Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 15 of 24 real-time strategy games by recommenders
People recommend it as a fun, nostalgic real-time strategy game with a memorable soundtrack and quirky mechanics. Critics say it was a bad game even when it came out.
People recommend it as a fun, nostalgic real-time strategy game with a memorable soundtrack and quirky mechanics. Critics say it was a bad game even when it came out.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Nostalgia and childhood memories
“the nostalgia is almost certainly a big reason I love the RA OST”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “OpenRA” “Red Alert, Generals, all bring back a lot of memories!”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “Ask HN: What game have you replayed more times than any other?” “this is a childhood favorite game of mine”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “OpenRA” Fast-paced, memorable soundtrack
“the nostalgia is almost certainly a big reason I love the RA OST”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “OpenRA” “this is a childhood favorite game of mine”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “OpenRA” Fun, quirky gameplay mechanics
“The slow creep of telsa coil towrds the enemy base was my favorite.”
Comment from 28 Jun 2026 in “OpenRA” “It was really fun making crates spawn super frequently.”
Comment from 14 May 2026 in “Scorched Earth 2000 is back” “I actually loved the imbalance of OG RA”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “OpenRA”
Other real-time strategy games people recommend
The four most recommended other real-time strategy games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond All Reason | 76 | 17 | 82% | 10 | 1 yr6 owners | Approved |
| Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness | 51 | 2 | 96% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Total Annihilation | 48 | 7 | 87% | 7 | — | Approved |
| StarCraft | 36 | 22 | 62% | 10 | — | — |
| Command & Conquer: Red AlertThis page | 12 | 2 | 86% | 4 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The slow creep of telsa coil towrds the enemy base was my favorite.”
“we would direct connect our ps1 with link-cable”
“I actually loved the imbalance of OG RA”
“a bad game even when it came out”
“breaks my heart they ruined this franchise”
“So someone loves red alert like me awesome.”
“I played Dune2 first, and like RA too.”
“the nostalgia is almost certainly a big reason I love the RA OST”
“The songs are fun and fast paced with low lyrics.”
“this is a childhood favorite game of mine”
“Red Alert, Generals, all bring back a lot of memories!”
“It was really fun making crates spawn super frequently.”
“the programming was recognized as amazing, the sound and graphics”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.