Video Game Porting
Ongoing coverage on Video Game Porting.
Latest coverage
Black Tiger - Capcom's brilliant 1987 platformer ported to the Sega Mega Drive and soon Amiga!
Developer Str1der is creating a new Amiga port of Capcom's 1987 arcade game Black Tiger, based on a recent Sega Mega Drive conversion by Rester159. This homebrew project utilizes AI tools but required extensive manual work, featuring remapped graphics, custom features, and faithful gameplay for Amiga 500 and Amiga 1200.
You can now play Doom on a SQL database in one of the most astonishing porting projects we've ever seen
Developer Lukas Vogel has successfully ported the classic game Doom to run entirely within a SQL database, a project dubbed SQLDoom. The port utilizes approximately 1,300 lines of SQL code to handle game logic and rendering, achieving up to 35 full-color frames per second at 640x480 resolution. This innovative project showcases the capabilities of the CedarDB system and even supports deathmatch multiplayer.
Dev who worked on GTA 6 argues Nintendo Switch 2 version wouldn’t make sense
A developer who worked on Grand Theft Auto 6 believes a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game would not make sense due to the risk of a subpar experience and the likely audience overlap. He suggests players interested in Grand Theft Auto 6 would acquire a PlayStation 5 or PC if necessary, questioning the necessity of a port that might not perform optimally.
Outrun 2026 - An Arcade racing classic gets an AI Amstrad CPC 128k port by Oldschool Is Beautiful
A new port of the classic SEGA Master System game Outrun, titled Outrun 2026, has been developed for the Amstrad CPC 6128 by Oldschool Is Beautiful. Notably, the entire game engine, utilities, and music conversion were programmed using Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 AI model, with the human creator acting solely as director and tester.
Diablo 4 game director says ‘it’s about damn time’ it came to Nintendo Switch 2 — and the ‘concessions we had to make are barely noticeable’
Diablo 4 game director Brent Gibson expressed enthusiasm for the game's release on the Nintendo Switch 2, stating it was 'about damn time.' Despite initial concerns about the feasibility of porting the game, Gibson praised the development team's efforts, noting that the concessions made for performance are 'barely noticeable' and the game runs fluidly.
IO Interactive "had no choice" but to delay Switch 2 launch of 007 First Light for a third time
IO Interactive has announced a third delay for 007 First Light on the Nintendo Switch 2, with the game now slated for a March 2027 release. Technical producer Cristina Vega stated the decision was made to ensure the game is released in its most polished form, despite the disappointment for fans. Vega also detailed compromises made for the Switch 2 version, aiming to maintain an experience close to PC where possible.
Columns - Game Gear Columns is coming to the Amiga
A new port of SEGA's classic puzzle game Columns, based on the Game Gear version, is in development for the Commodore Amiga. The developer is utilizing AI and emulation for the project, with plans for a potential HD reskin. An open-source alpha build is available for community testing.
Aonic - HOT NEWS as Sonic the Hedgehog gets an early demo on the Amiga and it's impressive!
A highly anticipated work-in-progress demo of Sonic the Hedgehog, titled Aonic, has been released for the Amiga 1200. Developed by reassembler, this impressive homebrew project meticulously recreates the Sega Mega Drive classic by utilizing its original source code and disassembled assets. While the gameplay, physics, and speed are preserved, the current build omits audio and features some visual differences due to significant engineering optimizations required for the Amiga hardware.
A native port of Donkey Kong 64 is finally playable on PC thanks to a team of programmers who boast that 'no generative AI [was] used at any point in the process'
A native PC port of Nintendo's 1999 game Donkey Kong 64 has been released by a team of programmers who emphasize that no generative AI was used in its development. The recompilation runs on modern hardware at high resolutions and framerates, offering improved performance and mouse support over the original.
AmiGTA1 - A native AmigaOS 68k port of Grand Theft Auto is in the works
Developer Grzegorz Korycki is creating AmiGTA1, a native AmigaOS 68k reimplementation of the original Grand Theft Auto engine. This project aims for authentic classic hardware setups and requires players to supply their own game files for conversion. The alpha release already demonstrates a functional Liberty City with smooth performance, showcasing core mechanics like movement and carjacking.
c0man - The MSX text-based pacman has now been ported to Amiga by TFHFony
Arnaud de Klerk, also known as TFHFony, has ported the MSX1 text-based game C0man to the Commodore Amiga. This native port retains the original's Pac-Man-style maze, green-on-black aesthetic, and minimalist audio, but runs on the Amiga's 68000 processor. The port utilizes a clever graphical coincidence between the MSX's 8x8 tile grid and the Amiga's resolution, allowing for a direct mapping of game elements.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess wasn't enough, you can now run Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask…
A fan has successfully ported The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to run natively on iOS and iPadOS, building upon a previous fan-made port of Ocarina of Time. This new port, named MaskPad, utilizes the Ship of Harkinian project and offers full controller support, alongside touch, keyboard, and mouse input.
Elden Ring Finally Lands on Switch 2 August 28 — Here's What Fixed the 15fps Disaster | Gamedoper
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is launching on Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2026, for $79.99. This version includes the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, along with new classes, armor, and weapons. The port faced significant performance issues initially, but has since seen improvements, targeting 30-40fps in handheld and 30fps docked.
Microsoft is reportedly planning to bring Xbox 360 games to PC, according to leaked documents
Microsoft is reportedly planning to bring Xbox 360 games to PC through a new backward compatibility initiative, according to leaked developer documents. This program, expected to roll out between 2027 and 2028, will allow developers to opt-in to making their Xbox 360 titles available for purchase and play on PC and handheld devices.
Pitfall 2600 - A brilliant classic has been ported over to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive with the help of AI
A fan-made port of the classic Atari 2600 game Pitfall! has been released for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive. Developed by Paulo Manrique, the project utilizes AI to generate new 16-bit artwork and features while maintaining the original gameplay and collision detection. The creator, David Crane, also made the original game for Activision in 1982.
Dev ports Half-Life to the PS1, asks Valve if it's cool with that, and says he'll "make it public"…
A developer named Manny has successfully ported the original Half-Life to the PlayStation 1 hardware, creating a custom renderer and game runtime in Rust. The port runs at an average of 17 frames per second and includes all seven maps of the Hazard Course. Manny has reached out to Valve for permission to release the source code, stating he will make it public if he doesn't hear back within a month.
It looks like someone has managed to get Grand Theft Auto 5 running on an original Switch, and now I'm wondering…
A fan has reportedly managed to port Grand Theft Auto 5 to the original Nintendo Switch, though performance is poor, reaching a maximum of 22FPS. This has sparked speculation about what Grand Theft Auto 6 might look like on the more powerful Nintendo Switch 2, despite current-gen console performance expectations suggesting a challenging port.
Deathchase for the VIC-20 - A port of the classic Spectrum 3d forest chase game has arrived on the VIC-20
A port of the classic ZX Spectrum 3D forest chase game Deathchase has been released for the Commodore VIC-20, requiring an 8K RAM expansion. Developer Kweepa implemented a clever raster split technique to overcome the VIC-20's color limitations and optimized performance by using a custom lookup table for faster rendering. The port retains the core gameplay while leaving approximately 2K of memory free for community modifications.
YouTuber gets Minecraft running on an original Game Boy Color, and it even looks kinda playable
YouTuber Game of Tobi has successfully ported Minecraft to the original Game Boy Color, creating a functional 3D version of the game. While not the full experience, the port allows players to walk around and break/place blocks. A black and white version also runs on the original Game Boy.
Google's AI Studio lead has vibe coded a port of Command & Conquer for iOS
Ammaar Reshi, lead of product and design at Google AI Studio, announced the successful port of the 2003 game Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour to iOS devices using Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 AI model. The port features native ARM64 compilation, touch controls designed for RTS gameplay, and is available on GitHub, though it requires users to provide their own game copy.
