Decompiling games? A new trend with heavily AI assisted coding! A New Homebrew
Decompiling games? A new trend with heavily AI assisted coding! A New Homebrew
There’s a remarkable wave of retro homebrew happening. Games span several different achievements: native ports, rewritten engines, hardware experiments, and modifications to existing games. Calling everything a “port” can make an early demonstration sound like a finished release.
Here’s what I could establish as of 18 October 2026:
| Project | What’s actually happening |
|---|---|
| GTA III on Dreamcast | Real: DCA3, built by The Gang using the reverse-engineered re3 codebase. This is a native conversion, rather than running a PlayStation 2 emulator. GitLab |
| Halo CE on Dreamcast | I couldn’t verify a completed native CE release. The established Halo Revamped project is a Halo-themed homebrew prototype using a Quake engine. It’s separate from the recent Halo decompilation ports. Page 4 |
| Resident Evil 4 on Dreamcast | Demonstrations exist, including an early version using PH3NOM’s own engine. Treat these as experimental recreations/demos; I couldn’t establish a complete, playable conversion of the original game. timeextension.com |
| Sonic on Saturn and 32X | Sonic CD and Sonic Mania projects have been demonstrated for Saturn, with a separate Mania effort for 32X. These are individual projects at different stages; “all Sonic games are coming” overstates the evidence. sonic-city.net |
| Sonic on Dreamcast | Sonic R received a complete fan port in September. Sonic Mania also has a separate Dreamcast port project. segasaturnshiro.com |
| Nintendo 64 games on Dreamcast | Yes: projects include Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time. The latter’s repository explicitly identifies it as a port of the decompilation. thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk |
| Halo-64 on Nintendo 64 | A real public project advertises four-player split-screen, bots and Firefight, built from the Halo decompilation. It focuses on multiplayer; it is not the full campaign transplanted unchanged. GitHub |
| Super Mario 64 on SNES | Game of Tobi’s unfinished Super Mario FX experiment uses Super FX hardware and extensive adaptation. It isn’t a finished replacement for the N64 game. Time Extension |
| Super Mario 64 on Jaguar | BudFolk has shown a rudimentary experiment. According to the project coverage, the developer isn’t planning a full game or even a public playable demo. Time Extension |
| Better Saturn Doom | Yes: Fafling’s optimization patch improves the existing release. Separate projects such as DoomFS2 and Mimas explore new Saturn implementations. SEGA SATURN, SHIRO! |
| Xbox 360 homebrew | Tools such as XeUnshackle enable homebrew through newer exploit workflows. Separately, XenonRecomp translates Xbox 360 games into native executables for other hardware—those are two different developments. GitHub |
| Windows on GameCube | Real: Entii for WorkCubes runs PowerPC Windows NT 3.51/4.0. The familiar desktop can resemble Windows 95, but it’s a different operating system. GitHub |
How can Halo run in a browser?
A browser can execute compiled game code through WebAssembly. Tools such as Emscripten compile C/C++ into this format and connect it to browser graphics, sound, input and file handling. Your computer still does the work locally; a browser game doesn’t inherently require video streaming. Emscripten 6.0.10-git (dev) documentation
The Halo browser build credits the Halo decompilation projects and currently asks you to supply an XISO from your own Xbox copy. Its multiplayer interface uses invitation links and says gameplay connects peer-to-peer when possible. mitchellhynes.com
And 128 players simultaneously?
The underlying fork explicitly raises the limit to 128 players across 128 machines and documents rewritten networking, with the host making authoritative game decisions. So this is more substantial than simply changing the number displayed in a lobby. GitHub
However, a supported limit is not proof of reliable performance in a full match. I didn’t find a convincing documented 128-human stress test. Bandwidth, host performance, synchronization and maps designed for far fewer players all matter.
Where does AI fit into decompilation?
Decompilation reconstructs source-level code from a compiled program. It doesn’t automatically recover the original comments, meaningful names or design documents. Static recompilation takes another route: translating machine instructions into code that can be compiled for a new platform; XenonRecomp is one example. GitHub
AI can help explain unfamiliar functions, draft platform code, investigate compiler errors and suggest fixes. But generated code still needs comparison against the original game and testing on the target hardware. A successful build proves much less than a complete, accurate game.
The exciting development is that one shared reverse-engineering effort can become the foundation for many ports. Halo’s desktop, Android, browser and N64 projects illustrate that multiplication particularly well—although each target still requires substantial engineering. GitHub
GitHub helps older-game decompilation projects get discovered and grow. People can inspect the code, report bugs, contribute fixes, and build ports from shared research.
The Game-Decompilations directory is a good example: it brings scattered projects together so people can find games beyond the famous Mario, Zelda and Sonic efforts.
A useful GitHub repository could list:
- Game and original console
- Original project and contributors
- Progress: partial or complete decompilation
- Playable ports: released, experimental, or unavailable
- Latest verified update
- How people can contribute
Crediting the original reverse-engineering teams matters—an attention-grabbing new port may depend on years of their work.
Here are additional projects to explore. “New” here means new to our list—several have been developed for years.
| Game / project | Original platform | What exists |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Hill | PlayStation | An ongoing decompilation, plus separate native PC port efforts. One AI-assisted port explicitly describes itself as a beta. GitHub |
| MediEvil | PlayStation | A public decompilation project. Its existence doesn’t yet establish a finished PC port. GitHub |
| Super Mario Galaxy — Petari | Wii | A substantial public decompilation project, with repository activity this month. GitHub |
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | GameCube | A long-running decompilation useful for understanding the game’s internals and developing modifications. GitHub |
| Star Fox Adventures | GameCube | A public decompilation effort related to the earlier Dinosaur Planet codebase. GitHub |
| Dinosaur Planet | Unreleased N64 prototype | Both a decompilation project and a separate native recompilation. Particularly interesting for exploring the game before it became Star Fox Adventures. GitHub |
| Diddy Kong Racing | N64 | A matching decompilation, plus a separate recompilation project drawing on its symbols and research. DavidSM64/Diddy-Kong-Racing · GitHub |
| Paper Mario | N64 | A reverse-engineering project and Paper Mario DX, a foundation for creating mods using the decompilation. GitHub |
| Sonic Unleashed — Unleashed Recompiled | Xbox 360 | A released native PC port through static recompilation, rather than a conventional source decompilation. GitHub |
Sonic Unleashed Recompiled is especially relevant: it shows how the same broader reverse-engineering movement now reaches Xbox 360-era games. Dinosaur Planet is another unusually interesting example because the source material was an unreleased prototype.
For discovering more, these are useful starting points:
- Game-Decompilations directory—a broad list, updated October 17, 2026. Inclusion means a project exists, not that it is complete. github.com
- Read Only Memo’s decompilation and recompilation tracker—more focused on playable ports and their status. readonlymemo.com
- GameCube/Wii decompilation community—a collection of underlying research projects. GitHub
The key distinction: “100% decompiled” and “finished native port” are separate milestones. A game can reach the first and still require extensive graphics, audio, input and platform work before you can play it elsewhere.
Some good recent ROM hacks and major updates to check out: This is a shortlist, rather than a verified popularity ranking.
| ROM hack | Console | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Lazarus 2.0 | GBA | A complete adventure in the Greek-inspired Ilios region, with Game Boy Color-style graphics. Its substantial 2026 update adds Mega Evolutions and incorporates player feedback. GBAtemp.net |
| Pokémon Pisces | GBA | A completed Emerald-based adventure that received attention in the community’s 2025 ROM Hacking Awards, announced this May. GBA Rom Hack by Pebbler Platoon |
| Smash Remix 2.0.1 | N64 | An enormous expansion of Smash Bros. 64, with additional fighters, stages and modes. An established project with a newer release—not a newly launched hack. GitHub |
| Zelda: Ultimate Trial | N64 | A custom Ocarina of Time adventure. Its expanded versions include achievements, randomization options, widescreen and other additions. RichieUltimate/ultimate-trial · GitHub |
| Sonic Delta / Delta Origins | Mega Drive | Combines the classic Sonic adventures into one extended experience, including restored prototype elements. Delta Origins has been receiving 2026 updates. sonichacking.org |
| Mario Kart 64: Hooting Time | N64 | A substantial Mario Kart modification with custom racing features and multiplayer changes; its repository documents the available updates and patching requirements. GitHub |
| Mario Builder 64 | N64 | Turns Super Mario 64 into a level-building playground. Released in 2024, so older than the others’ recent updates, but particularly interesting if you like creating and sharing levels. GitHub |
For Sega interests, start with Sonic Delta. For something that feels like a new RPG, try Lazarus or Pisces; for multiplayer, Smash Remix is the standout here.
For more discoveries, follow the Sonic Hacking Contest, PokéCommunity’s ROM Hacks Showcase, and Hylian Modding. Use the creators’ patch releases and check the required base-ROM version.
Several excellent branches to the retro-development scene. I found the desktop-style Mega Drive ROM and the Mac OS X projects, plus some useful distinctions about the games.
Mac OS X and other operating systems on consoles
| Console / project | What’s available |
|---|---|
| Wii — wiiMac | Bryan Keller’s bootloader and accompanying drivers allow Mac OS X 10.0.4 Cheetah to boot on Wii. This is a native hardware project. GitHub |
| Wii / Wii U — Wiintosh | A separate project supporting older PowerPC Mac OS X versions. Its documentation lists Cheetah, Puma and Jaguar, with Panther and Tiger supported on Wii U only. It remains experimental, with hardware limitations. GitHub |
| Dreamcast — NetBSD | A real NetBSD port for Sega’s console. wiki.netbsd.org |
| GameCube / Wii — Linux | GC-Linux and Wii-Linux projects turn the hardware into small PowerPC computers. WiiBrew |
| Original Xbox — Linux / Cromwell | Xbox Linux exists alongside Cromwell, an open-source replacement BIOS and Linux bootloader. GitHub |
The Mac connection is possible because Wii and Wii U use processors related to the PowerPC G3 family used by older Macs. Developers still have to supply boot firmware, kernel changes and drivers for Nintendo’s hardware. GitHub
The Windows-like Mega Drive ROM
mikeyeldey95. It recreates the experience of a 1990s desktop, with music, jokes, minigames and secrets. It runs as a Mega Drive program; the familiar interface is a simulation rather than the Windows operating system. mikeyeldey.itch.io
Ghostbusters with Winston
That is Ghostbusters: Special Edition for Mega Drive/Genesis. Winston is added as a playable character, correcting his omission from the original. The project has expanded substantially; recent coverage describes cartoon-style Ghostbusters, additional characters and further features. The patch listing provides the release details. Romhack Plaza
Mortal Kombat with extra fighters
Mortal Kombat Arcade Edition is a released Mega Drive hack with improved graphics, arcade sound samples, training mode, saving, and playable Reptile and Noob Saibot options. master-linkuei.itch.io
I couldn’t verify Art Lean in a released console ROM hack. A video featuring him might be a different fan project or a standalone fighting-engine game. The title or video link would help identify it accurately.
NES hacks and Finnish NES releases
For NES ROM hacks, these are worth exploring:
- Mario Adventure 3 — an extensive Super Mario Bros. 3 transformation, with its own developer-maintained guide. marioadventure3.com
- Metroid: Rogue Dawn — a released fan-made prequel with a new world and presentation. It dates from 2017. Metroid Construction
- Zelda: Ancient Dungeon — reworks the original NES Zelda into a dungeon-focused randomized adventure. zeldadungeon.net
For Finnish-made NES games already released, I verified:
- PERKELE! — Suomi 100 vuotta by AasiPelit: originally released on cartridge in 2017, with a downloadable fifth-anniversary edition.
- Juhannussauna 2016 by AasiPelit: a Finnish-language sauna game for NES. 5th anniversary edition by AasiPelit
These are modern homebrew releases for old hardware, but I haven’t verified a new 2025–2026 Finnish NES release.
Examples also suggest strong development ideas: a Finnish folklore NES adventure, a Mega Drive desktop with usable creative tools, restoration hacks that add missing characters, and a console-OS museum that demonstrates each machine running an unexpected desktop. These are proposed directions, rather than announcements of existing projects.
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