Cossacks: Art of War is a popular fan-made mod/portable release of the classic real-time strategy (RTS) game series inspired by GSC Game World’s Cossacks (also known as Cossacks: European Wars). This portable version, often called “Dire Portable” by some communities, packages the core gameplay and mods into a single, self-contained executable that runs on Windows without a traditional install. Below is a concise, structured overview covering what this release is, what to expect, legal and safety considerations, installation steps for portable use, gameplay highlights, and alternatives. What is Cossacks: Art of War (Dire Portable)?