Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Gamescom 2025 schedule
  • Gamescom
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
An orc faction in Age of Wonders 4
Strategy Games The 25 best strategy games to play in 2025
a woman with a jetpack and pink bodysuit flies in the air and shoots enemies below with a beam of energy
Roguelike Games Terminull Brigade is the high-octane sci-fi shooter you need to play right now
 Battlefield Bad Company screenshot with two soldiers, one of which is pointing out a target to the second
Battlefield Battlefield 6 multiplayer is taking inspiration from Bad Company 2, but I hope its single player campaign looks further back to the series' best story
Stormgate character with glowing blue eyes
Real Time Strategy Games Stormgate, the RTS from ex-Starcraft and Warcraft devs, launches out of Steam Early Access with perfect balance, by which I mean with 50% positive user reviews: "We plan to be in active development for a long time"
Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War 4 screenshot showing armored orcs surrounded by the Autumn preview GamesRadar+ banner
Real Time Strategy Games Help me, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 is so good I've been replaying the same mission for 3 hours and pestering its devs who have "been studying the blade and bolter"
Chip 'n Clawz vs. The Brainoids alien and machine factory designs
Strategy Games 31 years later, XCOM creator Julian Gollop says strategy games are still "where my heart lies" and he wants to make them "more accessible and immersive" – his latest attempt is out today with co-op and Pikmin vibes
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era artwork showing a beautiful fantasy city
Strategy Games Playing Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has turned me into a Dungeon devotee, and I can't help but feel like I'm already seeing a strategy classic in the making
A mech firing a machine gun in the desert in Menace
Strategy Games Menace is an XCOM-Warhammer hybrid that makes turn-based strategy feel like an immersive sim, and for the first time in my life I'm playing a game that seems made for me
Shooting through a portal in Splitgate 2
FPS Games Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
Toxic Commando screenshot with GamesRadar+ Autumn Preview 2025 frame
FPS Games Left 4 Dead has held the horde shooter crown for 17 years, but John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is the best challenger yet
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 trailer featuring space marine helmet
Real Time Strategy Games "RTS will not be the big genre again," Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 lead predicts, but it can still be a big niche: "RTS won't kick shooters from the top of the food chain anytime soon, but that's fine, right?"
A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
Third Person Shooters Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
Squadding up with a teammate in Splitgate 2's Zenith map to shoot down a pathway
FPS Games Splitgate 2 dev says he made his FPS because he hates Call of Duty, loves Halo, and wants Titanfall 3 – and his new battle royale is "f***ing awesome"
Rematch
Sports Games Rematch devs "never considered free-to-play," even if it risked being "dead on arrival," because "the best way to make a commercial success is to just make a very good game"
Splitgate 2
FPS Games Splitgate 2 launches to "Mixed" Steam reviews as players call out pricey microtransactions, right after the game's creator said the "state of multiplayer FPS games is tragically stale"
  1. Games
  2. Real Time Strategy
  3. Command Conquer

Command & Conquer gives its Generals personality

Features
By Lucas Sullivan published 9 July 2013

Finding the military leader that's right for you

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Surging Generals

Surging Generals

Many remember Command & Conquer: Generals fondly--the 2003 RTS rivals Warcraft III for the best three-dimensional strategy game of its time. It took the classic C&C gameplay, with warfare between a mix of foot soldiers and vehicles, and spruced it up with Generals Abilities, godlike powers that could turn the tide of a crucial battle or give your troops an incremental advantage. You can think of Command & Conquer as the spiritual sequel to Generals, infusing that game's best elements with more character and wrapping them all up in a balanced free-to-play package.

The first order of business is picking the General that best suits you. Generals are the larger-than-life military personas that act as your in-game avatar, each with their own combat specialty. Each of the three available factions--EU (European Union), APA (Asian Pacific Alliance), and GLA (Global Liberation Army)--have their own stable of exclusive Generals who enhance your army in a different way. Take Dr. Thrax, for example: a fan-favorite GLA General who's back in action. Thrax brings biochemical weapon expertise to the table, letting you choke out enemy infantry with airborne poison or unleash a full-on Toxin Tank.

C&C is also a far more modern game than its predecessor, particularly in the realm of racial sensitivity. As in, you don't have to worry about feeling uncomfortable when your General feels like a blatant caricature; the Generals in C&C's lineup, while still silly, feel much more like stylized characters than ethnic cartoons. The visuals have also gotten a hefty upgrade, thanks to the power of the Frostbyte engine. It's all looking quite impressive so far, and the closer C&C gets to open beta, the more hyped we are to discover our favorite General.

Check out the following screenshots for additional info and impressions!

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Thrax is one of 15 Generals who will be in the game at launch, with plenty more coming later down the line.

Thrax is one of 15 Generals who will be in the game at launch, with plenty more coming later down the line.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Junkyard's more about defense than offense, able to hunker down and fend off armies of opposing vehicles.

Junkyard's more about defense than offense, able to hunker down and fend off armies of opposing vehicles.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
The GLA Generals are the masters of mass infantry units, able to launch an offensive before the enemy has the chance to tech up.

The GLA Generals are the masters of mass infantry units, able to launch an offensive before the enemy has the chance to tech up.

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
The amount of detail in the terrain is absurdly pretty at the highest settings, but low-end computers will still be able to run C&C.

The amount of detail in the terrain is absurdly pretty at the highest settings, but low-end computers will still be able to run C&C.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Red Arrow's a feisty APA General with a penchant for rocket launchers, allowing you to equip your soldiers with bazookas or make a tactical missile strike on the battlefield.

Red Arrow's a feisty APA General with a penchant for rocket launchers, allowing you to equip your soldiers with bazookas or make a tactical missile strike on the battlefield.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Beast's specialty of "Urban Combat" equates to massing footsoldiers, then encroaching on the enemy position by hopping from building to building.

Beast's specialty of "Urban Combat" equates to massing footsoldiers, then encroaching on the enemy position by hopping from building to building.

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Given how sleek the Frostbite graphics are, it can be easy to forget that C&C is a F2P game. EA isn't talking microtransaction specfics just yet, but assured us that "pay-to-win" is off limits.

Given how sleek the Frostbite graphics are, it can be easy to forget that C&C is a F2P game. EA isn't talking microtransaction specfics just yet, but assured us that "pay-to-win" is off limits.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
The map sizes range from tight 1v1 skirmishes to massive, multi-army battlefields. Post-match, players will be treated to a bevy of stats and info meant to teach newer players what they're doing right or wrong, much like StarCraft II.

The map sizes range from tight 1v1 skirmishes to massive, multi-army battlefields. Post-match, players will be treated to a bevy of stats and info meant to teach newer players what they're doing right or wrong, much like StarCraft II.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Ghost is perfect for those players who want to keep tabs on their opponents at all times.

Ghost is perfect for those players who want to keep tabs on their opponents at all times.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
We don't want to brag or anything, but we totally schooled the AI using masses of Mercury Red's Shock Trooper infantry.

We don't want to brag or anything, but we totally schooled the AI using masses of Mercury Red's Shock Trooper infantry.

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Like many C&C games, resource collecting is fairly straightforward and simple. It's all about the epic firefights here.

Like many C&C games, resource collecting is fairly straightforward and simple. It's all about the epic firefights here.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan
Social Links Navigation

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
An orc faction in Age of Wonders 4
The 25 best strategy games to play in 2025
a woman with a jetpack and pink bodysuit flies in the air and shoots enemies below with a beam of energy
Terminull Brigade is the high-octane sci-fi shooter you need to play right now
 Battlefield Bad Company screenshot with two soldiers, one of which is pointing out a target to the second
Battlefield 6 multiplayer is taking inspiration from Bad Company 2, but I hope its single player campaign looks further back to the series' best story
Stormgate character with glowing blue eyes
Stormgate, the RTS from ex-Starcraft and Warcraft devs, launches out of Steam Early Access with perfect balance, by which I mean with 50% positive user reviews: "We plan to be in active development for a long time"
Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War 4 screenshot showing armored orcs surrounded by the Autumn preview GamesRadar+ banner
Help me, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 is so good I've been replaying the same mission for 3 hours and pestering its devs who have "been studying the blade and bolter"
Chip 'n Clawz vs. The Brainoids alien and machine factory designs
31 years later, XCOM creator Julian Gollop says strategy games are still "where my heart lies" and he wants to make them "more accessible and immersive" – his latest attempt is out today with co-op and Pikmin vibes
Latest in Command Conquer
Command and Conquer: Generals
EA is "releasing the fully recovered source code" for 4 classic Command & Conquer titles, and it's the best thing a major publisher can do for game preservation
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars cheats
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars cheats
Command and Conquer: Red Alert cheats
Command and Conquer: Red Alert cheats
The Command & Conquer source code is going public
Command & Conquer Remastered is coming in June with 4K and revamped multiplayer
Command & Conquer voice actress reprises her role for the remaster 25 years later
Latest in Features
Borderlands 4 screenshot shows someone holding a weapon forward towards the camera.
"We tend to commit to the bit": Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse
Valor Mortis
Ghostrunner devs abandon parkour for Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike that might explain why the rest of the genre follows Dark Souls' lead
A mech firing a machine gun in the desert in Menace
Menace is an XCOM-Warhammer hybrid that makes turn-based strategy feel like an immersive sim, and for the first time in my life I'm playing a game that seems made for me
Metal Gear Solid 5 showing Snake and Ocelot looking to the horizon in front of more soldiers
10 years later, Metal Gear Solid 5 remains a masterpiece that was never going to live up to its own hype
Dogtooth
The new Yorgos Lanthimos movie is getting rave first reactions out of Venice Film Festival, but I think it's worth revisiting his breakout feature Dogtooth before Bugonia hits theaters this fall
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Legacy of the Forge DLC showing Henry and two allies standing looking down
I built a home and ran a business in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's next DLC, and the added role-playing guarantees I'll spend another 70 hours in my current game of the year
  1. Kaser clad in black and Victor in white clash swords in Lost Soul Aside
    1
    Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
  2. 2
    Hell is Us review: "The lack of waypoints and explicit objectives is a double-edged magical sword that pulls me deep into its harsh world"
  3. 3
    Shuten Order review: "The Danganronpa creator's new multi-genre mystery feels like a forgotten DS cult classic I would have been obsessed with"
  4. 4
    The Rogue Prince of Persia review: "I roguelike but don't roguelove this freerunner – there's just not enough to stand out"
  5. 5
    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review: "So close to being to a pitch-perfect revival of a classic series, but just can't quite line up the killing blow"
  1. Jacob Elordi as the monster in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
    1
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  2. 2
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  3. 3
    The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range"
  4. 4
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  5. 5
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  1. John Cena as Peacemaker holds a gun to the head of a different John Cena as Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 2.
    1
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  2. 2
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  3. 3
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  4. 4
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"
  5. 5
    Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...