Super Mario 64: 4 Open Source Clones Compared
Quad64 is a level editor for modifying existing SM64 ROMs rather than a playable clone itself, and its README describes the project as dead, with macro and special objects not editable in vanilla 8MB ROMs. sm64ex, a fork of sm64-port, adds an options menu, custom texture-pack support, and alternate renderers, needing the original ROM only once to extract assets. Super-Mario-64-DS-Remastered is a separate mod for the Render96 PC port that swaps in Super Mario 64 DS's models, while the DualShock Version ports the decompilation to PlayStation but documents numerous unresolved bugs (a crashing ending sequence, a non-functional pause menu, memory-related level crashes) and has since moved further development to Codeberg.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- N64
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 2y ago
- Stars
- 1,834
- Contributors
- 67
- License
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesA ROM is required to extract assets using extract_assets.py, though the ROM is not needed after extraction.
- Modding support
- YesSupports custom texture packs via optional external data loading.
Availability
- Status
- Unplayable
- Platforms
- PS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Archived
- Last updated
- 1mo ago
- Stars
- 466
- Contributors
- 13
- License
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires the user to provide a Super Mario 64 (US) ROM (baserom.us.z64) to extract assets.
- Modding support
- —
Availability
- Status
- —
- Platforms
- Windows
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 4y ago
- Stars
- 127
- Contributors
- 12
- License
- MIT
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires an SM64 ROM file to load and edit.
- Modding support
- —
Availability
- Status
- —
- Platforms
- Windows
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 4y ago
- Stars
- 44
- Contributors
- 6
- License
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
- Modding support
- YesMod for Super Mario 64 PC Port (Render96) that replaces game models with Super Mario 64 DS assets.
| Title | sm64ex | Super Mario 64 (DualShock Version) | Quad64 | Super-Mario-64-DS-Remastered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Unplayable | — | — |
| Platforms | N64 | PS | Windows | Windows |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No |
| Mobile | No | No | No | No |
| Project health | ||||
| Development status | Halted | Archived | Halted | Halted |
| Last updated | 2y ago | 1mo ago | 4y ago | 4y ago |
| Stars | 1,834 | 466 | 127 | 44 |
| Contributors | 67 | 13 | 12 | 6 |
| License | — | — | MIT | — |
| Compatibility | ||||
| Requires original assets | YesA ROM is required to extract assets using extract_assets.py, though the ROM is not needed after extraction. | YesRequires the user to provide a Super Mario 64 (US) ROM (baserom.us.z64) to extract assets. | YesRequires an SM64 ROM file to load and edit. | — |
| Modding support | YesSupports custom texture packs via optional external data loading. | — | — | YesMod for Super Mario 64 PC Port (Render96) that replaces game models with Super Mario 64 DS assets. |
| Preview | | |
Known limitations
- feature: Some of Mario's animations do not play and may crash the game.
- feature: Music cannot be generated at build time without manually obtaining tracks.
- compatibility: Camera cannot be controlled in many levels due to unfinished camera control implementation.
- compatibility: Crashes when entering certain levels due to insufficient memory.
- feature: Ending sequence crashes on load.
- feature: Pause menu does not work.
- graphics: Textures are loaded individually, causing long stutters and loading times.
- graphics: Some textures are rendered incorrectly due to RSP JIT issues.
- compatibility: Macro & Special objects are not editable with vanilla 8MB ROMs due to MIO0 compression.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Super Mario 64 clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these Super Mario 64 clones use?
Quad64 (MIT).
Do I need to own the original Super Mario 64 to play these clones?
sm64ex, Super Mario 64 (DualShock Version), and Quad64 require original game assets to play.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Super Mario 64.