Banjo-Kazooie is BACK … sort of — ‘Banjo Recompiled’ for PC brings widescreen, high framerates, and Steam Deck support

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Despite being an older game, Banjo-Kazooie remains popular, and fans are now working to update and replay it through self-made versions.

Banjo-Kazooie is a beloved 3D platforming game originally released for the Nintendo 64, created by the developers of Sea of Thieves, Rare. When Microsoft bought Rare, the game and other Rare series were largely forgotten, but fans have consistently asked for a new installment. Banjo-Kazooie is a top requested game from franchises Microsoft now owns, though they haven’t yet decided to make a new one. Now, the fans are taking matters into their own hands.

Banjo-Kazooie is receiving a fan-made update for PC, essentially rebuilding it to run more smoothly on today’s computers. This process, called recompiling, takes the game’s original code and converts it into a format modern hardware can use directly. It’s different from emulation and doesn’t need the game’s original design files.

The classic Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie, originally created by Rare, has been updated to run directly on today’s computers – both Windows and Linux – without needing an emulator.

Banjo-Kazooie became available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in 2022, and Xbox players can enjoy it with Rare Replay or Game Pass. Unfortunately, PlayStation gamers currently don’t have an official way to play the game.

What makes Banjo: Recompiled different from emulation

As a researcher, I’ve been working on a way to run this software without relying on emulation. Emulators try to *mimic* the original hardware, which can slow things down and create noticeable delays. Instead, I’ve recompiled the code to run directly on your computer’s hardware, which eliminates that performance hit and makes everything much more responsive.

Crucially, the game still plays exactly as it originally did. The game now runs at a smooth framerate on modern TVs and computers, no longer restricted by the limitations of the old Nintendo 64 console, but without changing how the game feels or works.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. When Super Mario 64 was recompiled previously, it sparked a huge wave of fan-made modifications and content, which Nintendo wasn’t thrilled about.

Players revisiting Banjo-Kazooie will find several improvements. It runs much smoother than on most emulators, with quicker loading and support for modern controllers and widescreen displays. Plus, it’s compatible with Windows, Linux, and the Steam Deck.

Just like with Super Mario 64, being able to rebuild the game means modders can really go to town on Banjo-Kazooie! It’s exciting to think about what the community will create, and honestly, there are already some cool mods popping up. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

This isn’t the first time fans have revived Banjo-Kazooie. Recently, a dedicated creator built a new Banjo-Kazooie game using Dreams, a PlayStation game creation tool that, sadly, wasn’t released on PC or Xbox.

Currently, Banjo-Kazooie’s popularity is largely driven by its dedicated fans. They’re hoping the series will eventually get an official reboot or new game that it truly deserves.

You can check out the GitHub Repo for Banjo-Kazooie recompiled here.

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2026-01-25 16:39