Wave Race 64 Recompilation

About

A native PC port of Wave Race 64 made by statically recompiling the game's MIPS code to C with N64Recomp, running on N64ModernRuntime with RT64 as the renderer. It is unofficial and not affiliated with Nintendo, and the game loads cartridge data from a dump you supply. The game boots, menus work, and championship, time trial and two-player races run with audio.

How it differs from the original

Adds widescreen with a HUD laid out across the frame, display-rate frame interpolation, controller haptics, an optional HD texture pack, a replacement soundtrack and a modern water renderer. The original soundtrack and rendering can be restored in settings.

Getting started

You need your own legally obtained USA Rev A (v1.1) dump of the game; other versions will not work. On Windows x64, extract the release ZIP and run the executable, then pick your dump in the launcher.

History

The original upstream project was written by Claude working in Claude Code under the direction of Daniel Gomes Vieira. This fork adds macOS support, modern water, replacement music and HD textures, developed with Codex under Brian Tate's direction.

Known issues & limitations

• The results screen layout is wrong when HUD Placement is set above Original.
• The MAX POWER banner loses its last letter when the HUD layout is enabled.
• Intel Macs have not been validated.
• Some courses have not been played in both directions, and stunt mode and the championship ceremony have had less testing.
• In a 4:3 window the picture is letterboxed; fullscreen on a widescreen display has no bars.
• The results screen layout is wrong when HUD Placement is set larger than Original, and the MAX POWER banner loses its last letter while the HUD layout is on.

What you need to run it

Features

• RT64 interpolates movement between game frames and presents at the display's refresh rate.
• The launcher includes a ROM picker, settings, and controller remapping with profiles for each device.
• The game supports championship, time trial, stunt mode, and two-player races.
• Haptics can provide distinct feedback for events, with adjustable strength, a Full mode, or an off setting.
• Supported controllers can use trigger vibration.
• Custom replacement music is available, and Original restores the cartridge soundtrack.
• HD textures are enabled by default; players can choose Original to use cartridge artwork.

How to install

1. On Windows x64, download the release ZIP, extract the entire archive, run the executable, and select your USA Rev A dump in the launcher.
2. On macOS, download the ZIP, extract it, and drag the app to Applications.

Controls

• Press F9 to compare water rendering from the current camera.
• Press F10 to cycle rendering diagnostics.

Media

Licensing & legal

• The project's own code and artwork are MIT-licensed, but a built executable is a GPL-3.0 combined work because it statically links N64ModernRuntime.

Additional notes

Testing

Not every course has been played in both directions, and stunt mode and the championship ceremony have had less testing.

FAQ

What is Wave Race 64 Recompilation?

Wave Race 64 Recompilation is an open-source recompilation of Wave Race 64. The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port.

Do I need the original game files to run Wave Race 64 Recompilation?

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

How is Wave Race 64 Recompilation licensed?

project: MIT License (project's own code and artwork); N64ModernRuntime: GPL-3.0 (built executable as a whole); RecompFrontend: no license (menus). The repository itself is the authoritative source.