A Super Mario Odyssey PC port is running natively on Windows hardware, and no, this isn’t just another emulator video, because a team of modders has been turning the 2017 Switch game into actual PC code, with early footage showing Cap Kingdom ticking along at almost 60fps on a modest RTX 3050 laptop.
It’s very much a work in progress, there’s no download and no release date, but it’s one of the most impressive bits of Nintendo preservation tinkering we’ve seen in a while, and it raises a fair few questions about where Nintendo games are heading on PC. Let me explain.
Wait, How Is This Different From Just Emulating Super Mario Odyssey?
This is the bit that matters, because an emulator pretends to be a Switch in real time, while this project uses a static recompiler, reportedly called SwitchRecomp according to community members on Reddit, to translate the game’s ARM64 code into C/C++ and then compile it into a proper native x86-64 PC program. On top of that, the team is converting Nintendo’s NVN graphics calls over to Vulkan, so your graphics card is talking to the game directly rather than through a translation layer.
If that sounds familiar, it’s the same broad idea that’s given us native PC versions of N64 classics over the last few years, just pointed at a much newer, much more complicated console, which is frankly a little bit mad!
Quick NoteNobody has shared a download, and the reports say you’ll need your own copy of the game when it eventually lands, so if you were hoping to “sail the open sea” with this one, some people, definitely not me, are going to be very disappointed!
How Well Does It Actually Run Right Now?
According to DSOGaming, the first-look footage was captured by YouTuber Belmante on an RTX 3050 laptop, hitting 58-59fps in Cap Kingdom, and RetroGems rounds up a few more community reports that haven’t been independently confirmed yet:
- RTX 3050 laptop: 58-59fps in Cap Kingdom, dipping to around 53fps in busy areas
- RTX 2060: reportedly 60fps at 1080p
- Celeron N4500 with Intel UHD graphics: around 15fps, which is basically a very shiny potato doing its absolute best
- Playable so far: Cap Kingdom (including Top-Hat Tower) and Cascade Kingdom, with jump physics and objectives reportedly working
The catch list is just as important though, because there’s no audio yet, there are graphical bugs, and the team is still optimising to get a properly locked 60fps, so this is a “look what we’ve done” video rather than a “go and play it tonight” release. Silent Mario jumping around Cascade Kingdom is still oddly cool, isn’t it?
Is Nintendo Going to Let This One Live?
I’ll be upfront with you all, Nintendo’s track record here doesn’t fill me with confidence, given the company pushed the Yuzu team into a $2.4 million settlement back in 2024 and has been very protective of its Switch-era games ever since. The usual defence for recompilation projects is that they don’t include any Nintendo code or assets, and players have to bring their own legally dumped game, but that hasn’t always stopped takedowns in the past.
What makes this more awkward for Nintendo is that Super Mario Odyssey is still sold on the Switch eShop and is playable on Switch 2, so unlike long-dead N64 games there’s an actual product here they’ll argue is being undercut. Whether that argument holds up legally is a question for people who charge by the hour!
Should You Care About This Super Mario Odyssey PC Port?
If you love preservation and modding, absolutely, because native recompilation opens the door to things emulation struggles with, like ultrawide, high frame rates and proper mod support, and it’ll run on far weaker hardware than a full Switch emulator needs. We’ve already seen the same spirit with the native Wind Waker homebrew port, so the community is clearly on a roll while Nintendo keeps its classics locked away.
If you just want to play Odyssey right now though, the honest answer is to pick it up on Switch or Switch 2, because there’s nothing to download here and there may never be, so enjoy the footage and keep expectations firmly in check… and maybe don’t refresh Reddit every five minutes!
FAQ
Can I download the Super Mario Odyssey PC port?
No, the Super Mario Odyssey PC port has only been shown in gameplay footage, with no public download or release date announced.
Is the Super Mario Odyssey PC port an emulator?
No, it reportedly uses a static recompiler to turn the Switch game’s code into a native x86-64 PC program, with graphics converted to Vulkan.
Will I need my own copy of Super Mario Odyssey?
Reports say yes, players will need their own copy of the game, as the project doesn’t include Nintendo’s files.
About The Author
