Zelda Wind Waker HD native on PC, Mac, Linux, Android

Wind Waker HD Recomp 0.5.1 runs the Wii U Zelda natively on PC, Mac, Linux and Android, without Cemu, with a built-in randomizer.


Zelda without an emulator

The Wind Waker HD Recomp project released version 0.5.1 on November 6, 2026. It is an unofficial port of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, the 2013 Wii U version, made by static recompilation: the game's PowerPC code is translated to C ahead of time, the Wii U system libraries are rewritten, and graphics go straight through Metal (Mac) or Vulkan. No emulator runs while you play, not even Cemu. The project's code is licensed under MPL-2.0.
The archives contain no game code, no data and no keys: on first launch, the program extracts your own copy, translates the game and compiles it on your machine, in about two minutes.


What's new in 0.5.1

• a built-in randomizer: a randomized game from a preset, a seed name or a permalink, or a seed imported from the official TWWHD Randomizer. Each game keeps its own saves;
• Link's GameCube models, taken from a pack you own, achievements, instant text and an option to walk through doors without the animation;
• a reworked 60 fps mode, which runs the same game logic as at 30 fps, truer HDR and 60 fps frame generation on Vulkan, still experimental;
• the Android version back at full speed, with less memory use and fixes for Adreno and Huawei chips.

The port also has a world editor, since 0.4, and a catalogue of mods that install from inside the game.


What you need

• Windows 10 or 11 (x86-64 or ARM64) with Vulkan 1.3, an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later, Linux x86-64 or ARM64 (an AppImage works on Steam Deck), or an Android 13 ARM64 phone with Vulkan 1.3: the app compiles the game on the phone, and a controller is recommended;
• your copy of Wind Waker HD, US (00050000-10143500) or European (00050000-10143600), in version 0, without the update: a.wud or.wux image with its disc key and the Wii U common key, a Cemu.wua archive (no key needed) or an extracted folder. The European version can be played in French;
• on Windows, a compiler of about 190 MB downloaded on first launch. Python is included.

To dump the game from your console, see our Cemu and Dumpling tutorial.


Be careful

The programs are not signed: Windows and macOS show a warning on first launch. The project's GitHub organization is just over a month old: download only from its releases page. Other Zelda games already run without an emulator: Breath of the Wild and Ocarina of Time 3D. The GameCube version of Wind Waker, for its part, runs in 4K on a jailbroken PS5.


Sources: ZeldaWWHDRecomp (GitHub) · Version 0.5.1 (GitHub)