The Bigs 2 — PC port (static recompilation)

A native Linux and Windows port of The Bigs 2 (Xbox 360, 2K Sports, 2009), made by recompiling the original Xbox 360 executable to C++ with the ReXGlue SDK.

No game files are included. You need your own copy of the disc (an .iso dump). Ready-made builds are on the Releases page; to build it yourself, see Building.

Features

• Runs natively on Linux (desktop and Steam Deck AppImages) and Windows.
• Sharper picture: renders at 2x (1440p) by default, with 1x and 3x (4K) available.
• Experimental 60 fps in matches (the original runs matches at 30).
• Steam Deck build with Deck-tuned defaults; works in Game Mode.
• Setup screen on first launch: pick your disc image and it's extracted once. Works with mouse, keyboard, controller and touchscreen.
• Settings menu in the game's own style: open it from RECOMP SETTINGS on the main menu, with F4, or by holding Back + Y on a controller.
• Main menu additions: RECOMP SETTINGS and EXIT GAME at the bottom. XBOX LIVE is gone, since there is no online service.
• Controller button remapping and keyboard controls, both editable in the settings menu.
• Portable: settings, saves, logs and the extracted game live next to the AppImage or the Windows .exe.
• Saving and loading work.

Getting started

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page:

   • Linux: TheBigs2-x86_64.AppImage (make it executable: chmod +x TheBigs2-x86_64.AppImage, or tick Allow executing in its properties)
   • Steam Deck: TheBigs2-SteamDeck-x86_64.AppImage
   • Windows: TheBigs2-windows-x64.zip (unzip it)

   Or build it yourself (see Building).

2. Put it in a folder of its own, ideally with your .iso next to it.

3. Run it. The setup screen asks for the disc image (an .iso in the same folder is preselected), extracts it once, and the game starts.

Everything the game writes stays in that folder:

TheBigs2-x86_64.AppImage   (or thebigs2.exe)
game/      the extracted game files
config/    thebigs2.toml (settings)
saves/     profile, save games, achievements
cache/     shader cache
logs/

Move or back up the folder as a whole. If the folder can't be written to, the game uses ~/.config/thebigs2 and ~/.local/share/thebigs2 (Linux) or %APPDATA%\thebigs2 (Windows) instead.

Requirements: a GPU with Vulkan support and a current driver. Linux needs glibc 2.38 or newer (Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 39, current Arch or SteamOS). Windows needs 64-bit Windows 10 or 11.

Key commands

Keyboard	Controller	Does
F4	hold Back + Y (1 second)	Settings menu
F10	hold Back + Start (2 seconds)	Quit the game
F3		Overlay with the frame rate
F7 / Backtick		Achievements / console

You can also quit with EXIT GAME on the main menu.

In the settings menu: LB / RB (Page Up / Page Down) switch tabs, up and down pick a setting, left and right change it. Start (Ctrl+S) saves, Y saves and quits, B (Escape) closes. Some settings apply at once, the others after a restart; the menu marks which.

Playing with the keyboard

The keyboard works as player 1's controller, alongside a gamepad:

Controller	Keys
A / B / X / Y	; or Space / ' or Backspace / L / P
LB / RB	1 / 3
LT / RT	Q or I / E or O
Back / Start	Z or Tab / X or Return
Left stick (click)	W A S D (F)
Right stick (click)	arrow keys (K)
D-pad	Shift + arrow keys

Change the keys on the settings menu's Keyboard tab, and remap controller buttons on its Controller tab (e.g. swap A and B). Button remapping takes effect after a restart.

Settings

The settings menu edits config/thebigs2.toml. You can also edit the file by hand: every setting is listed in it with an explanation. The main ones:

Setting	Default
fullscreen	true	false for a window
display_resolution	"desktop"	Window size or fullscreen mode, e.g. "1920x1080"
resolution_scale	2	Render scale: 1 = 720p, 2 = 1440p, 3 = 4K
frame_rate	30	60 for 60 fps in matches (experimental; use with resolution_scale = 1)
present_effect	"bilinear"	Upscaling: bilinear, cas or fsr
present_letterbox	true	Keep 16:9 with black bars
mnk_mode	true	Keyboard plays as player 1

Delete the file to get a fresh one with the defaults. For one run, any setting can also be given on the command line, as --name=value.

Steam Deck

Use the Steam Deck AppImage. It's the same game with defaults suited to the Deck: 1x resolution (fills the screen), lighter settings, and the keyboard turned off as a controller (Steam Input sends key presses).

1. In Desktop Mode, make a folder (e.g. ~/Games/TheBigs2) and put the AppImage in it, ideally with your .iso.
2. Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library, pick the AppImage, switch to Game Mode and play. The setup screen works with the Deck's controls and touchscreen and can browse to an SD card.
3. Quit with View + Menu held 2 seconds, or EXIT GAME on the main menu. View + Y held a second opens the settings menu.
4. On the Deck OLED, set the refresh rate to 60 Hz in the Quick Access performance menu, or motion judders.

It runs at 30 fps. With frame_rate = 60 it holds 60 in gameplay and slows down in transitions. The first minutes can stutter while shaders compile. If it closes right away, run it from Konsole in Desktop Mode to see the error.

Good to know

• Windows builds are cross-compiled on Linux and have only been tested under Wine so far.
• For smooth motion, use a 60 Hz or 120 Hz display mode, or VRR / G-Sync.
• After a crash or a black screen, check logs/. An old settings file from an earlier build can cause trouble; deleting it resets everything.

License

The port's own code is public domain (Unlicense). The game itself, the fonts and the SDK keep their own terms; see LICENSE.