How to play Command & Conquer Red Alert 3™ Online

The Official Multiplayer service for Red Alert 3 was terminated when GameSpy shutdown in 2014 however there is a community solution that allows Players to enjoy Red Alert 3 online.

This Guide will provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up Online Play using C&C:Online and features a FAQ as well as a simple common issues and solution at the end to offer a first direct step of troubleshooting potential issues.

Step 1: Getting Started

Let's get us registered!

Before we get to installing anything, will we have to make an account on https://cnc-online.net/en/ which you can find HERE[cnc-online.net]
This is an Example Account and E-Mail

Activation

After you hit Register You will need to activate your account using the E-Mail that Revora has sent to your E-Mail Address.

Server Account

Once you are Activated and log back into the C&C:Online Website, you will see that the website is asking you to create a Server Account
The server account is DIFFERENT from your Website Log in credentials, please do not reuse the same password here

Once you are logged in and have created your server account, you are greeted by this
If everything worked out here, go to Step 2 if smth didn't work, please check the table below.

Issues that you may have encountered in Step 1 and their solutions

I'm not getting a verification email, and I am confident that I have checked my Spam folder and Junk folder
A: As of 2nd of October 2024 C&C:Online is undergoing a rework which can lead to issues with the registration and activation system should you have not gotten an Activation E-Mail try to manually resend your activation HERE[cnc-online.net] Should that not work please join our discord[discord.com] and message the Bot EvilToxic the bot will take care of your problem.

I clicked my Activation email and got HTTP ERR 500 or "The Activation failed" or the account still seems to be not activated even after clicking the link.
A: try to manually resend your activation HERE[cnc-online.net]Should that not work please join our discord[discord.com] and message the Bot EvilToxic the bot will take care of your problem

Step 2: Download and Setup C&C:Online [Launcher]

Now that we made our C&C:Online account and created our server log in, we are Ready to set up the C&C:Online Launcher.

Let's get it Downloaded

Since you are still logged into the C&C:Online Website, head to the Download[cnc-online.net] page and click the Download Button
Should the Download link not open/be blocked by your browser it is because the download is served as HTTP, and you will need to open it in an incognito window

The Setup

You now have the file CNCOnline_2.0.7.msi on your system.
We are now going to through the Setup together, so we start with double-clicking the file CNCOnline_2.0.7.msi.

Following is a Step by Step on the entire Set Up process if you want to skip it you are free to do so

After double-clicking the installer, you will be greeted by this window here
Here you can read the License agreement of print it if you classy like that and in the end accept it.
Then you are going to click the button "Install"

Should UAC [User Account Control] ask you if you want to allow C&C:Online to make changes to your System, click "Allow/Yes"

Now you will see the installer report first this
and then this
now you can click "Finish" and will see that on your Desktop there is a new Icon

Everything's Installed, and we are good to go

Now if you Double-Click the Icon, you will open the Launcher and be greeted by this here window
This is the C&C:Online Launcher, which is (at least until we release the new version near the end of 2024) where you will make your Games compatible with Online play and connect to C&C:Online. The most important thing that will happen here is The Hooking procedure

Hooking

You will see that the Launcher has a button at the top left called "Hook"
If you click that one, you will see that a dropdown menu opens up that looks like this

In this menu, we are going to click on Red Alert 3
It is possible that your System will ask you if you want to allow ifeo.exe to make changes to your system you will need to allow that to successfully hook C&C:Online

If you open the Dropdown Menu again, Red Alert 3 will now have a green checkmark behind it this means that the Hook was successful, and the game is ready to be launched.

Launching the game

Despite how it looks, are we not going to launch the game from C&C:Online and are instead going to launch the game from Steam, which will then open the C&C:Online Launcher. You will then have to click on the big Red Alert 3 button, which will the Launch your game!

Should everything have worked until now, you are good to go to Step 3! Should you have run into any issues, you can check out the rest of this Step

Common issues that you may have encountered and their fixes

First off due to the Age and Complexity of the old C&C:Online Launcher is it possible that the fixes described here will not work for you instantly should that be the case, or you just rather have Me or my Staff take a look at your issue please join our Discord[discord.com] and we will take a look at it as soon as we can!

The installer reported that some Debugger key couldn't be written, and the setup didn't complete
A: This is caused by either Malwarebytes or 360 Security actively and passively blocking the registry key the launcher is trying to write. The only solution to that problem is to cleanly Uninstall Malware Bytes and/or 360 Security and restart the Setup That issue is completely removed in the new C&C:Online scheduled to released near the end of 2024

I tried to launch my game, but the launcher reported missing .dll: ssleay32.dll and refuses to launch the game
A: If you are really confident that you have followed the hooking procedure correctly, and you are still encountering the error, please join our Discord[discord.gg] and we will make sure to fix it with you as soon as we can
do note that every issue with the C&C:Online launcher is removed in the new release

Step 3: Time to get Online!

Now that we have everything set up and working so far, let's get ourselves into the game and into the action.

Logging into Red Alert 3 Online

Assuming that everything until now has worked, and your game is running, and you are seeing the beautiful main menu of Red Alert 3.

Go and click on the big old Multiplayer and then Online Buttons

Once you are in the online window, you are going to log in with the Server Account you created earlier and enter it in the fields.


Important to know is that Your Online ID is a Nickname you can have 16 of those, and they do not have to match your login or display name.
should you want to manage your profiles/Online IDs, you can do so here][cnc-online.net]

If everything worked out you will now see this:
From here you will navigate to Custom match and are able to join public hosted games and lobbies!!

Should everything be working and you are able to join lobbies and play RA3 can you now go to Step 4: Optional Content to get to community Standards. Should you have any connection issues or issues with online play please consult our Support staff on our Discord[discord.com]

Step 4: Additional content

Before we get into the Additional Content, we would like to thank the creator of this Guide

It has helped a lot of people to get online and we apricate everyone who has helped others over the years. Thank you everyone for everything you have done to help others get online.
Best Regards C&C online team

The Red alert 3 Community,

has made a lot of fixes for the game.
Some of these fixes have been made into a map pack known as

1.12.6

This map pack is both fixing visual bugs and game breaking bugs. While the community is still in development for 1.12.8 with even more fixes, its not out yet. That will be added here when that day comes so, check back here every now and then to see if it has happened.

You can read about the 1.12.6 fixes and find the download link here: Download 1.12.6[www.gamereplays.org]

1.12.6 is really easy to install. You simply download the exe program, run the program and let it place it self correctly. Once its done installing you are done.

NOTE: 1.12.6 CANNOT BE TRANSFERED INGAME, EVERY PLAYER HAS TO MANUALLY DOWNLOAD THIS.

[[CW]Super Assassin]

new system guide needs to be updated, will happen at some point but for now I got some studdies to take care of

[Metal Mario]

Couldn't for the life of me find the install location of Online to execute the hook thing. The forums have a post that have the .msi thing that works

[[CW]Super Assassin]

We have not been working towards steam deck.
I belive i have seen some community members use steam deck for Red Alert 3. I am not certain that they have tried or had sucess with online yet. (its been a while since i last saw someone speak of that).

You are free to try and make things work, but this is designed for PC.

[Ageofkings]

Unfortunately the installer does not seem to work for the Steam Deck. Not sure if anyone knows of a fix.