What is Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation?

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation is an open-source recompilation of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port. The original game ran on Xbox 360 and Switch.

Do I need the original game files to run Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation?

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

How is Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation licensed?

project: GPL-3.0 (source code); project: BSD-3-Clause (SDK changes); project: MIT (shader translator and Mesa changes). The repository itself is the authoritative source.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation

RecompilationActive

The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port.

Based on Need for Speed: Most Wanted

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Image of the original game, Need for Speed: Most Wanted. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (original game, not this project) — Image of the original game, Need for Speed: Most Wanted. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Links, repository & details

About

A native Nintendo Switch port of the Xbox 360 version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005). It is not an emulator: the PowerPC code of the game's executable is statically recompiled to C++ with ReXGlue, and the game is drawn by a native Vulkan renderer running on NVK (Mesa). It targets 30 FPS at the console's stock clocks with no overclock. Source code is under GPL-3.0.

How it differs from the original

Adds a Debug Menu (currently Spanish only) with graphics options and post-processing color presets, a setting to soften or remove the game's yellow color filter, and an automatic resolution of 1280x720 handheld or 1920x1080 docked. Several editions of the game, including PAL, NTSC-U, NTSC-J and Korean, are supported.

Getting started

You need your own copy of the Xbox 360 game, either a disc image or the extracted disc. Open the project's installer page in a browser, choose your format and create the zip, which is built from your files on your own computer, then extract it into the switch folder on the SD card. Launch with a game override by holding R, or with a forwarder set to a 39-bit address space.

Known issues & limitations

The first race after installing or updating can stutter for a few seconds while graphics pipelines compile.
Album applet mode does not provide enough memory.
Races average 32–35 FPS in handheld mode; the measured heaviest area runs at 21–22 FPS for about 20 seconds.

What you need to run it

Original game files required. The project ships code only; you provide your own copy of the game (Xbox 360, Switch version).

You need your own Xbox 360 game disc image or an extracted disc containing default.xex.
Homebrew requires custom firmware.

Features

Resolution is automatic by default: 1280x720 handheld and 1920x1080 docked.

How to install

Open the installer page, choose Disc image (.iso) or XEX format, then create the package ZIP.
Extract nfsmw-nx.zip into sdmc:/switch/.
Launch using a game override by holding R while starting an installed title, or use a forwarder; do not use Album applet mode.
If using a forwarder, configure it for a 39-bit address space.
To update, use the installer page's update ZIP and extract it over the existing folder.

Controls

Switch buttons map to Xbox 360 buttons with the same letter; A accepts and B goes back.
Set input_xbox_layout = true in nfsmw.toml to use Xbox-pad positional face-button layout.

Summarised from the project's README.

Additional notes

Performance: In handheld mode races average 32 to 35 FPS, and the heaviest measured area runs at 21-22 FPS for about 20 seconds.
First race: The first race after installing or updating may stutter for a few seconds while graphics pipelines compile; they are then saved on the SD card.

FAQ

What is Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation?: Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation is an open-source recompilation of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port. The original game ran on Xbox 360 and Switch.
Do I need the original game files to run Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.
How is Need for Speed: Most Wanted Recompilation licensed?: project: GPL-3.0 (source code); project: BSD-3-Clause (SDK changes); project: MIT (shader translator and Mesa changes). The repository itself is the authoritative source.