Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a 1996 real-time strategy game by Westwood Studios that serves as a prequel to the original Command & Conquer, set in an alternate history where the Allied Forces battle an aggressive Soviet Union for control of Europe. Widely considered one of the greatest games ever made, it was praised for its engaging gameplay, distinctive alternate-history setting, and competitive multiplayer. The core gameplay involves mining resources like ore and gems to build bases and armies, managing electricity to power defenses such as Tesla Coils, and using Engineers to capture enemy structures—which cleverly allows players to produce units from rival factions. Unlike many RTS titles, the two factions play asymmetrically: Soviet vehicles are tougher and more powerful but slower and costlier, while the Allies rely on speed and different tactical strengths. After Electronic Arts acquired the studio, the game was made freeware in 2008, and a graphically rebuilt version with expansions was released in the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection in 2020.