Donkey Kong 64's native PC port is out now

The native PC port of Donkey Kong 64 is officially out. Following its initial announcement in June, the community team behind DK64 Rekongpiled released version 1.0 this weekend for Windows, Linux, macOS, and the Steam Deck.

This isn't an emulator running a ROM. The project uses Wiseguy's N64 Recompiled framework to translate the game's original binary code into native C/C++ machine code. You still need to provide your own legal Nintendo 64 ROM to generate the build, which keeps the project clear of distributing copyrighted Nintendo or Rare assets. Once compiled, it runs as a native PC application.

Unrestricted framerates and ultrawide support

Because it runs natively, the port bypasses the original hardware limits. The RT64 rendering engine allows for unrestricted framerates, native 4K resolutions, and ultrawide monitor support. The developers also added mouse and gyro aiming, which makes the game's various shooting minigames much less frustrating than they were on a worn-out analog stick.

Rare released the original game in November 1999. It famously required the Nintendo 64's 4MB Expansion Pak to bypass a game-breaking memory bug during development. It was the absolute peak of the 3D collect-a-thon era, forcing players to navigate five different Kongs through massive sandbox levels to collect blueprints, coins, and Golden Bananas.

Static recompilation is rapidly replacing traditional emulation for Nintendo 64 games. We saw this happen with Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Translating the code directly means these games run better on a modern laptop than they ever did on original hardware. The load times in DK64 Rekongpiled are virtually instant.

The N64 recompilation scene has accelerated massively over the last two years. Wiseguy's framework automated the hardest parts of translating the console's MIPS architecture into C code. This allows community developers to focus on fixing game-specific bugs and implementing modern rendering engines like RT64. Donkey Kong 64 is a particularly complex target because of its massive size and the sheer number of overlapping systems Rare crammed into the cartridge.

The backtracking is finally fixed

The original game is notorious for its strict character-swapping barrels. If you found a Lanky Kong collectible while playing as Donkey Kong, you had to walk all the way back to a barrel, swap characters, and return. It was tedious in 1999, and it is agonizing today.

DK64 Rekongpiled includes built-in mod support to solve this. The popular "Tag Anywhere" mod is supported out of the box, letting you swap Kongs with a single button press. I consider this mandatory if you actually want to finish the game in 2026.

The development team, which includes Rainchus, Ballaam, 2dos, Killklli, and Umed, noted that the recompilation was completed entirely by hand. They did not use generative AI code tools to translate the binary. The project is free to download, though you will need to supply your own copy of the game to hear the DK Rap in high definition.