Guides

Ports, recompilations and emulation

Ports, recompilations and emulation can help older games run on modern systems. Their techniques and requirements differ, and some projects combine approaches.

Ports and reimplementations

A port adapts game code and platform interfaces for another system. It may use original or reconstructed code. A reimplementation recreates software components; available features depend on the project.

Static recompilation

Machine code is translated ahead of execution and connected to a runtime that handles the game's hardware dependencies.

Emulation and compatibility layers

An emulator reproduces a platform's behavior. A compatibility layer adapts the interfaces software uses. A game-specific layer should not automatically be classified as a native port.

Choose by the actual project

Check documented support, controllers, known bugs and requirements. The original console describes where the game came from; target systems describe where the project is intended to run.

N64Recomp — Official documentation ↗