OpenRA's new playtest adds random map generators for three classics

Random maps arrive in OpenRA

The OpenRA project has released playtest-20260222, its first new build in about a year. The headline feature is a set of random map generators for Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn and Dune 2000. Players pick a biome, the number of players and details such as symmetry and resources, and the generator produces a map that works in both skirmish and multiplayer.

Dune 2000 gets a visual and balance overhaul

Dune 2000 received the largest share of attention this cycle. Sonic Tanks and damaged structures have new visual effects, and the Starport finally supports bulk purchasing. A community-led balance overhaul covers skirmish and multiplayer, while the single-player campaign has its own difficulty adjustments to smooth the learning curve.

Tiberian Dawn HD nears completion

Support for the C&C Remastered Collection assets in Tiberian Dawn hit two milestones in the standalone Tiberian Dawn HD mod. The mod is now feature-complete, with new HD sprites for the last remaining custom assets and a content manager that lets players switch between remastered and classic artwork, audio and music. Work continues on merging these features into the core OpenRA Tiberian Dawn; the mod is still standalone in this release, but the team hopes to finish the merge in the next one.

Map editor, bots and smaller fixes

Map makers get further UI improvements in the OpenRA map editor and new tools built on the random map generator logic. Other changes include a new “Other RTS” mouse input mode, timed auto-save settings for missions and skirmish, bots that try to build expansion bases, more progress toward localisation in a future release, and one new mission each for Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, alongside many bug fixes and performance tweaks. The full changelog is on the project's GitHub wiki, and the team is asking players to test the playtest and report back on the forum, Discord or GitHub.