Jagged Alliance 2 Windows 10 & Windows 11

JA2 Windows 10 & Windows 11

By default and straight out of the box, you may not be able to get Jagged Alliance 2 to run on Windows 10 or Windows 11 operating systems and associated hardware. For example, the original CD or GoG versions are unlikely to work flawlessly, if at all. The exe may hang, we may just get a black screen or there may be intolerable lag and graphical glitches.

The source of this problem lies in JA2 being coded for an older OS that employed an older DirectDraw that interfaced with older custom chipsets and display drivers. When the exe doesn't find what it's looking for, the game crashes, hangs, lags or glitches out depending on the end-user's OS, display settings and hardware specs. This is why some people have minor issues, some major and some none at all: it depends on the individual's OS and hardware.

Solutions to Jagged Alliance 2 Compatibility Issues

There are many ways to solve or at least alleviate Jagged Alliance 2 compatibility issues, but there are basically four main solutions to the problem:

• Run JA2 on a retro PC
• Virtualize an old OS that emulates basic hardware and runs old DirectDraw
• Source a specific compatibility DirectDraw.dll or a general compatibility suite
• Run non-native JA2 by means of a mod or a runtime environment

Stracciatella

For most players, Stracciatella Jagged Alliance 2 is going to be the easiest solution to Jagged Alliance 2 compatibility issues.

1.13 Mod

The Jagged Alliance 2 1.13 mod comes bundled with compatibility dlls. Like Stracciatella, it also allows us to play in Windowed mode.

VirtualBox Jagged Alliance 2

Run Jagged Alliance 2 in VirtualBox with a WinXP SP3 guest OS. That's what I'm doing. I'm running the original CD version from 1999, patched to 1.12. About as authentic as it gets short of having a retro PC.

Jagged Alliance 2 ddraw.dll

Source an alternative ddraw.dll such as cnc-ddraw. You can download the latest version from github.

DxWnd Jagged Alliance 2

You can download the latest version from Sourceforge.

Jagged Alliance 2 Maps	Jagged Alliance 2 Best Traits	Jagged Alliance 2 Expert Mode
Jagged Alliance 2 Walkthrough	Jagged Alliance 2 Best Attributes	Jagged Alliance 2 Crepitus
Jagged Alliance 2 Cheats	Jagged Alliance 2 Best Skills	Jagged Alliance 2 Stracciatella
Jagged Alliance 2 Best Weapons	Jagged Alliance 2 Best Mercs	Jagged Alliance 2 Tactics
Jagged Alliance 2 1.13	X-COM UFO Defense	X-COM UFOpaedia