Act of War: Direct Action

2005 Eugen Systems Action

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckUnsupported

Gamicality score

Metacritic 824

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 841

How it’s combined

Playability today

3.5

Runs today2.5/5

Design today4.5/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

90%

567 reviews1

Get it on Steam

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Act of War: Direct Action run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Steam DeckUnsupported

Unsupported, as rated by Valve.1

Played Act of War: Direct Action lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Act of War: Direct Action running today

Install the Compatibility Patch listed on PCGamingWiki, which fixes startup crashes, including the crash on the loading screen, and adds higher resolutions to the options.
If the game still will not launch or shows no cursor, use the Proper Windows 7 Fix linked on PCGamingWiki, which also works on Windows 10 and 11.
For true widescreen resolutions, apply the Act of War Resolution Patch (Steam version) from the PCGamingWiki widescreen section.
If a black screen freeze remains, set ActOfWar.exe to Windows 7 compatibility, let the application handle high DPI scaling, disable fullscreen optimizations and run it as administrator (Steam Community).

Synopsis

Act of War: Direct Action is a near-future real-time strategy game from Eugen Systems with a story by thriller author Dale Brown. Players build bases, gather oil money and lead U.S. Army and special forces units against a shadowy group behind a global terror campaign. Battles move through dense cities where infantry can occupy buildings and take prisoners for extra cash.

Developer: Eugen Systems
Released: 2005
Genre: Action
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics praised its graphics and urban combat, and the PC version holds a Metascore of 82 from 43 reviews, though some found the campaign AI too easy to beat and the step-by-step objectives left little room for strategy. Players still rate it highly for its story and cheesy live-action cutscenes, but many warn that getting it to start on modern Windows takes work, with crashes at launch and false CD key errors on the Steam version.

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

2.5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
Some content no longer works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
Online play ran through GameSpy and is gone; only LAN multiplayer remains (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen needs a fan resolution patch or a hex edit (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
Keys cannot be remapped and controllers are not supported (PCGamingWiki).
Not Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
Known game-breaking bugs in the current version
Players on Windows 10 and 11 keep reporting crashes at launch or on the first loading screen and false CD key errors on the Steam version; fan patches help but do not cure every case (Steam Community).

Design today

4.5/5

Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Play follows standard mouse-driven RTS controls with hotkeys for menus, groups and camera, though keys cannot be remapped and there is no controller support. Source: store.steampowered.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Without a fan patch or a hex edit the game offers no widescreen resolutions, so the interface is stretched or boxed in on modern displays. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Single-player games can be saved at any time from the pause menu, F5 quicksaves, and Continue Campaign loads the latest autosave. Source: store.steampowered.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
Playing the campaign chapters in order introduces selecting and moving units, combat and building, and objectives spell out each next step, which one review found almost too hand-holding. Source: store.steampowered.com, gamingnexus.com.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
Missions start very simple and grow more involved without grind between them, though one player found the campaign slow to get going and its pacing a little off at times. Source: gamingnexus.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera and movement never fight the player
The camera scrolls, rotates with the mouse wheel button and zooms from a wide view down to street level. Source: store.steampowered.com, gamingnexus.com.