The short version
- Savage Wind Recomp is a fan project that converts the Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild into native PC code. It's not an emulator.
- Its Alpha 4 release, out on November 1, added Linux and Steam Deck support. A video posted on November 4 shows it running at roughly 50 to 60fps on a Steam Deck OLED, against the Switch version's 30fps.
- You need your own copy of the game, updated to version 1.9.0 and dumped from your own Switch. The project includes no game files.
- It's still an alpha, with known bugs, and Nintendo hasn't commented.
What Savage Wind does
Most people who play Switch games on PC use an emulator, a program that pretends to be a Switch and translates the game's code while it runs. Savage Wind takes a different route called static recompilation.
It converts the game's original code, written for the Switch's Arm processor, into C source code. That code is then compiled into a normal PC program. The project says this happens once, during setup, and covers about 196,000 functions across three parts of the game. A separate runtime stands in for the Switch's system services, audio and graphics, translating Nintendo's NVN graphics system to Vulkan.
In the project's words, it isn't emulating the console: the game's own code runs natively. Our guide to static recompilation explains the technique, and why it's behind a growing list of fan ports.
Image: Zerocade
Savage Wind is built on LAS Recomp, an earlier project that did the same for the Switch version of Link's Awakening. The developer, who goes by Revivedx on GitHub, says the project was made almost entirely with AI coding tools, directed and reviewed by a human. Around 19 people have contributed.
How it runs on Steam Deck
The Steam Deck result comes from a video by the YouTuber NotAGameAddict, covered by Notebookcheck on November 5. Over roughly the first 11 minutes of the game's opening area, the frame rate mostly sits between 50 and 60fps. It sometimes dips to about 40fps and occasionally goes above 60.
Image: Valve
That's well above the Switch, which runs the game at 30fps. Notebookcheck points out the clip doesn't show later, busier parts of the game, so bugs or slowdowns there can't be ruled out. The video's exact settings and resolution aren't stated.
The developer's own desktop figures are higher. On an RTX 3060, the release notes claim 72 to 105fps at 1440p and 81 to 124fps at 1080p. Alpha 4 is said to be about 45 to 55% faster on that card than before, thanks to keeping game geometry in video memory, though that trick is Windows-only for now.
What you need
Image: Zerocade
- The game: Breath of the Wild for Switch, updated to 1.9.0, extracted from your own console. The two DLC packs, The Master Trials and The Champions' Ballad, work too, from your own DLC files.
- Hardware: a graphics card with Vulkan 1.3, a processor with SSE4.2, and about 20GB of free space.
- Setup time: the one-time recompile takes about 7 minutes on a desktop and 14 minutes on a Steam Deck, plus shader preparation.
- Platforms: Windows 10 or newer, and a Linux build tested on Steam Deck. An Arm Linux build exists but is marked highly experimental.
There are extras the Switch never had: draw distance settings, HDR10, mouse and keyboard, any SDL controller, Steam Deck gyro aiming, and importing saves from the Wii U or the Cemu emulator.
What's still broken
It's an alpha, and the developer lists the problems openly. Shaders stutter the first time a new effect appears. Bushes pop in at high draw distance. Older AMD cards on Windows run slower, and FSR 3 upscaling is hidden because it currently costs more than it saves. Higher frame rates beyond 60, 4K support and mod support are still on the roadmap.
The legal catch
The project says it ships no game files, keys or firmware, and won't explain how to get them. That's the line most recompilation projects try to stay behind: the code that does the converting is original, but you supply the game.
Even so, Nintendo protects its games aggressively, and Breath of the Wild is one of its biggest. Our explainer on whether emulation is legal covers where those lines sit. Downloading the game from anywhere other than your own console is piracy.
For Steam Deck owners, the appeal is obvious. A Steam Deck OLED costs about ₹75,000 to import, and seeing one of the best Switch games run at double the frame rate is a strong showcase for recompilation. Whether Savage Wind reaches a stable release, or draws a response from Nintendo first, is the thing to watch.
