Help & Support

Installing the game

1. Download the installer from redacesquadron.com. That is the only official source.
2. Run it and follow the prompts. The installer handles the one-time Windows setup for you: it enables the DirectPlay component the game needs, adds the firewall rules for online play, and installs the small network driver that powers multiplayer.
3. Approve the Windows permission (UAC) prompt when it appears. That single prompt is what lets the installer set up the network pieces. You will not be asked again on every launch.

No account, no separate launcher to sign into, and no Epic account. If you got the Definitive Edition through the Epic Games Store instead, the same setup runs automatically the first time.

Playing single-player

Launch Red Ace Squadron from your Start menu or desktop and fly. Single-player is fully offline and never touches the network. Two campaigns, Master Mode, and a secret mission wait across three worlds. Pick a side, pick a plane, and take off.

Playing online (multiplayer)

Online play runs through the RAS Online launcher that installs alongside the game. It is one window with two tabs: Host a game, or Join one. There is no IP address to type and no Epic account to create. Sign-in is anonymous and automatic.

To host a game

1. Open RAS Online and stay on the Host Game tab.
2. Set a server name, choose your map (Countryside, Archipelago, or Desert), max players, and any power-up rules. Add a password if you want a private match.
3. Click Start Hosting. Approve the permission prompt if asked. The game launches and you are in, hosting your own server. Everyone else can now find you in their launcher.

To join a game

1. Open RAS Online and switch to the Join Game tab.
2. Wait a few seconds for the list of open games to appear, then pick one.
3. Click Join Game. The launcher brings up the connection to the host and starts the game for you. Choose your side and plane in the lobby, and fly.

Troubleshooting

Online play

• A server is not showing up. Give the browser a few seconds. The list refreshes on its own, or press Refresh. A game only appears while its host is actually up, so make sure someone is hosting.
• You cannot connect, or it stalls. Make sure exactly one copy of RAS Online is open on your machine, and that the host is still hosting. Try the host once more from a fresh launcher.
• First time online after installing? The one-time setup (DirectPlay, firewall, network driver) has to have run once, which happens during install. If you skipped the permission prompt during setup, reinstall and approve it.
• “Timed out bringing up the virtual LAN.” Almost always two launchers open at once. Close all of them and open a single RAS Online.

The game itself

• Antivirus quarantined a game file? The game ships with a DirectDraw compatibility layer (a file called ddraw.dll) that overly eager antivirus products sometimes flag. It is a false positive on a well-known open-source component. Restore the file and add the game folder to your antivirus exclusions. Every file we ship has a published checksum below so you can verify it.
• Colors look washed out or dim? Windows HDR is on. Adjust the “SDR content brightness” slider in Windows HD Color settings, or press Win+Alt+B to toggle HDR while playing.
• Crashes with overlays? Disable Steam, Discord, or RivaTuner overlays for the game. Streamers: use OBS window capture, not game capture.
• Gaming laptop feeling slow? Windows runs classic-era games on the power-saving GPU by design. The game is light enough that this rarely matters, and a high-performance rendering option is planned for machines that need it.

Reporting a bug

Two ways, whichever you prefer. For real-time help, matchmaking, and squadron news, the community Discord is the fastest channel. For anything you would rather send privately, email support@redacesquadron.com.

Whichever you use, please include:

• Your Windows version, graphics card, and monitor resolution
• What happened, and what you were doing when it happened
• Whether it was single-player or online
• DxDiag.txt (press Win+R, type dxdiag, click “Save All Information”)
• A screenshot if the problem is visible

During launch season we read everything and answer as fast as we can.

Checksums

When the installer ships, this section becomes the canonical SHA-256 ledger for every release file, so you can verify that what you downloaded is exactly what we published. The only official download source is redacesquadron.com.