The PC gaming world, filled with players hoping one day to see Nintendo’s titles on this platform, has just received the public release of TotK Recomp, a new PC port of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom that offers an initial playable beta, version 0.1.1, to run the Nintendo Switch game directly as a native Windows x86-64 application. This is a project distinct from UltraTears, the other port that arrived a few days ago, and it runs with the base game plus update 1.2.1 or 1.4.3, with saves that can be transferred from one version to the other.
Something that has been seen as a major milestone, because it enables the famous adventure to run as a native PC program thanks to static recompilation, which translates the Switch game’s code into PC code rather than using a traditional emulator, allowing the PC’s resources to be used to their fullest without the extra load typically demanded by emulation software, with graphics drawn via Vulkan and shaders prepared during installation to avoid stuttering while you play.
Technical updates, system requirements and step-by-step guide for
In the features section, this PC port of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom stands out for delivering 60 FPS by default, with the possibility of reaching up to 144 FPS or the refresh rate of your monitor in experimental mode, along with custom resolutions such as 1080p or 2K, supersampling and the upscaling technology AMD FSR 1, together with an in-game settings menu that opens with F1 and a performance indicator that appears with F10.
It also includes the PC port of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom with support for keyboard, mouse and controls with vibration and gyroscope, with all buttons remappable, and among the planned improvements are the addition of Linux and Steam Deck support, compatibility with emulator-created mods, customizable aspect ratios including ultrawide, and support for VRR.
We should remember that the project is in its early stages and although the game is playable on Windows, graphic glitches or unexpected crashes may still occur. To run it you need Windows 10 or newer, a processor with AVX2 support, a graphics card compatible with Vulkan 1.3 and the extension VK_EXT_external_memory_host, and about 36 GB of free space during installation, which reduces to around 20 GB once finished.
As is the case with these developments, no copyrighted files are included, so each user must provide their own game files taken from their console, with the base game and one of the two compatible updates.
The step-by-step instructions to get it up and running are as follows.
- Download the installer. Go to the TotK Recomp download page on GitHub, download the file TotK-Setup-0.1.1-windows.zip and unzip it on your computer.
- Open the program. Double-click on TotK-Setup.exe and, if Windows SmartScreen blocks the opening, click More information and then Run anyway.
- Choose your files. Select the base game files and update 1.2.1 or 1.4.3, choose the language you prefer and the folder where you want to install it, and press Start so the installer builds the game, something you only have to do once.
- Play. Open the file totk.exe from the folder where it was installed to start playing, and press F1 inside the game to adjust the resolution, FPS and controls.
- Update when a new version is released. Just run a newer installer over the same folder, and your saves and settings stay intact.
Reaction from the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom PC port community
On the social network X, a user shared the announcement and received several positive comments from the gaming community, and in his post he exclaimed with astonishment that “between decompilations, static recompilations and native ports, the PC scene still keeps serving us championship-level surprises!”.
Responses from other players regarding the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom PC port did not take long, with enthusiastic comments such as “oh my god, it’s perfect” or “Thank you so much, it runs really well so far with 0 problems at 4K at 120 FPS,” demonstrating the project’s warm reception among users.
And to close, it’s clear that the wave of native PC ports for console-exclusive titles, such as Nintendo’s, will continue arriving with AI-driven projects like this one, whose creator clarifies that most of the code was written by AI agents under his direction, while he tests each version before publishing, bringing the dream of running them without emulation ever closer to reality in the so-called “master race.”
TotK Recomp kept progressing rapidly after this first beta, and in its 0.3.1 version the port adds DLSS, HDR, amiibo, cheats and mod compatibility, as well as ultrawide resolutions, a Linux and Steam Deck version, and support for processors without AVX2, so some requirements and planned improvements mentioned in this note changed with the new releases.
