11. [Game Developer, February 2000 (Tiberian Sun feature, PDF)](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_February_2000.pdf)
12. [Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-red-alert-2-review/1900-2646216/)
13. [Command & Conquer Evolution And History 1995–2020, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBlBvwGcefs)
14. [Command & Conquer: Generals Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-generals-review/1900-2910715/)
15. [Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-4-tiberian-twilight-review/1900-6253523/)
16. [Command & Conquer: Early access to the next experience (2012 press release, PDF)](https://s204.q4cdn.com/701424631/files/doc_news/2012/08/1/703743.pdf)
17. [How Shogun: Total War marched into new territory, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/strategy/it-felt-like-a-great-natural-fit-it-was-just-a-matter-of-tuning-the-gameplay-how-shogun-total-war-marched-into-new-territory-and-laid-the-foundations-for-a-strategy-game-empire/)
18. [StarCraft Is Still The Most Relevant RTS Game 20 Years Later, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-is-still-the-most-relevant-rts-game-20-y/1100-6458055/)
19. [The best strategy games on PC, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-strategy-games/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Strategy games › Real-time strategy games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license