Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a 2.5D real-time strategy computer game by Westwood Studios, which was released for Microsoft Windows on September 28, 2000 ^[1] as the follow up to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Red Alert 2 supposedly picks up at the conclusion of the Allied campaign of the first game, but this has been subject to debate.

Centered around a Soviet invasion of the United States of America in an alternate early 1970s, the game details the American, European, and Korean response to the threat. The game features several real-world monuments, including the World Trade Center, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Saint Basil's Cathedral.

A year after its initial release, it received an expansion pack entitled Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge. It continues where the game leaves off (with an Allied victory), and introduces a new faction and campaign.

Like all other Command & Conquer real-time strategy games up until the expansion pack of Tiberian Sun, Firestorm, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 contains two distinct story lines depending on which faction the player wishes to play as. Both of the storylines alter in several distinct ways. However, the Allied storyline is canon because of how the expansion pack continues.

The Allied storyline starts off with the U.S. Military being caught completely off guard by the Soviet invasion of the United States of America. The U.S.A. attempts to retaliate with the use of nuclear warheads, but Yuri, leader of the Soviet Psychic Corps, uses his mind control to manipulate the U.S. personnel charged with launching the warheads and leaves them to explode in their silos. Within hours, the western coast and eastern coast of the U.S.A. are infested with Red Army troops. In response, the President establishes an emergency response team headed by General Carville and the Commander.

A special forces forces team led by Special Agent Tanya is sent to New York City and successfully repels the Soviet invasion there. Tanya and the Commander are then sent to Colorado Springs to liberate the Air Force Academy and the air base there. After this, a Soviet psychic mind control device known as the Psychic Beacon has been deployed in Washington, D.C. and is controlling the minds of the President and several key officials in the city. However, a swift attack destroys the Psychic Beacon and frees the city from Soviet mind control. Then, the U.S.A. launches a quick amphibious assault on Soviet-controlled Chicago to destroy a second Soviet psychic device, the Psychic Amplifier, before it can go off and place all of the U.S.A. under Soviet mind control. Unfortunately, the Soviets retaliate for this attack by launching a nuclear warhead against Chicago, destroying the city.

Alarmed by the situation, leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom agree to help the U.S.A. if they disarm Soviet nuclear missile sites in Poland. The U.S.A. agrees, and sends a special forces team, led by Tanya, into Poland near its border with Germany. The silos are covertly destroyed, and the Europeans give the U.S.A. its desperately needed reinforcements. Bolstered by additional men and equipment, the U.S. Military is able to recapture Washington, D.C. After doing so, Allied intelligence has learned that the Soviets are planning to capture the Hawaiian Islands and the Commander is sent to Pearl Harbor to defend the islands. The islands are saved, but the U.S.A. is still in a precarious position. The Soviets still control St. Louis, Missouri and all the ports in the area, seriously handicapping movement between the western U.S.A. and the eastern U.S.A. The Allies also learn of a Soviet project to replicate the Allied Prism technology at a research base in Tulum, Mexico, and a team of Navy SEALs is paradropped into the area. The Soviet base and all the replicas are destroyed and the Allied Prism technology is not compromised.

Wanting to end the situation, Allied leaders send troops to protect Albert Einstein's laboratory in the Black Forest and protect his Chronosphere and the plans for them. After doing this, Einstein personally thanks the Commander and says he has been working to find the best place to deploy the Allied Chronosphere. Einstein has found the perfect place, but “there is just one small problem, [because] the perfect place is . . . a tiny island in the Florida Keys, just a few short kilometers from Soviet Cuba” and the nuclear missiles there. The Allies send a force to that tiny island to destroy the Soviet’s nuclear strike capability and to build the Chronosphere. The Allies then proceed to use the Chronosphere's teleportation capabilities to take an Allied strike team to Moscow. Once in Moscow, the Allied forces promptly destroy the defenses around the Kremlin and then teleport in a strike team led by Tanya to capture Premier Alexander Romanov.

The Soviet storyline begins with the player being briefed by Premier Alexander Romanov himself. After this, the Soviets launch an invasion of Washington, D.C., in which the Soviets destroy the Pentagon. Another Soviet invasion is launched into Florida to destroy the United States Fourth Fleet, which was threatening the Soviet invasion. Even though the Commander is almost fully responsible for these victories, all the credit goes to the top Soviet commander, General Vladimir. Yuri, Romanov's top adviser, wishing to give himself and the player the fame and glory they deserve, recommends that the player capture New York City with his Psychic Beacon while Vladimir is in Moscow celebrating.

To counter the ever increasing and successful Soviet threat, forces from South Korea launch an amphibious attack on Vladivostok, and the player must "defend the motherland" and subsequently crushes all invading South Korean forces. Alarmed by the situation, leaders of France and Germany agree to send troops to the Polish border to help the United States of America fight the Red Army. While the French Army is busy elsewhere, the Soviets send a special forces team to Paris, with special orders from Romanov and Yuri to "show the Allies the true meaning of Soviet brutality" and to "leave nothing". With this and other key victories in Europe, Europe is in a position of needing help itself rather than giving help to the U.S.A.

During this time, Yuri begins gaining more and more power by using his mind control technology on Romanov. As a result, Romanov gives all military authority to Yuri, which greatly angers General Vladimir, who accuses Yuri of forcing Romanov to make that decision. Yuri then tells the player to go to the Hawaiian Islands and establish a Soviet military presence there, then destroy the United States Pacific Fleet and any and all Korean reinforcements. Meanwhile, Yuri's intelligence has revealed that the Allies have constructed a Chronosphere and to use it to launch an assault on a Soviet research base in the Ural Mountains. Yuri tells the player that this research facility is vital to the Soviet war effort, and it must be defended at all costs.

General Vladimir, fed up with Yuri's manipulation of Romanov, who has fallen ill, has brutally murdered Romanov in his hospital bed and flees to captured Washington, D.C., where he plots to strike against Yuri. In response, Yuri gives a message to all people under Soviet authority that Vladimir is now a traitor and a "non-person" and he must be apprehended. An assault force is sent to Washington, D.C., where Vladimir is subsequently captured. A Soviet strike team of psychic commandos is then sent to San Antonio, Texas to capture the U.S. president Michael Dugan. The Soviets then discover that the Allies are developing a new super weapon in the U.S. Virgin Islands, known as a Weather Control Device. The Soviets launch an amphibious assault on the islands and successfully destroys the device before it gets a chance to be activated.

Impressed by the tenacity of the “Comrade General”, Yuri asks the Commander to come to Moscow so he can thank the Commander in person. But Lieutenant Zofia tells the player about a video Romanov recorded in which he says that Yuri is controlling his mind and is a traitor and must be brought to justice. A large army is then sent to Moscow and engages with forces loyal to Yuri. The player's forces then launch a devastating attack on the Kremlin and Yuri is believed to be dead. After going through Yuri’s files, it is learned that the Allies have a Chronosphere in Alaska where they will attempt to launch a desperate last assault into the Soviet Union. A Soviet strike force is sent across the Bering Strait and destroys the Chronosphere and all Allied forces in the area. With all resistance destroyed, the player is now free to rule the world.

Every aspect of gameplay in the game is based on the collection of money. In the game, money can be collected by several means. The most common is using Miner trucks to gather Ore and/or Gems and transport them to a Refinery. A player can also gain a lasting income by capturing Oil drills (neutral buildings that are present in some maps). There also are two one-time sources of money, namely collecting random crates which are present in the map and selling off enemy buildings which have been captured by one of the player's Engineers. The money is spent on constructing and repairing buildings and units. In both cases one can start construction before having the full cost in one's reserves, as construction pauses if one runs short of money.

There are 5 types of "constructor" building: Construction Yard (for buildings); Barracks (non-mechanized units); War Factory (mechanized units); Shipyard (naval units), and, only for the Allies, Air Force Command (Harriers or Black Eagles). At any point in the game one can construct a maximum of one building/unit in each category—having more "constructor" buildings simply speeds up production.

The various nations are members of either the Soviet or the Allied faction. The factions have similar basic buildings but different sets of advanced and defensive buildings. In addition, each nation has a special ability—usually a unique unit, but the USA gets free para-drops of GIs every few minutes and France can build a defensive super-gun, the Grand Cannon. Even the basic buildings produce different sets of mobile units for the Soviet and Allied factions. To build more advanced units one must first construct more advanced buildings. The advanced and defensive buildings can only be constructed if specific basic buildings are present.

Like previous Command & Conquer games, the two factions in Red Alert 2 have unique armies with their own strengths and weaknesses. To achieve victory, a player must play to their faction's strengths and exploit the other faction's weaknesses.

In general, the Soviet faction (group of nations) is superior in the early game and in land wars because of their more powerful tanks, while the Allied faction is better in the late game with more advanced units, in naval wars, and on large maps.^[2] In particular, the Soviets are better for early game rushes, which are very common in online games.^[3]

The Allied forces largely focus on speed and military intelligence. By building a specific structure (the Spy Satellite Uplink), the Allied player is able to see all of the activity on the map. Or, to prevent an opponent from seeing what is occurring at his or her base (Gap generator), the player can build a different structure which shrouds a base from view. Most Allied units also feature increased mobility, being much quicker than their Soviet counterparts and allowing for quick raids. Versatility is also a key part, as the base GI infantry can bunker himself to deploy a more powerful gun, while the "IFV" unit takes on the characteristics and weaponry of whatever unit is inside it. Units like the "Mirage Tank" and "Spy" facilitate guerrilla tactics, as the tank can disguise itself as a tree when not moving, and the Spy can enter enemy structures to steal money, gain technology, or turn off the opponent's power supply for a brief period of time. The Allies also have the ability to build Harrier jets, which can mount quick attack on enemies before escaping; and the ability to create "Rocketeer" units—flying infantry. In addition to this, the Allied mining truck, the "Chrono Miner", can teleport back to drop off its load of ore, halving its travel time, and making resource collection much more efficient.

•  United States
•  United Kingdom
•  France
•  Germany
•  Republic of Korea

•  Australia
•  Italy
•  Russia (anti Soviet Russians)
•  Canada
•  Philippines
•  Thailand

Soviet forces place emphasis on power and numbers on the battlefield. Their basic tank, the "Rhino", is more expensive than the Allies' "Grizzly", but has heavier armor and more potent weapons. The basic Soviet infantryman, the "Conscript", is only half the cost of the Allied "GI", and can be produced much more quickly. In addition to this, the "Flak Trooper" and "Tesla Trooper" units can easily destroy aircraft and tanks respectively. Speeding up production further is the "Cloning Vats", which provide the player with a copy of every infantry unit produced. Though the Soviets lack the quick striking power of Allied Rocketeers or Harrier jets, they are able to field the "Apocalypse Tank" (Reminiscent of the Mammoth Tank from the original Command & Conquer), the most powerful tank unit; and the "Kirov Airship", a massive airship which is capable of carpet bombing an area. Many high-level Soviet units also are able to auto-repair themselves. Also, the Soviet player can construct nuclear power plants, which completely fill the power meter; and can field "War Miners" which, while lacking the teleportation abilities of the Chrono Miner, sport a powerful gun and carry twice the amount of ore.

•  Soviet Union
•  Libya
•  Cuba
•  Iraq

•  Mexico
•  Iran
•  Poland
•  Venezuela

Red Alert 2 is a popular game for modding. Hidden within the ra2.mix (ra2.mix\local.mix\rule*.ini) is a configuration file called rules.ini. This file can be extracted using a tool called the XCC mixer and edited after extraction. The rules.ini is constructed in such a way that it is very easy to modify; no programming skills are required. There are tags which refer to the strength of a unit, such as its hit points, which can be modified with the program.

It is also possible to create whole new units. There are other .ini files, such as the art.ini and ai.ini, which allow for further modification, like adding a cameo (build icon) to one's units and making the AI use them.

FinalAlert is a map editor for Red Alert 2 that went through numerous revisions. First came FinalAlert, developed independently by Wagner. It was later replaced by FinalAlert 2, a collaboration between Wagner and Westwood Studios, which was in turn upgraded to FinalAlert 2 Yuri's Revenge to allow support for Yuri's Revenge—this version was still an official utility. Wagner later released a tweaked version which had some bug fixes and included tunnels–leftover code from Tiberian Sun—although this version was no longer classed as an official Westwood utility. A number of well made singleplayer missions, complete with storylines, were written for both Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge by fans using FinalAlert. These can be found at http://www.cncgames.com/ and http://www.cannis.net/.

In 2005, control of online play for Red Alert 2, and a number of older C&C games was passed over from EA to XWIS, a well-established community run server that now organizes the ladder, and with the help of a community reporting scheme, bans cheaters. The server is sponsored by the EA Germany Community Team.

The series was established in 1996 with the release of Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Red Alert 2 takes place 20 years later, assumed to be continuing from the Allied ending where the Soviets were defeated by the Allies and peace was restored.

Following Red Alert 2 in the series is Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, released in 2001. The basis of this story is Yuri evading intelligence organizations around the world to set up his own secret army. A string of powerful mind control machines are set up across the world "designed to dominate the minds of an entire planet". The Allies construct a time machine and it is used to go back in time and stop the madman's conquest.

The Tiberian series was originally intended by Westwood Studios to be a series of games which take place 50 years after the Allied ending of Command & Conquer: Red Alert.^[4][5] On the bonus DVD of the Command & Conquer: The First Decade compilation pack however, the development team of Red Alert 2 claimed that the Tiberium and Red Alert games existed as separate universes. A year later, Electronic Arts Los Angeles would publish a featured document on the official C&C website around the time the third game of the Tiberian series (Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars) was released, which was titled "Kane's Dossier".^[6] In this document, a direct in-universe reference to Kane's appearances in the era of the original Red Alert game is made,^[7] linking the first Red Alert game to the Tiberian series once again.

Westwood found itself in a storm of controversy regarding Red Alert 2 after the events of September 11, due to the contents of both the game and its packaging, despite the fact that Red Alert 2 was released before the attack on the World Trade Center. In the first mission of the Soviet campaign, the player is required to destroy the Pentagon, and in a later mission, capture the Allied Battle Lab at the base of the twin towers of the World Trade Center; once the Battle Lab is captured, a Psychic Beacon is built between the twin towers and the player must then defend the Psychic Beacon for a given amount of time to complete the level. Destroying the World Trade Center towers (or garrisoning Conscripts in them) gives the player bonus crates. In addition, the original packaging for Red Alert 2 had a hinged cover that would open to show a scene of New York City under attack by Soviet forces. In the middle of the box, the twin towers were shown with a plane flying near them, and the words "The Invasion has begun" over them. Westwood immediately pulled from stores all remaining copies of Red Alert 2 in the original packaging, and retooled the box art before reissuing the game. None of the game's content was changed, except for the names of famous landmarks.

Patched versions of the game would rename the World Trade Center and other famous landmarks (Arc de Triomphe for one) to more generic names (Arch of Winning for example). This has, ironically, caused a bit of controversy among fans who prefer the real names; fan made patches are available to restore the original authentic names. Later versions of the game also replace a portion of the Intro movie, removing the part of the scene in which the statue of Liberty's head is destroyed by a missile, instead showing it already headless. The intro in "The First Decade" release of Red Alert 2 is identical to the original, including the destruction of the statue of Liberty.

The Red Alert 2 soundtrack was composed by long-time Command & Conquer collaborator Frank Klepacki.

The track "Tension" is included in the in-game soundtrack but is not present on the official soundtrack release.

• Red Alert 2 official website
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 at IMDb
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 at MobyGames