Do I need the original game files to run Mario Kart 64?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.

Mario Kart 64

DecompilationActivePlayableN64

Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported.

Based on Mario Kart 64

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Image of the original game, Mario Kart 64. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Mario Kart 64 (original game, not this project) — Image of the original game, Mario Kart 64. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Links, repository & details

About

Mario Kart 64 is a 1996 kart racing game by Nintendo for the N64, the second entry in the Mario Kart series, featuring Grand Prix and battle modes with items, obstacles, and local multiplayer. Mario Kart 64 (n64decomp/mk64) is an ongoing decompilation of the original ROM. It builds and verifies against the USA release as well as both European revisions, but includes no game assets — these must be extracted from a copy of the original ROM.

Getting started

Building requires cloning the repo with submodules, extracting assets from your own ROM copy of a supported region (USA, or European revision 1.0/1.1) using the included tools, and then running make; full instructions are published in the project's online docs.

History

The project was undertaken for historical and educational reasons, driven by interest in the game's underlying hardware and technology as well as its broad cultural impact.

Known issues & limitations

compatibility: Some menu textures are compressed using tkmk00 format and a byte-matching compressor/decompressor does not yet exist.

What you need to run it

Original game files required. The project ships code only; you provide your own copy of the game.

A prior copy of the game is needed to extract assets for compiling.

Additional notes

Technical note: Some menu textures use a custom 'tkmk00' compression format that doesn't yet have a byte-matching compressor/decompressor, a known gap in build accuracy.

FAQ

What is Mario Kart 64?: Mario Kart 64 is an open-source decompilation of Mario Kart 64. Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported.
Do I need the original game files to run Mario Kart 64?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.