Project64

Overview

Project64 is a free, open-source emulator for the Nintendo 64. An emulator is a program that imitates a game console, so that a computer can run the console's games. Project64 runs on Windows only. It has existed since the late 1990s and is one of the best-known N64 emulators.

It is made for people who want to play N64 games on a Windows PC with little setup: you point it to a folder of games, double-click one, and play. It can also run 64DD disk games if you have the required files from your own 64DD.

This guide assumes you have never used an emulator. Each step says what the thing is, why you need it and how to check that it worked.

Key words explained

• ROM: a game copied from a cartridge into a file on your computer. N64 ROM files usually end in .z64, .n64 or .v64, and sometimes .rom. These names only describe how the bytes are ordered inside the file. Project64 understands all of them.

• Plugin: a small add-on file (a .dll) that Project64 uses for one job. Project64 has four kinds of plugin: graphics (video), sound (audio), controller (input) and RSP. You can swap one without changing the others.

• RSP: the Reality Signal Processor, a chip in the N64 that prepares the graphics and the sound. The RSP plugin imitates it.

• HLE and LLE: two ways of imitating the console's graphics and sound chips. HLE (high-level emulation) is a shortcut: it is faster and lets the plugin draw at a higher resolution. LLE (low-level emulation) copies the real chip more closely: it is slower but looks exactly like the console, with fewer glitches in some games.

• Graphics plugin: the plugin that draws the game on your screen. It decides how sharp the picture is and whether you can use widescreen.

• Resolution: the number of pixels of the picture. The N64 drew at a very low resolution, so a plugin that draws the same game at a higher resolution makes it look much sharper.

• Frame rate (FPS): how many pictures per second the game shows. Many N64 games ran at 20 or 30 FPS, some at 60. This is normal.

• In-game save: the save the game itself makes, the way it did on the console. It is written when the game offers to save.

• Save state: a snapshot of the whole emulator at one moment, made by you at any time. You can come back to that exact moment later.

• Controller Pak: a memory card that plugged into the N64 controller. Some games saved on it instead of on the cartridge.

• Rumble Pak: an accessory that made the controller vibrate.

• Expansion Pak: a memory upgrade that took the N64 from 4 MB to 8 MB of memory. A few games need it.

• Hotkey: a keyboard key that triggers an emulator action (save state, pause...) instead of a game action.

• Driver: the software that lets Windows use your graphics card. Old drivers cause many graphics problems.

System requirements

According to the official project page, Project64 needs:

• Windows 10 or 11.

• An Intel or AMD processor of 1 GHz or more with SSE2 support (almost every processor of the last twenty years has it).

• 2 GB of memory or more.

• A graphics card that supports what the graphics plugin you choose needs: DirectX 8 for Jabo's Direct3D8, OpenGL 3.3 for Project64 Video, GLideN64 and Angrylion's RDP Plus, or Vulkan 1.1 for Parallel-RDP.

The official page warns that Intel integrated graphics can have problems and that outdated drivers cause trouble. Project64 does not exist for macOS or Linux.

To check your PC, press the Windows key, type dxdiag and press Enter. The System tab shows your processor and memory, and the Display tab shows your graphics card and driver date. If the driver is old, update it from the website of your card's maker.

What you need

• Project64 itself. It is free.

• Your games, as ROM files. They must be copied from your own cartridges with a cartridge reader. PixelArk does not provide them and does not say where to find them. Do not ask for them.

• No BIOS. Unlike some other consoles, the N64 needs no start-up file for Project64 to work.

• A controller, ideally with two sticks or a stick and a set of buttons you can use as the four C buttons. The N64 controller had a stick, a D-pad, A, B, Start, Z, L, R and four yellow C buttons. Most modern controllers have no direct equivalent, so you map the C buttons to the right stick. A keyboard also works.

Installation

Download Project64 only from its official site. Unofficial download sites often add unwanted software to the installer.

1. Open the official download page. It lists the public releases for Windows. These are the stable, tested versions and are the right choice for most people.

2. Choose the Installer (an .exe you run) or the Zip (a compressed folder you unpack yourself). The installer is the simplest. The zip needs no installation, so you can keep Project64 on a USB drive or in any folder.

3. If you chose the installer, run it and follow the steps. Windows may ask for permission: this is normal for an installer.

4. If you chose the zip, right-click it, choose Extract All, and put the result in a folder you will remember.

5. Start Project64.

The same site also offers development builds, also called nightly builds. These are made from the latest code and contain the newest fixes, but the site warns that they are less tested. Stay on the public release unless a developer asks you to try a newer one.

First setup

Project64 works without setup. These steps give you a better result. Most of them are in Options > Configuration, a window with several tabs.

1. Choose the games folder. Open File > Choose ROM Directory and pick the folder that holds your ROM files. Project64 reads this folder and shows the games in a list. If the list stays empty, check that the folder is the right one, then use File > Refresh ROM List. To search subfolders as well, open Options > Configuration > ROM browser and tick Use directory recursion.

2. Choose the plugins. Open Options > Configuration > Plugins. There are four lists: RSP, Video (graphics), Audio and Input (controller). The official project recommends two setups. For speed and everyday play: GLideN64 in HLE as the video plugin, Parallel-RSP in HLE, Azimer's Audio v0.70 WIP 10 in HLE, and the Project64 input plugin. For accuracy (a picture closer to the real console, slower): Parallel-RDP in LLE, Parallel-RSP in LLE, Azimer's audio in LLE. The plugins that appear in the lists depend on what is in your Plugin folder. If you change plugins while a game runs, Project64 resets the game, so save first.

3. Set the controller. Open Options > Input Settings (the controller plugin settings). Here you assign each N64 button to a button or key of your own controller. See the Controls section.

4. Check the folders. Open the Directories tab of the Configuration window. It shows the Plugin folder, the ROM folder, the folder for N64 native saves (in-game saves), the folder for saved states and the screenshot folder. Note where they are, you will need them for backups.

5. Launch a game: double-click it in the list, or use File > Open ROM.

How to know it worked: the game appears in a window with sound. If you only see a black window or hear nothing, go to Common problems.

Adding your games

• Put your ROM files in one folder and select it with File > Choose ROM Directory. Project64 remembers recent folders, which you can find in File > Recent ROM Directories.

• The list shows columns such as file name, internal name and status. You can add or remove columns in Options > Configuration > ROM browser.

• Right-click a game for its options, including Edit Game Settings, Edit Cheats, and a choice of graphics plugin for this game only.

• If a game fails or looks broken but works elsewhere, the file may be a bad copy. The official support document tells you to check that you are not using a bad ROM dump (a faulty copy) before asking for help.

Controls

Mapping means telling the emulator which button of your real controller acts as which button of the N64 controller. Open Options > Input Settings to do it. Set a button by clicking its box and then pressing the key or button you want.

• Stick: your left stick.

• A, B, Start, Z, L, R and D-pad: any comfortable buttons. Z is a trigger under the controller, so a back trigger works well.

• C buttons: they move the camera in many games. Map them to the right stick, or to four buttons. Without them, you cannot move the camera in games like Super Mario 64.

• Controller accessory: in the same window, choose which pak is plugged into the virtual controller: none, Controller Pak or Rumble Pak. Games that save on a Controller Pak need it set to Controller Pak. Rumble Pak needs a controller that can vibrate.

Hotkeys are the keyboard shortcuts of the emulator. These are the defaults, taken from the program's own shortcut list:

• F5: save a state (System > Save State).

• F7: load the last saved state (System > Load State).

• Key ` (backquote, above Tab) and keys 1 to 9 and 0: choose the save slot used by F5 and F7. There are eleven slots: Default, then 1 to 10 on the keys 1 to 9 and 0.

• F2 or Pause: pause and resume.

• F4: limit the speed to the real speed of the N64, on or off. Turning it off makes the game run as fast as the PC allows.

• + and -: increase or decrease the game speed.

• F3: take a screenshot.

• F1: soft reset (like pressing the console's reset button). Shift + F1: hard reset (like switching the console off and on).

• F9: the GameShark button, used by some cheats.

• Alt + Enter or Esc: switch fullscreen on or off.

• F12: stop the game and go back to the list.

• Ctrl + O: open a game file.

To change a shortcut, open Options > Configuration > Hotkeys. Choose the menu item, then assign a new key. Reset All brings back the defaults.

Graphics and performance settings

Graphics options are inside the graphics plugin, not in Project64 itself. Open Options > Graphics Settings to see them. The names depend on the plugin. These are the ones that matter in GLideN64, the plugin the official project recommends for everyday play.

• Plugin choice: GLideN64 is fast and can draw at high resolution. Parallel-RDP in LLE mode is closest to the real console but needs a graphics card with Vulkan 1.1 and more power. Project64 Video is the plugin that comes with Project64 itself and works as a fallback, but the official support document lists it among the setups that may need a bug report.

• Window or fullscreen resolution: the size of the game window. Pick your screen's resolution for fullscreen.

• Multisampling (anti-aliasing): smooths jagged edges. It costs speed. Start with 2x or 4x. Turn it off if the game is slow.

• Aspect ratio: 4:3 is how the games were made. Widescreen stretches the image to 16:9, but it can cut off or stretch parts in games that were not built for it.

• Enhancements: Project64 has a window at System > Enhancements for community patches that change a game, if you enable enhancements in Options > Configuration > General settings.

Performance. If the game is slow, try these in order: update your graphics driver; lower the resolution; turn off anti-aliasing; close other programs; check the Limit FPS setting (F4); check that you chose the HLE setup rather than the LLE one.

Memory size. A game's settings include a memory size of 4 MB or 8 MB. The default suits most games. Games that need the Expansion Pak, such as Donkey Kong 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, need 8 MB. Change it in the game's settings (right-click the game > Edit Game Settings, then the memory size field). A change takes effect when the game is reopened or reset.

Saves

• In-game save: the game saves itself when you use its own save menu. On the cartridge it was stored in a chip. Project64 writes this to a file in the N64 native saves folder shown in Options > Configuration > Directories. The option Store game saves in separate folders, in General settings, gives each game its own folder.

• Controller Pak save: some games write to the Controller Pak. This goes into the same saves folder. The pak must be set up in the input settings, as explained in Controls.

• Save state: press F5 to save and F7 to load. States are written to the saved states folder shown in the Directories tab. System > Save As and System > Load let you pick a file yourself. A state can only be loaded in the same game and version it was made in.

• A save state is not a replacement for the in-game save. A state depends on the exact version of the emulator and the plugins, and may stop working after an update. Keep making normal in-game saves.

• Backup: copy the saves folder and the saved states folder somewhere safe from time to time. To move to another PC, copy them to the same folders there.

Updating

1. Close Project64.

2. Back up the saves folders shown in the Directories tab.

3. Download the new public release from the official download page and run the installer. For the zip version, unpack the new zip over the old folder or into a new folder and copy your saves and settings across.

4. Start Project64 and check Help > About Project64 to see the version.

Common problems

• The game list is empty. Cause: no games folder is set, or the folder is wrong. Fix: use File > Choose ROM Directory, then File > Refresh ROM List.

• A message says that a video, audio, RSP or input plugin is missing or invalid. Cause: Project64 cannot find the plugin selected. Fix: open Options > Configuration > Plugins and pick a plugin from each list. Check that your Plugin folder contains plugins.

• Black screen, or the picture is broken. Cause: the graphics plugin does not suit your graphics card or game. Fix: update your drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel), try another graphics plugin, or try the accuracy setup.

• No sound. Cause: the audio plugin is set to HLE but the plugin does not support HLE. Fix: choose an audio plugin that supports it, or turn HLE off. The program shows a warning about this when you change the setting.

• The camera cannot move. Cause: the C buttons are not mapped. Fix: map them to the right stick in Options > Input Settings.

• A game does not save. Cause: it saves on a Controller Pak that is not plugged in. Fix: select Controller Pak as the accessory in the input settings.

• Donkey Kong 64 or Majora's Mask does not start. Cause: they need the Expansion Pak. Fix: set the memory size to 8 MB in the game's settings.

• The game is too slow. Cause: the PC, the driver or the settings. Fix: see Performance above.

• Loading a state shows a warning that it does not match the ROM. Cause: the state was made with a different version or region of the game. Fix: do not load it; use a state made with this exact file.

• Intel graphics problems. Cause: the official page warns that Intel integrated graphics can be troublesome. Fix: update the driver, try another plugin, or use a different graphics card if you have one.

Before asking for help, the official support document asks you to: fully update Windows, update all drivers, use the latest stable version or the latest nightly build, check that your ROM is a good copy, try other plugins, and try one of the recommended plugin setups.

Going further

• Project64 website

• Download page

• Official support document

• Changelog

• Project64 on GitHub

• GLideN64 on GitHub

• ares: another N64 emulator, with a focus on accuracy, for Windows, macOS and Linux.

• RetroArch with the Mupen64Plus-Next core.

• M64Plus FZ on Android.