The PS5 version of Dead Cells now runs natively on Windows

Developer OverkillLabs has successfully booted the PlayStation 5 version of Dead Cells on a Windows PC without using an emulator. The proof-of-concept relies on the AnyPS5 project to execute the game natively, marking the first time a commercial PS5 release has run directly on desktop hardware.

As previously reported, the AnyPS5 project surfaced on GitHub earlier this month. Created by open-source developer boykopovar, AnyPS5 is not a traditional emulator. Instead of simulating an entire console environment, it acts as a compatibility layer and binary relinker. It converts PS5 executables into native Windows or Linux formats, reimplements proprietary system libraries, and translates the graphics shaders into SPIR-V for Vulkan.

Bypassing the hardware overhead

This approach works because modern consoles are essentially custom PCs. When Sony released the PlayStation 5 in November 2020, the company continued using the standard x86-64 architecture it adopted for the PS4. The PS5 runs on a custom AMD Zen 2 processor and RDNA 2 graphics. Because those components share the same fundamental architecture as a standard desktop computer, developers can relink the binaries directly.

This bypasses the massive computational overhead required by traditional emulators like KytyPS5 or shadPS4, which have to virtualize system functions to get software running.

OverkillLabs posted a video demonstration showing the game booting from the menu and running through standard gameplay. According to the creator, the project achieves roughly 55 to 60 FPS indoors and 30 to 35 FPS outdoors at 4K. That performance was recorded on a machine running a Ryzen 7 5800X3D and an RTX 5070 Ti. Keyboard, mouse, and gamepad inputs are all functional, with the game displaying standard PlayStation controller glyphs on screen.

A specific version of a massive hit

Motion Twin originally launched Dead Cells in August 2018 across PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The French cooperative studio built a massive hit, selling over 10 million copies of the roguelite action platformer. The game relies heavily on fast-paced combat and procedural dungeon exploration, making framerate stability a strict requirement for playability. Following years of post-launch updates handled alongside spin-off studio Evil Empire, a dedicated native PlayStation 5 version arrived in June 2023.

The current AnyPS5 release is strictly a proof of concept. OverkillLabs notes they have only tested it with the Return to Castlevania Edition (version PPSA15552) of the game, so other builds might crash or fail to boot entirely. Users have to supply their own game files to test it, and the developer has shared several screenshots of the relinker in action.

I am curious to see how this relinking method scales up. Dead Cells is a lightweight 2D game, and getting a massive 3D exclusive to boot natively through AnyPS5 will likely require significantly more work on the system libraries.

Pick up Dead Cells on Humble Bundle.

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