OpenRA

Although this product has been released, it remains under active development - information may change frequently and could be outdated or irrelevant.

OpenRA

Developers
	OpenRA developers
Engines
	OpenRA
Release dates
Windows	2010
macOS (OS X)	2010
Linux	2010
Taxonomy
Monetization	Freeware
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Top-down view
Controls	Multiple select, Point and select
Genres	RTS
Series	Command & Conquer, Dune

OpenRA is a cross-platform open-source re-imagination of real-time strategies Command & Conquer, Red Alert and Dune 2000. It is not their direct clone, as it took gameplay elements from later titles such as Red Alert 2 and Generals, even added new units to Red Alert.

As of 2023, it is actively maintained by the community and designed with modding in mind. As an engine, it has been used as a base for full game releases such as D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategic Conflict and OpenHV.

General information

GitHub repository

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Developer website
itch.io

The game relies on the graphical assets of the original games and will prompt you at first start on entering the original discs or download a minimal asset pack from community maintained mirrors.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%\OpenRA\
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Library/Application Support/OpenRA/
Linux	$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openra

Configuration file, custom map and game assets are stored in this location.

This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%\OpenRA\Saves
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Library/Application Support/OpenRA/Saves
Linux	$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/openra/Saves

Video

Display settings

Graphics feature	State	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Called Fullscreen, Fullscreen (legacy) is Exclusive fullscreen
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Does not work in windowed mode
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		VSync enabled by default. If it fails, enable manual Frame limiter. Can be set in-game or in settings.yaml.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

Input settings

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Can be changed in-game or in settings.yaml
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity		Check Use Hardware Cursors in-game for enhanced mouse responsiveness
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Touchscreen optimised		Enable Left-Click Orders in-game (GUI still unsuitable)
Controller
Controller support		Community supplied profiles for the Steam controller exist.

Audio

Audio settings

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Can be changed in-game or in settings.yaml.
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Only in single-player

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English

Localized discs require manual installation; UI translation support still incomplete

Network

Advanced settings

Network settings

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
LAN play		Since version 20171014
Online play		Allows public games via the OpenRA master server

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking		Player authentication is implemented, but doesn't have much use other than identification.
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated		Dedicated server documentation
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	1234

This game supports Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for automatic port configuration.

Ports used internally and externally is configurable in-game when hosting a game and in settings.yaml.

Issues fixed

For the list of common issues visit the FAQ section of the wiki

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	11
OpenGL	3.2	Alternatively OpenGL ES 3 or OpenGL 2.1 with command line option Graphics.DisableLegacyGL=False

Executable	PPC	32-bit	64-bit	ARM	Notes
Windows					32-bit installers are available at GitHub.
macOS (OS X)					Universal binary
Linux					Non-64-bit support is provided by Snapcraft or Flatpak

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	OpenAL
Input	SDL

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Linux

Windows
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	7, 8, 10, 11
Processor (CPU)	Intel Celeron 2.3 GHz
System memory (RAM)	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	1 GB
Video card (GPU)	OpenGL 3.2 compatible DirectX 11 compatible

The Intel drivers that are bundled with Windows ("Vendor: Microsoft Corporation") do not include any OpenGL support and therefore won't work.

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.9
Processor (CPU)	Intel Celeron 2.3 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	50 MB
Video card (GPU)	OpenGL 3.2 compatible

A 64-bit operating system is required.

Linux
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	CentOS 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Celeron 2.3 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	50 MB
Video card (GPU)	OpenGL 3.2 compatible

The Open-Source Intel Mesa drivers offer more OpenGL features than their Windows counterparts which is why older graphics card will work.