A collective of modders has released an unofficial PC port of Rare's N64 platformer Banjo-Kazooie under the name Banjo: Recompiled. The project, published over the weekend, reconstructs the original game for modern systems and adds a suite of technical improvements aimed at making the title more accessible on contemporary hardware.

The port was produced through reverse engineering of the original game, with the resulting build tailored to support modern resolutions, widescreen displays and contemporary input methods. Additional quality-of-life work includes fixes for long-standing stability issues and tweaks to the save and input subsystems to support keyboards, modern controllers and configurable mappings.

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Support for handheld PCs has been an explicit focus. A community-optimised profile for the Steam Deck is included, enabling users to run the game with appropriate controller layouts and performance settings on Valve's portable. Performance on desktop hardware is also improved compared with running original builds via emulation, with better framerate stability and reduced visual artefacts reported by early testers.

The release is offered as a fan project and is not an official update from Rare or Microsoft. The build requires the original game's data files to operate; modders advise obtaining and using those files through legitimate means. The project and its releases are being distributed via the team's GitHub page, where installation instructions and technical notes are provided.

Banjo: Recompiled joins a growing body of unofficial ports and reverse-engineering projects aimed at preserving classic games while adapting them for modern platforms. The effort underscores an active modding community continuing to support retro titles long after their commercial lifecycles have ended.

Further coverage and technical detail on the release is available from Rock Paper Shotgun and the project's GitHub repository.