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Def Jam: Fight for NY — Recompiled

Bring Def Jam: Fight for NY to Windows, macOS and Linux, including the Steam Deck. This unofficial native port recompiles the original Xbox game for your computer, with higher rendering resolution, modern controller support, extensive mod support, and other PC-specific enhancements.

This is the definitive port of the game. All game functionality is working and we are continuously optimizing, enhancing, and bugfixing based on player feedback. The project's roadmap now focuses on expanding game moddability, gameplay, and presentation.

You need your own supported USA Xbox dump. Setup checks your dump and builds the game on your machine. PS2 and GameCube copies cannot be used.

Get the latest installer for your platform · Install guide · Documentation · Report a problem · Join the Discord

v1.0.0 release candidate: the integrated app, graphics, cheats and compatibility changes are on release/v1.0.0, awaiting three-platform regression and install/play-test acceptance. See the candidate test instructions.

v0.13.0 — Language, audio and controller input adds language mods, the game's French interface, English Story subtitles, audio heap fixes and ordered controller transitions. It is the latest stable release. See the release notes for cross-platform regression qualifications and the memory-growth investigation. v0.12.3 improved fight pacing and C++20 setup compatibility; earlier releases added Mod Support Beta, display options and platform fixes.

Gameplay

4:3 versus 16:9 widescreen: the same fight moment, with faithful HD textures and native macOS rendering at 2× scale. The wider view reveals more of the arena while keeping the fighters and HUD in proportion.

Silent three-second preview exported at 20 fps; its cadence is not a game performance measurement. Download the longer 60-fps MP4.

Compare 4:3 and widescreen, original and HD textures, and see the launcher and overlay

Launcher

Improved Game Launcher (v0.10.6) brings a focused Home screen, with detailed options in Advanced settings. The brickwork and torn-paper style uses the game's charcoal, ivory, red and gold palette. Get the latest setup.

Features

• Native across three platforms. Windows x64 uses Direct3D 11; Apple Silicon Macs and x86-64 Linux use Vulkan. Steam Deck runs the Linux version natively.
• 60-fps gameplay. The port targets 60 frames per second, with performance depending on your hardware, chosen settings and the scene. Steam Deck hits steady 60FPS in all game modes at 2x render resolution and all HD texture mods enabled.
• Sharper rendering. Choose 1×–4× internal resolution, a resizable window or borderless full screen.
• Widescreen. Windows, macOS and Linux/Steam Deck support traditional 16:9 and 16:10 ratios, as well as ultrawide up to 32:9. Download HD Widescreen Menus Mod from the game launcher to transform every menu and background to support widescreen ratios.
• Create HD textures locally. Setup can generate faithful 4× texture packs from your dump on Windows, macOS and Linux using a local upscaling model. Further restored textures can be downloaded via mod support.
• Controllers and keyboard play. Xbox, DualSense, Switch Pro and other supported gamepads, with remapping, hot-plug and rumble. Keyboard and mouse buttons can supply gameplay bindings; the launcher and settings support a pointer.
• Up to four local players. Play with gamepads and a keyboard player. Network multiplayer is not supported.
• Settings before and during play. The launcher has a focused Home screen, Advanced settings and direct Mods/files/logs/setup actions. Open the in-game overlay with F1 or a configured controller shortcut.
• EA's developer menu, restored. The game's own debug menu, cut off in the retail build, opens from the overlay (Diagnostics tab): set up any match with any fighters, venue and match type, play any Story scene, or look at a venue in the stage viewer. See The developer menu.

Get started

1. Have your own USA Xbox disc image or extracted dump matching the supported dump manifest.
2. Download the setup for your platform from the latest release.
3. Choose your dump, install folder and data folder. Enable HD texture generation if you want it, then let setup verify, recompile and build the game.
4. Open the launcher, choose your display and input settings, and select Play.

Platform	Setup download	Guide
Windows x64	DefJamSetup-<version>-windows-x64.exe	Windows setup
macOS, Apple Silicon	DefJamSetup-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg	macOS setup
Linux x86-64 / Steam Deck	DefJamSetup-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz	Linux setup

Setup builds from your dump rather than downloading a precompiled game. The install guide covers platform requirements, unsigned-app prompts, disk space, updates and repairs. HD generation needs additional disk space and install time.

Prefer a manual source build? Use Build and play for Windows or Build on macOS and Linux.

Customize your game

Use the launcher or F1 overlay to change display settings, controls and texture packs. The same options are stored in settings.ini in your data folder.

• Launcher and overlay
• Controllers, keyboard and mouse
• Settings reference
• Texture Modding — Getting Started
• HD texture packs: generate, install and enable

Texture packs and mod support

Available now: local texture replacement packs, including Recomp HD generated by setup, and reviewed catalogue downloads such as HD Widescreen Menus. Enable packs and set their priority through the launcher's Mods page.

Want to make a pack? Start with Texture Modding — Getting Started: find an original texture, edit it, write a manifest, test the result and share it. The format reference and mod-manager reference cover the technical details. Broader data/code overrides remain a design proposal. Language mods have a separate, released delta format.

New fighters, stages, music replacements and code/gameplay mods are not released modding capabilities.

Where the project is heading

The project aims to preserve the original game's experience while making it easier to play and customize on modern computers.

Direction	Goal and current stage
Engine optimizations	Improve performance on low-spec machines, stay up to date with xboxrecomp, and contribute improvements upstream.
Port accuracy	Keep the visuals, tone and gameplay feel faithful to the original Xbox game.
Fully unlocked frame rates	Support frame rates above 60 fps while preserving game speed, timing and gameplay feel. Future work; not supported by the current release.
Widescreen refinement	Beta released in v0.9.0 on Windows, macOS and Linux/Steam Deck. Improve edge cases and broader aspect/venue coverage; 21:9 and 32:9 remain experimental.
Broader mod support	Enable modified game modes, difficulty changes and restored cut content. The mod-system design is not scheduled; texture packs work today.
Build and release automation	Improve automation and the gameplay test harness so shipping builds have reliable, repeatable validation.
Deeper gameplay decompilation	Long-term stretch goal.

These are directions, not promised release dates. GitHub Issues, milestones and open PRs track concrete work. The unified-app and graphics PRs are proposals/in progress, not released capabilities.

Compatibility and known limits

The released build targets Windows x64, Apple Silicon macOS and x86-64 Linux. Steam Deck has automated regression coverage and maintainer playtesting; Proton is untested. Performance varies with hardware, settings and scenes. Release-specific test qualifications are recorded with the release; open reports and follow-up work are tracked in GitHub Issues.

Check both GitHub Issues and the latest release notes. Some release-specific fixes and validation limits appear in the notes first.

Community

This project is in very active development, and the Def Jam: Fight for NY Recomp Discord is where we collaborate and talk it through. Join to:

• follow and discuss development as it happens;
• share player feedback and ask for help getting set up;
• suggest enhancements and ideas for the port;
• talk about mods and texture packs.

Discord is for conversation. Please still file bugs as GitHub issues so they are tracked, and never share game files or dumps there either.

Help improve the port

Report a problem with your version, operating system, CPU/GPU, controller, reproduction steps and relevant log lines. Remove personal paths and keep game files, saves and memory dumps out of reports. With the play-test recorder on, F9 (or View + left stick click) saves a bundle for local analysis. Keep the raw bundle local; share only permitted textual diagnostics. See Contributing for reporting guidance, development setup and the tests a change needs.

Bug fixes, platform testing and documentation improvements are welcome. The gameplay test harness explains automated game checks and their limits. GitHub CI also runs checks that need no game data; a passing CI badge does not establish full campaign compatibility.

How it works

The xboxrecomp toolchain translates the Xbox executable into C, which is compiled ahead of time. The game's code runs through an Xbox compatibility runtime, with graphics, audio and input supplied by your computer. This is a static recompilation port; deeper gameplay decompilation remains future work.

The repository distributes maintained port code, build tools and documentation. It does not distribute a disc image, playable game data, translated game source or a compiled game executable. The repository does include selected approved screenshots and branding artwork; those retain their original ownership.

Credits and licensing

Maintained by vyanhursky, with development assistance from Claude Code and Codex. Built on sp00nz's xboxrecomp and work from the Xbox emulation community, including xemu hardware references and attributed toolkit components. Burnout 3 and Mercenaries Recompiled are related projects that helped shape the documentation.

The project's code is MIT licensed. Toolkit components retain their own licenses; see the toolkit NOTICE and license texts. The license grants no rights to the game or its artwork.

This is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with Electronic Arts, AKI or Def Jam. Def Jam: Fight for NY and its assets belong to their respective owners.