The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild PC Port (Savage Wind Recomp)

Savage Wind Recomp is a fan project, developed by Revivedx, that turns The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, version 1.9.0) into a native program for Windows and Linux. It is not an emulator: it is a static recompilation. Just once, before you play, the program converts every function of the game into C code and compiles it on your PC, and the Switch's graphics (NVN) are translated to Vulkan.

It is in alpha: the whole game can be finished, but it may have bugs. It allows from 30 to 360 FPS, resolutions up to 4K, ultrawide, keyboard and mouse, gyro, Steam Deck, photo mode and import of Wii U and Cemu saves. The project's README says almost all of the code is written with the help of an AI, directed and reviewed by a person.

It does not include any game files: everything is generated on your PC from your own copy. The full guide, with screenshots, is in our Savage Wind article. The project is unrelated to Nintendo; the game is © Nintendo.

• Windows 10 or later, or x86-64 Linux (AppImage). On Steam Deck it works with the AppImage.
• Graphics card with Vulkan 1.3 (cards with only Vulkan 1.2, such as the GT 730, are not supported).
• 16 GB of RAM and about 20 GB of free disk space.
• CPU with SSE4.2; it runs faster with AVX2 and FMA.

1. Download the latest release from the project's Releases section (the “Go to the official project” button): the file ending in windows.zip or, on Linux and Steam Deck, the x86_64.AppImage.
2. On Windows, extract the zip to a folder you can write to (for example C:\Games), never in Program Files or OneDrive. On Linux, make the AppImage executable.
3. Open savagewind.exe and choose the folder that contains exefs and romfs.
4. Click Set up game files and wait about 15 minutes (on a 12-thread CPU): the program checks the version, copies the files, recompiles the code and precompiles the shaders. It only happens once.
5. When it finishes, the game starts by itself. Settings are in Options and in Savage Wind Configuration.

• It is an alpha: there can be bugs and crashes. Some mechanics break above 30 FPS; if a scene freezes, drop to 30 FPS for that part.
• It only works with the Switch 1.9.0 version: it does not support older versions or the Wii U one (it does let you import Wii U and Cemu saves).
• Mods only work partly: language packs do; a loader for other mods is planned.
• The Steam Deck is the only handheld the project has tested. macOS and Android are not planned, and there are no plans for Tears of the Kingdom.

If your computer does not meet the requirements, you do not have the exact version the port asks for, or you prefer the classic route, you can play the original with a console emulator: see emulators and its install and setup guide.