Download Desert Rats vs. Afrika Korps (Windows)

Old NoCD showed many generic warnings, it is safe to use. We uploaded that NoCD as alternative NoCD, in case if someone will have troubles with first NoCD

The game with NoCD has been tested on Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 10, it works fine, the game supports widescreen. The game was using infamous StarForce DRM that can break your system, so make sure to install NoCD before the first launch of the game! You may experience some small troubles when you play the game on modern systems, check our Guide and Notes for more details

Install & play guide (for English CD version):

• Mount the disc image. You will need the utility for mounting disc image files, like WinCDEmu, UltraISO, Alcohol 52%/Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools Lite
• Install the game (if autorun doesn't work - simply launch the installation from Setup.exe inside the disc). It is recommended to install the game not in default path, but in some other, non-system folder, like C:/Games/DR vs AK
• Skip the installation of GameSpy, it was an apps for the multiplayer game, it doesn't work anymore
• At the end of installation, the installer will ask if you want to restart the computer - press "No", otherwise the StarForce drivers will be installed on the next loading
• After you installed the game - install NoCD, simply copy the files from the archive and put it into game folder, agree to replace the original files. The English version is already pre-patched to v1.18, it doesn't require the patch
• Open the game folder and find AK.exe. Right click on AK.exe -> Properties -> Compatibility -> Set "Run this app in compatibility mode with Windows XP" and "Run as administrator"
• Launch the game and play. If the game doesn't work in compatibility mode with Windows XP - try to launch it in compatibility mode with other version of Windows (Windows 98, 2000, etc.)

If the installation instruction sounds hard for you, you can use Full-Rip variant - it is the archive with pre-installed game v1.18 with NoCD included. Also, we added DRM-Free setup from War Games Trilogy compilation. Unlike CD version, that setup has no protection, simply install & play. But it seems it has a slightly different UI with bigger fonts, so we uploaded both versions

Notes:

• If the installation doesn't start - try to launch Setup.exe in compatibility mode with old version of Windows (98, 2000 or XP)
• It is recommended to install all versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and NET Framework for the correct work of the game. Also it is recommended to install K-Lite Codec Pack for the correct work of in-game videos
• The game works on DirectX 9, so if you're using Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 - you need to enable DirectPlay: Go to Control Panel, and select 'Programs'. Select 'Turn Windows features on and off', click on 'Legacy Components' and check the box 'DirectPlay'. Select OK, once the installation is done, restart your computer
• Be careful, the game was using infamous StarForce DRM that can break your system! That DRM can ruin your computer, especially if you use 32-bit variant of Windows OS! Don't run the game right after the installation, use NoCD BEFORE the first launch of the game, to avoid the installation of StarForce DRM drivers
• If you want to change the key bindings - run ShorcutEditor.exe. Be careful, that file is protected with StarForce DRM too, so don't run it before you replace ShorcutEditor.exe with exe-file from NoCD
• The game natively supports wide screen resolutions up to 1920x1080 (for 16:9 displays) and 1920x1200 (for 16:10 displays)
• If you have problem with broken sound effects or stuttering sound - try to cap the game's framerate with one of framerate limiter utilites. D-Day, another game on same engine, was having the issue when the sound started stuttering on high FPS; however, there should be no such trouble in this game. If it didn't work - try to set the sound quality to 24 bit, 48000 Hz or 24 bit, 44100 Hz. Read this guide how to do that
• If the text in the game is not visible or broken, do the next: go to Control Panel -> Font Options, remove Agency FB or Agency FB Bold font, then open game folder, copy Agency.TTF file to the Windows fonts directory (C:/Windows/Fonts by default); then restart your computer. Do that only if you have troubles with broken fonts in the game
• The multiplayer part of the game was working through GameSpy servers which were shut down over a decade ago. You can use OpenSpy or other alternative tools to play the game in online multiplayer
• Realism Mod by sawark changes the in-game balance to make the game more harder and interesting for experienced players. The author tested the mod on English & Polish versions, but it should be compatible with any language version. Check this page for more details about the mod and possible updates
• Don't forget to check PCGamingWiki if you have troubles!