Game engine recreations and source ports

Sometimes a full system emulator is overkill. This is especially true when a developer only wants to get one game (or a number of games that use the same engine) working. In that case, reimplementing that game alone would save more time than implementing the platform it runs on. These kinds of projects are common when abandonware has large communities; when the original developer has disbanded and can no longer support or update it, an effort is then made to get it running natively on newer versions of-- and/or entirely different-- operating systems and platforms.

• When the developer only has a binary to work with (and not the source code), they recreate the engine rather than port it, hence the term game engine recreations (or alternatively game engine re-implementations). How the developers go about this process depends on their philosophy; they may opt to decompile the original executable and have their own program rely on the original until all of its functions have been remade, at which point the original binary is no longer needed. Alternatively, they can be remade based on a clean room design, in which the project implements the abstract features without having to disassemble the original, going by how components are expected to be used rather than how the game uses them. Some engines come about simply because they were inspired by the original game, and the programmer felt confident enough that no reverse engineering was necessary to make an engine that does the same thing.
• In rare cases, games are released as open-source by the publishers themselves, allowing developers to perform a source port of the code. This skips the step of figuring out how the game works. The most common example that's often used is id Software's release of Doom in 1997. It led to so many ports being released that the community began to joke about what devices haven't gotten it running yet.

Some projects are implemented in ways that the original developer did not intend; for example, for a platform other than which publishers marketed it for. And they're not just limited to game engines either; Webamp is a JavaScript application that reimplements Winamp in the web browser. These projects are almost always open-source which also allows new programmers to fix bugs that could have been difficult to track down during development (alternatively, the bugs may be emulated to allow old mods to continue to safely exploit them). When most of the effort is on programming, the project will usually require the original game's assets (such as files in the installation directory or ROMs) until those ever get remade. This lets the developers claim they aren't infringing the game's copyrights since the player must obtain the original to use it; if the game is still being sold, this could allow the publisher to even earn revenue from the project. This aspect is debatable however, as some source code recreations did result in cease-and-desist letters and even lawsuits from companies such as in the case of re3 and reVC for the 3D-era Grand Theft Auto games, with Take-Two Interactive alleging that the source ports were made to facilitate piracy and that "the work is not licensed in any way"; some have speculated that the suit among others was to keep fan-made mods from getting in the way of their much-maligned Definitive Edition remasters.

For the sake of brevity, most of these projects often refer to themselves under some variety of fan remakes. The External links section has lists for a number of known and available projects.

On Linux downloading and using game engines is easy with Luxtorpeda - a Steam Play compatibility tool (like Proton) that allows you to run games from Steam using various different game engines and reimplementations.

Multi game engine

Name	Operating System(s)	Latest Version	libretro	Active	Recommended	Supported game(s)	Genre
OpenLara		git	✓	✓	~	Tomb Raider 1–4	Action-adventure (3rd-person)
OpenTomb		git	✗	✓	✓	Tomb Raider 1–5
Tomb Raider Automated Fix		TR1 TR2	✗	~	~	Tomb Raider 1 & 2 + their expansions
ScummVM	Multi-platform	2.7.0	✓	✓	✓	Adventure games and RPGs (LucasArts, Sierra, Activision, Humongous & more. Over 250 games.)	Adventure
BuildGDX		Website	✗	✓	✓	Blood, Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Powerslave/Exhumed, Redneck Rampage, Redneck Rampage Rides Again, Witchaven, Witchaven II, TekWar, Legend of the Seven Paladins	FPS
EDuke32 VoidSW		Website	✗	✓	✓	EDuke32: Duke Nukem 3D, Ion Fury, NAM, World War II GI VoidSW: Shadow Warrior
Metaforce		Dev builds git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Retro Games (Metroid Prime 1–3 & Donkey Kong Country Returns)
openDarkEngine		git	✗	✗	✗	Thief 1-2, System Shock 2
Raze		git	✗	✓	✓	Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Redneck Rampage, Shadow Warrior and Exhumed/Powerslave, Nam, WW2 GI
RedNukem		git	✗	✓	✓	Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem 64, Redneck Rampage, Redneck Rampage Rides Again, NAM, World War II GI
XLEngine		git	✗	✗	✓	Star Wars: Dark Forces, Daggerfall Later: Outlaws, Blood, Shadow Warrior
ZDoom		2.81	✗	✗	✓	Doom I–II, Final Doom, Heretic, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, Chex Quest I–III, Strife: Quest for the Sigil, Hacx: Twitch 'n Kill
Commander Genius		3.0.0	✗	✓	✓	Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons, Commander Keen in Keen Dreams, Commander Keen in Goodbye Galaxy, Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter	Platform
OpenNFS		git	✗	✗	~	Need for Speed I–III, Need for Speed: High Stakes, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2	Racing
EasyRPG	Multi-platform	0.8.0	✓	✓	✓	RPG Maker 2000/2003 games	RPG
Falltergeist		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Fallout 1-2
GemRB		git	✗	✓	✓	Infinity Engine (Baldur's Gate series (1998–2001), Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale series (2000–2002))
JoiPlay		1.01.701	✗	✓	✓	RPG Maker XP/VX/VA/MV/MV games/Ren'Py/TyranoBuilder/HTML based games
Neko RPGXP Player		2.01	✗	✗	~	RPG Maker XP/VX/VA/MV games
xoreos		0.0.6	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	BioWare's Aurora engine & derivatives (BioWare's 7 PC/console RPGs, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, The Witcher)
openage		git	✗	✓	~	Genie Engine (Age of Empires, AoE II (HD), Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds)	RTS
OpenRA		git	✗	✓	✓	Early Westwood games (Command & Conquer, C&C: Red Alert). Soon: 2nd-gen C&C (C&C: Tiberian Sun).
OpenSAGE		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	EA's Command & Conquer games (C&C: Generals, C&C: Generals - Zero Hour) Soon: The Battle for Middle-earth series (2004–2006), C&C 3 & expansion.
Stratagus		3.3.2	✗	✓	✓	Wargus (v3.3.2): Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness + Beyond the Dark Portal, Aleona's Tale War1gus (v3.3.2): Warcraft: Orcs & Humans Stargus (v3.3.0): StarCraft (partially playable as of v2.4.1) Games natively made on the Stratagus engine: Aleona's Tale (Wargus), Astroseries, Bos Wars, Wyrmsun
Vanilla Conquer		git	✗	✓	✓	Early Westwood games (Command & Conquer, C&C: Red Alert, Dune 2000). Based on the official source code release by EA, with the goal of serving as a portable drop-in replacement for the original executables as well as a platform for mod developers.
ReC98	Multi-platform	git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Touhou 1–5 (PC-98)	Shoot 'em up
Impacto		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	MAGES. Engine (Science Adventure games)	Visual Novel

Single game engine

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	libretro	Active	Recommended	Supported game(s)	Genre
Open Ocarina		git	✗	✓	✓	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)	Action-adventure
OpenJK		Build git	✗	✓	~	Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Ship of Harkinian		7.0.0 Nightly builds git	✗	✓	✓	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (PAL GameCube version)
Zelda3		git	✗	✓	✓	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
OpenGOAL		git	✗	✓	✓	Jak and Daxter
OpenRakis		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Dune (Cryo)	Adventure
The Ur-Quan Masters		0.8.0	✗	✓	✓	Star Control II
Ikemen GO		git	✗	✓	✓	Remake of the Ikemen engine that supports Mugen resources.	Fighting
xGreed		doomworld	✗	✓	✓	In Persuit of Greed	FPS
Aleph One		1.4	✗	✓	✓	Marathon 1–2, Marathon Infinity
BStone		git	✗	✓	✓	Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, Blake Stone: Planet Strike
Crispy Doom Crispy Heretic		git	✗	✓	✓	Crispy Doom: Doom I–II, Final Doom Crispy Heretic: Heretic
D2X-XL DXX-Rebirth		1.18.76 git	✗	✓	✓	Descent, Descent II
dhewm3		git	✓	✓	✓	Doom 3 (Original)
Doom64 EX		2.5	✗	✗	✓	Doom 64 (Original)
Descent Wii		1.12 git (forked)	✗	✗	✓	Descent
DXX-3DS		git	✗	✗	✗	Descent, Descent II
DXX-Retro		git	✗	✗	✓	Descent, Descent II
DXX-Switch		git	✗	✗	?	Descent, Descent II
ECWolf		1.3.3	✓	✓	✓	Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, Super 3D Noah’s Ark
EDuke32 Wii		Website	✗	✗	✓	Duke Nukem 3D
Freespace 2 Wii		beta 3	✗	✗	?	Freespace 2
Freespace 2 Source Code Project		Knossos installer and mod manager	✗	✓	✓	Freespace 2, also includes Freespace 1 and expansion Silent Threat through fanmade ports to the FS2 engine.
Hammer of Thyrion		1.5.9	✗	✓	✓	Hexen II
Heretic Wii		0.5	✗	✗	?	Heretic
Hexen Wii HHexen (Wii)		1.0 0.5	✗	✗	?	Hexen
HHeretic		0.2.3	✗	✗	?	Heretic
HHexen		1.6.3	✗	✗	?	Hexen
ioquake3		1.36	✗	✓	✓	Quake III: Arena
iortcw		git	✗	~	✓	Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Linux Hexen		0.6.0	✗	✗	✗	Hexen
NBlood		git	✗	✓	✓	Blood
OpenMoHAA		[3]	✗	✗	✗	Medal of Honour: Allied Assault
OpenXRay		git	✗	✓	✓	S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
PCExhumed		[4]	✗	✓	✓	Powerslave (PC)
Powerslave EX		git	✗	✗	✓	Powerslave (Console)
PrBoom		git	✓	~	✓	Doom 1–2, Final Doom
Quake GameCube/QuakeGX		0.0.5-2 (GX)	✗	✗	?	Quake 1
Quake Rev PAK		release 4	✗	✗	?	Quake 1–2, ThreeWave CTF mod for Quake 2, QuakeWorld
Quakespasm vkQuake		0.94.2 git	✗	✓	✓	Quake 1
RBDOOM-3-BFG		git	✗	✓	✓	Doom 3 (BFG Edition)
Rise of the Triad for Linux		git	✗	✗	✗	Rise of the Triad: Dark War
rottexpr		git	✗	✓	✓	Rise of the Triad: Dark War
Shockolate		git	✗	✓	✓	System Shock 1
The Force Engine		1.0	✗	✓	?	Star Wars: Dark Forces, Outlaws
Tyrquake		git	✓	✓	✓	Quake 1
vitaQuake II		git, PS Vita	✓	✓	✓	Quake 2
WiiDoom WiiDoom-Fork (music support)		0.4.5 Fork	✗	✗	✓	Doom I–II, Final Doom, Chex Quest I–II (forked version only but with some conversion issues)
Wii-DOOM Wii-HERETIC Wii-HEXEN Wii-STRIFE		r33	✗	✗	✓	Wii-DOOM: Doom I–II, Final Doom Wii-HERETIC: Heretic Wii-HEXEN: Hexen Wii-STRIFE: Strife: Quest for the Sigil
Wolfenstein 3D Wii		1.31	✗	✗	✓	Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny
Xash3D		0.99	✗	~	✓	Half-Life 1
Yamagi Quake II		8.00	✗	✓	✓	Quake 2
FNaF 1 3DS -old/obsolete- FNaF 1 3DS -remastered-		0.2.3 0.3.1-pre1	✗	✗	✓	Five Nights at Freddy's	Horror
FNaF 1 PSP		1.3.1 Fix 1	✗	✗	✓	Five Nights at Freddy's
FNaF 2 3DS		beta 1.0	✗	✗	✗	Five Nights at Freddy's 2
FNaF 3 3DS		beta 0.1.3	✗	✗	✗	Five Nights at Freddy's 3
FNaF 4 3DS		beta 0.3	✗	✗	~	Five Nights at Freddy's 4
SpaceCadetPinball	Multi-Platform	git	✗	✓	✓	3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet	Pinball
Abe's Amazing Adventure Wii		r3	✗	✗	?	Abe's Amazing Adventure	Platform
Abuse Wii		0.8.684.2	✗	✗	?	Abuse
Cave Story Engine 2		git archive Wii, NDS	✗[5]	✗	✓	Cave Story
C1		git	✗	✓	~	Crash Bandicoot
Jazz² Resurrection		git	✗	✓	✓	Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Jump 'n Bump		0.3.1	✗	✗	?	Jump 'n Bump
Maze of Galious 3DS		1.0	✗	✗	?	The Maze of Galious remake
MazeOfGaliousWii		0.63.3	✗	✗	?	The Maze of Galious remake
NXEngine nxengine-evo		1.0.0.6 git	✓	✗	✓	Cave Story
OpenHCL		git	✗	~	✓	Hydra Castle Labyrinth
OpenJazz		git	✗	~	✓	Jazz Jackrabbit 1
R.E.L.I.V.E.		git	✗	✓	✓	Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
rawgl		git	✗	✓	✓	Another World/Out of This World
REminiscence		0.4.9	✓	✓	✓	Flashback (Another World's spiritual sequel)
Rigel Engine		git	✗	✓	✓	Duke Nukem II
RSDK		Sonic 1 & 2 Sonic CD	✗	✓	✓	Sonic the Hedgehog 1–2, Sonic CD
SDLPoP		git	✗	✓	✓	Prince of Persia (1989)
Sonic the Hedgehog Forever		1.4.1	✗	✓	✓	Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Absolute		1.1.1	✗	✓	✓	Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic 3 A.I.R. (Angel Island Revisited)		git	✗	✓	✓	Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Super Mario 64 Port	Multi-platform	Depends on port	✗	✓	✓	Super Mario 64 (N64)
xrick		#021212	✓	✗	✓	Rick Dangerous
Jewels		1.01	✗	✗	?	gljewel	Puzzle
Lemmini		git	✗	✗	✓	Lemmings
CannonBall		git	✓	✗	✓	OutRun	Racing
CannonBall (Wii)		git	✗	✗	✓	OutRun
NFSIISE		git	✗	✓	✓	Need for Speed II: SE
OpenC1		1.4 git	✗	✗	✓	Carmageddon
OpenLGR		git	✗	✗	✗	Lego Racers
OpenMC2	(via Wine)	git	✗	✓	✓	Midnight Club II
OpenSWE1R		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
RoadFighterWii		1.0	✗	✗	✓	Road Fighter
RVGL		21.0930a-1	✗	✓	✓	Re-Volt
REDriver2		git	✗	✓	✓	Driver 2
stuntcarremake		Build 08	✗	✓	✓	Stunt Car Racer (Amiga / AtariST)
Arx Libertatis		git	✗	✓	✓	Arx Fatalis	RPG
Daggerfall Unity		git	✗	✓	✓	The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
DevilutionX		git	✗	✓	✓	Diablo
OpenGothic		git	✗	✓	✓	Gothic II
OpenVIII		git	✗	✓	✗	Final Fantasy VIII
OpenDiablo2		git	✗	✓	✗	Diablo II
OpenMW		0.47.0	✗	✓	✓	The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
OpenTESArena		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	The Elder Scrolls I: Arena
REGoth		git	✗	✓	✓	Gothic, Gothic II
reone		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1-2
Riiablo		git	✗	✓	?	Diablo II
Undertale Mobile Mod for iOS and Android		[6]	✗	✗	✓	Undertale
Dune Dynasty		[7]	✗	✗	✓	Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty	RTS
Dune II: The Maker		[8]	✗	✓	✓	Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
Dune Legacy		[9]	✗	✗	✓	Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
OpenDUNE		git	✗	✗	✓	Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
TA3D		git	✗	✗	~	Total Annihilation
FreeSynd		0.7.5	✗	✗	✗	Syndicate (1993)	RTT
Syndicate Wars Port		0.3	✗	✗	✓	Syndicate Wars
Minecraft PSP		3.3.0	✗	✓	✓	Minecraft	Sandbox
OpenRW		git	✗	✓	~	Grand Theft Auto III
PSP Minecraft		3.0.0	✗	✗	✗	Minecraft
re3		[10] reVC	✗	✓	✓	Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
RE3 3DS[11]		wip	✗	~	~	Grand Theft Auto III
re3-nx reVC-nx		?	✗	✗	?	Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
re3-vita reVC-vita		1.4 1.1	✗	✗	?	Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
re3-wiiu reVC-wiiu		2021-02-01 ?	✗	✗	?	Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
San Andreas Unity		git	✗	✓	~	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Wiicraft (2020)		git	✗	?	?	Minecraft v1.2.5
WoxelCraft		git	✗	✗	?	3D Voxel Engine (Minecraft)
OpenTyrian		git	✗	✓	✓	Tyrian	Shoot 'em up
OpenTyrianWii		1.7	✗	✗	?	Tyrian
CaesarIA		0.5 (2016)	✗	✗	✗	Caesar III	Sim - City-building
Julius Augustus (Gameplay changes)		1.7 3.0.1	✗	✓	✓	Caesar III
CorsixTH		git	✗	✓	✓	Theme Hospital	Sim - Construction/Management
OpenLoco		git	✗	✓	✓	Chris Sawyer's Locomotion
OpenRCT2		git	✗	✓	✓	RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (with RCT1 and expansions from both games being importable) or RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic (as of v0.4.2)
OpenTTD		git	✗	✓	✓	Transport Tycoon Deluxe
OpenTTD (Wii)		1.3.2	✗	✗	?	Transport Tycoon Deluxe
terminal-recall		git Nightly Builds	✗	✓	✓	Terminal Velocity, Fury3	Sim - Flight Combat
civctp2		git (ctp2 for Linux/Pandora/Pyra)	✗	~	✓	Call to Power II	TBS
CivOne		git	✗	✓	✗ (WIP)	Sid Meier's Civilization
DopeWars		1.1	✗	✗	?	DopeWars (Palm OS)
fheroes2		git	✗	✓	✓	Heroes of Might and Magic II
OpenXcom		git	✗	✓	✓	UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-Com: UFO Defense), X-COM: Terror From the Deep
VCMI		git	✗	✓	✓	Heroes of Might and Magic III
max_vita		git	✗	✓	✓	Max Payne	TPS
DDLC-LOVE		1.2.3 (PSP, Vita) 1.1.9 (PS3, 3DS, Switch)	✗	✗	✓	Doki Doki Literature Club!	Visual Novel
Doki-Doki-Literature-Club-Vita		git	✗	~	✓	Doki Doki Literature Club!
NitroSharp		git	✗	✓	~ (WIP)	ChäoS;HEAd NoAH
TheXTech		git	✗	✓	✓	Super Mario Bros. X	Platform

See also

Game engine recreations and source ports specifically for:

• Android
• Nintendo 3DS
• Nintendo Switch
• PlayStation 3
• PlayStation Portable
• Wii
• Wii U

External links

• Open Source Game Clones (Likely the best and most complete list.)
• Games on GitHub by Lee Reilly (Master list in wider view. This list from leereilly contains Table of Contents and categories with highlighted links to Git repos.)
• Open Source Games on GitHub by Trilarion (Master list. As good as OSGC site above & frighteningly far larger list than leereilly's Git list. Over 1200 game entries!)
• Game engine recreation on Wikipedia (Has links to lists of: 1) commercial video games with source code; 2) source ports; and 3) game engine recreations.)
• List of games with reconstructed source code on Wikipedia
• List of open-source video games on Wikipedia (Not very complete, and the different categories are somewhat confusing.)
• LibreGameWiki (Small learning curve applies for navigating around the wiki. Tends to focus more on indigenous open-source engines.)
• Game category of the Free software directory (Wiki with fairly basic content. Tends to focus more on indigenous open-source engines.)

Curated Lists:

• Tuncay D.'s recommendations for OS, DRM-free games (thingsiplay.game.blog. Mar 13, 2020. Not for game recreations. Some selections have similarities to old commercial games.)
• Tuncay D.'s recommendations for OS & alike games (thingsiplay.game.blog. May 19, 2020. Focused on game recreations and engines similar to other games.)

Specific gaming systems

• Wii - Category of open source applications game for Wii on WiiBrew including source ports, game recreations, and more

News:

• GamingOnLinux.com (For the latest news on releases and updates of game recreations and source ports that work on Linux)
• Reddit feed (Aggregation quality is a little bit spotty. You have to wade through the news posts a bit for the relevant software.)
• List of Open Source Games on Reddit (Thread by u/AMD_CEO. Wed Jul 1, 2020. Had added recommendations to links also seen above.)