Red Alert 2 Apple Silicon

The complete guide to playing online with CnCNet on M1/M2/M3 Macs

Prerequisites

1

Install Whisky and Winetricks

Get the necessary tools to run Windows apps on macOS.

brew install --cask whisky
brew install winetricks

Create Whisky Bottle

2

New Bottle Settings

Configure your wine bottle as follows:

  • Name Red Alert 2
  • Windows Version Windows 7
Whisky bottle creation settings showing Windows 7 selection

Install Dependencies

3

Winetricks Packages

Open your bottle in Whisky, click Run... then type winetricks. Install these packages in order:

dotnet48 Required for CnCNet
xna40
dsound
cnc_ddraw
Winetricks package installation window

Install Game Files

4

Multiplayer Installers

Download and install each to C:\Program Files (x86)\Red Alert 2:

⬇
XWIS RA2 Multiplayer Base Game
 ⬇
XWIS Yuri's Revenge Expansion
 ⬇
CnCNet5 Yuri's Revenge Online Client

Launcher Script

5

Generate Launcher

Find your bottle ID in Whisky → Show in Finder, then generate your localized script:

Custom Icons

📄 ra2.ico 📄 yr.ico

Configure CnCNet

6

Recommended Settings

Resolution 1920×1080
Client Res 1280×960
Fullscreen Off / Windowed
Renderer CnC-DDraw
CnCNet recommended settings

Optional Extras

🎵 Game Music (mix files)

Place these in the game folder to enable in-game music.

🗺️ Solo Campaigns

Download and copy to C:\Program Files (x86)\Red Alert 2

Troubleshooting

Won't Start?

  • Verify dotnet48 installed
  • Check bottle ID in script
  • Try cnc-ddraw config

No Audio?

  • Reinstall dsound
  • Check winecfg audio tab
  • Install directmusic

Connection Failed?

  • Allow CnCNet in macOS Firewall
  • Try different server region
  • Disable "UPnP" in settings

Found a bug? Report on GitHub