History Main / ColorCodedArmies

*** In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', the Imperial Japanese are orange (since red, one of the two traditional Japanese colours, was already given out to the Soviets and so was the other, white, handed to civilians, Yellow was out for [[UnfortunateImplications obvious reasons]]); it is also a probable allusion to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Orange War Plan Orange]] during World War II, in which Japan was identified by the United States with the color orange. Further, your co-commanders in missions are green regardless of which campaign you're playing.

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' uses this in every game, with the colors changing depending on which game you're in. In the GBA games and ''Dual Strike'', the individual countries all have their own colors ([[EagleLand Orange/Red Star]], [[GloriousMotherRussia Blue]] [[CanadaEh Moon]], [[ThirtySecondsOverTokyo Yellow]] [[{{Wutai}} Comet]], [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Gre]][[UsefulNotes/GaulsWithGrenades en]] [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht Ear]][[UsefulNotes/NewSpanishArmada th]], and [[ThoseWackyNazis Black]] [[StupidJetpackHitler Hole]]); in ''Days of Ruin'', the player is typically red, allies blue, enemies black.

** The different Chaos factions have their own colors as well, which naturally predominates among their troops: Khorne is red, Tzeentch is blue, Nurgle is green, Slaanesh is purple, and Malice is black and white.

* In the early ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games, playable characters are always blue, enemies red, and allied [=NPC=]s green. Some games have yellow in cases it needed another (usually initially neutral) NPC army or enemy team. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', [[spoiler:The Invaders/Vallite Army]] are colored purple. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', the armies of the titular three houses wear colors related to their house and country: Red for the Black Eagles of the Adrestian Empire, Blue for the Blue Lions of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghes, and Yellow for the Golden Deer of the Leicester Alliance.

* Starting with the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade sixth]] ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' game, there was some of this and some Color Coded Mooks. In battle animations, player-controlled characters had different individual colors, but enemies and [=NPC=]s were always red and green, respectively. After the sixth game, unique enemies (such as bosses) could also have individual colors. Up through the latest ''Fire Emblem'' game on the 3DS, however, all overview map sprites have been color coded except in ''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn''.
* In the DS remake of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}'', unit icons on the mini-map are colored blue for allies, red for enemies, and yellow for "neutral" (specialists and summoned cannons), but units on the map were only distinguishable by the color of their HP bar, as in Type IV.

* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors''[=/=]''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' uses the blue-ally/red-enemy/yellow-other scheme for the HP bar and mini-map, and the clans themselves were further color coded. (For example, in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'': Wei = Blue, Shu = Green, Wu = Red, Yellow Turbans = Yellow.)
* Soldiers from the three house armies in ''Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis'' wear sensible greenish-brown fatigues and matching armor when seen up close and most vehicles sport a tan paint job, but on the main map, units from the three houses are all either blue (Atreides), green (Ordos), or red (Harkonnen). This color scheme annoys purists who read the book, as the Atreides are canonically green, the Harkonnens are canonically blue--and have a griffin, not a ram, as their emblem--and the Ordos canonically don't exist; red, or more accurately scarlet, is the color of the Imperial House Corrino(while Imperial Sardaukar forces are colored purple in the game).

*** In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', the Imperial Japanese are orange (since red, one of the two traditional Japanese colours, was already given out to the Soviets and so was the other, white, handed to civilians, Yellow was out for [[UnfortunateImplications obvious reasons]]). Further, your co-commanders in missions are green regardless of which campaign you're playing.

* In the early ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games, playable characters are always blue, enemies red, and allied [=NPC=]s green. Some games have yellow in cases it needed another (usually initially neutral) NPC army or ennemy team. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', [[spoiler:The Invaders/Vallite Army]] are colored purple. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', the armies of the titular three houses wear colors related to their house and country: Red for the Black Eagles of the Adrestian Empire, Blue for the Blue Lions of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghes, and Yellow for the Golden Deer of the Leicester Alliance.

* In the early ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games, playable characters are always blue, enemies red, and allies [=NPC=]s green. Some games have yellow in cases it needed another (usually initially neutral) NPC army or ennemy team. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', [[spoiler:The Invaders/Vallite Army]] are colored purple. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', the armies of the titular three houses wear colors related to their house and country: Red for the Black Eagles of the Adrestian Empire, Blue for the Blue Lions of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghes, and Yellow for the Golden Deer of the Leicester Alliance.

* ''VideoGame/AztecWars'' does this, and the units may look rather silly with cheerfully colorful things strapped to them; the strangest example is perhaps the Yeti; depending on which side it's fighting for, they give it a different, brightly painted club.

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' uses this in every game, with the colors changing depending on which game you're in. In the GBA games and ''Dual Strike'', the individual countries all had their own colors ([[EagleLand Orange Star]], [[GloriousMotherRussia Blue]] [[CanadaEh Moon]], [[ThirtySecondsOverTokyo Yellow]] [[{{Wutai}} Comet]], [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Gre]][[UsefulNotes/GaulsWithGrenades en]] [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht Earth]], and [[ThoseWackyNazis Black]] [[StupidJetpackHitler Hole]]); in ''Days of Ruin'', the player is typically red, allies blue, enemies black.
** The spinoff, ''VideoGame/BattalionWars'' does this with the different nations: the [[EagleLand Western Frontier]] uses green, the [[GloriousMotherRussia Tundran Territories]] use red, the [[ThirtySecondsOverTokyo Solar]] [[EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture Empire]] uses [[LightIsGood white]] (gold in the first game), [[ThoseWackyNazis Xylvania]] uses navy blue, the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Iron Legion]] uses purple, and the [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Anglo Isles]] [[ShoutOut use]] [[Music/TheBeatles yellow]].

* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', the different factions are indicated by different colored triangles [[LightIsGood Palutena's Army]] uses [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine yellow]], the [[DarkIsEvil Underworld Army]] uses [[PurpleIsTheNewBlack purple]], the [[GaiasVengeance Forces of Nature]] use green, the [[AlienInvasion Aurum]] use blue, and unaffiliated characters use gray.

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' uses this in every game, with the colors changing depending on which game you're in. In the GBA games and ''Dual Strike'', the individual countries all had their own colors ([[EagleLand Orange Star]], [[GloriousMotherRussia Blue Moon]], [[ThirtySecondsOverTokyo Yellow]] [[{{Wutai}} Comet]], [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Gre]][[UsefulNotes/GaulsWithGrenades en]] [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht Earth]], and [[ThoseWackyNazis Black]] [[StupidJetpackHitler Hole]]); in ''Days of Ruin'', the player is typically red, allies blue, enemies black.

* In the early ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games, playable characters are always blue, enemies red, and allies [=NPC=]s green. Some games have yellow in cases it needed another (usually initially neutral) NPC army or ennemy team. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', [[spoiler:The Invaders/Vallite Army]] are colored purple.

* In ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', player-controlled humans wear blue uniforms while enemy humans wear white.

* In the early ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games, allies are always blue, enemies red, and [=NPC=]s green. Some games have yellow in cases it needed another (usually initially neutral) NPC army. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', [[spoiler:The Invaders/Vallite Army]] are colored purple.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has several colours to pick from, but in the campaigns and official art, the Alliance and Night Elves are both blue (the official website for the game depicts the Night Elves as cyan, however), the Horde is red, and the Scourge is purple. While, to this day, blue is associated with the Alliance and red with the Horde, it lacks this connotation in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.

** Hero units, particularly in the sequel, sometimes have unique models that don't change coloration based on the player (for instance, Raynor always has the matte-black armor he's shown using in cutscenes). In the first game, hero units [[PaletteSwap could only be distinguished]] by their distinct teal-green coloration.

* The various ''{{Franchise/Dune}}'' video games have Atreides in blue, Harkonnen in red and Ordos in green. This is example would be less jarring if the novels didn't clearly state that Atreides' colours are red, green and black, and Harkonnen's white and blue, but since [[GoodColorsEvilColors good guys wear blue and bad guys red]] the devs felt they couldn't confuse players that way.

* ''VideoGame/DroneTactics'' takes this one UpToEleven. The player is red and their computer-controlled alies blue, enemies are grey if they belong to the EvilArmy and green if they're on a different team. And then there's the [[LevelGrinding Badlands]], where you can find the whole spectrum. Even pink.

* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'' and ''Path of Radiance'' use colored rings to indicate the alignment of units - friendlies have a blue ring, enemies have a red ring, AI-controlled allies have a yellow ring, and neutrals a green ring. In ''Radiant Dawn'', color-coded HP bars were also used.

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' uses this in every game, with the colors changing depending on which game you're in. In the GBA games and ''Dual Strike'', the individual countries all had their own colors (Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, Green Earth, and Black Hole); in ''Days of Ruin'', the player is typically red, allies blue, enemies black.

* [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas Street gangs in Los Santos]] are marked by what color they show off the most: Grove Street Families are green, Ballas are purple, Varrios Los Aztecas are aqua, and Vagos are yellow-orange. Ballas and Vagos will shoot at CJ on sight. When fighting turf wars, the map of Los Santos is divided into sections, shaded according to who controls it (barring the Aztecas, with whom GSF have an effective alliance thanks to Cesar being Kendal's boyfriend and later forging a friendship with CJ).

*** In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', the Imperial Japanese are orange (since red, one of the two traditional Japanese colours, was already given out to the Soviets and so was the other, white, handed to civilians). Further, your co-commanders in missions are green regardless of which campaign you're playing.
** In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'', USA uses blue, GLA is trademarked as green (due to vague Islam connections)[[note]]a defector faction uses blue instead, though the USA aren't present in that particular mission[[/note]] and China abuses red (again, Communists), while neutral units (empty vehicles and non-captured resources structures like oil derricks, for example) are white. Civilians and their buildings have no identification marks (unless garrisoned by infantry) and can be of any color, but they appear white in the minimap. Additionally, units of all factions had specific skins: American vehicles are light grey, Chinese vehicles are a muted green and GLA vehicles are sandy beige. Structures are similar; American installations are bright metallic grey, Chinese buildings are inspired by fancy pagoda architecture and mostly with red-ish roofs, while GLA buildings look distinctly Arabian and seem to be made of sand stone.

* '''Full Color Coding:''' All sprites or models are color coded, regardless of if it makes sense for them all to be wearing the same color. In some games, this can even include the unit's ''hair color.''