DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.7

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL.windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Save and load state has been implemented.
F5 Save State
F9 Load State

DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.6

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL.windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Fix package naming Fix black stripes appearing when using 1x

DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.5

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL.windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Reduced the time the installer takes to compile the files

DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.4

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL.windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Performance improvements!

DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.3

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL.windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

PC SETTINGS

PC SETTINGS is in the game's Options menu (where the PS2's SCREEN ADJUST was), in the game's own style. You can also open it at any time with Esc or by holding Back: the game pauses until you close it with Esc, Triangle or Back.

Setting | Values -- | -- VSYNC | On / Off RESOLUTION | 640×512 (1×), 1280×1024 (2×), 2560×2048 (4×) ANTI-ALIASING | Off, 2×, 4×, 8×, 16× DISPLAY | Window / Fullscreen SHOW FPS | On / Off DEFAULT | Restores the default settings

Up/Down picks a setting, Left/Right changes it, and Cross on DEFAULT resets them all. Changes apply right away and are remembered.

DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.2

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

New in alpha.2: the Linux AppImage. Windows and Linux now have self-contained builders with a graphical setup wizard, compiler and tools included.

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

In-game hotkeys

Key	Action
F2	Toggle the performance HUD
F3	Cycle anti-aliasing (SSAA)
F4	Cycle internal resolution: 1× / 2× / 4×
F8	Toggle build ID and game tick overlay
F10	Open disc management

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Pre-release status

The Linux AppImage has been tested through normal setup and play. Broader Windows performance verification and long-session testing remain open. Occasional hitches and visual issues are still being investigated. Lowering resolution with F4 can help when performance is limited.

SHA-256 checksum files are provided alongside both downloads.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Fps on windows massively improved

DW5XL v0.1.0-beta.1

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

New in alpha.2: the Linux AppImage. Windows and Linux now have self-contained builders with a graphical setup wizard, compiler and tools included.

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

In-game hotkeys

Key	Action
F2	Toggle the performance HUD
F3	Cycle anti-aliasing (SSAA)
F4	Cycle internal resolution: 1× / 2× / 4×
F8	Toggle build ID and game tick overlay
F10	Open disc management

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Pre-release status

The Linux AppImage has been tested through normal setup and play. Broader Windows performance verification and long-session testing remain open. Occasional hitches and visual issues are still being investigated. Lowering resolution with F4 can help when performance is limited.

SHA-256 checksum files are provided alongside both downloads.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Slowness/choppiness on windows resolved!

DW5XL v0.1.0-alpha.3

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

New in alpha.2: the Linux AppImage. Windows and Linux now have self-contained builders with a graphical setup wizard, compiler and tools included.

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

In-game hotkeys

Key	Action
F2	Toggle the performance HUD
F3	Cycle anti-aliasing (SSAA)
F4	Cycle internal resolution: 1× / 2× / 4×
F8	Toggle build ID and game tick overlay
F10	Open disc management

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Pre-release status

The Linux AppImage has been tested through normal setup and play. Broader Windows performance verification and long-session testing remain open. Occasional hitches and visual issues are still being investigated. Lowering resolution with F4 can help when performance is limited.

SHA-256 checksum files are provided alongside both downloads.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Changelog

Fps on windows massively improved

DW5XL v0.1.0-alpha.2

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port

New in alpha.2: the Linux AppImage. Windows and Linux now have self-contained builders with a graphical setup wizard, compiler and tools included.

This port uses static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++) and Vulkan rendering. The download contains no disc files, translated game code or compiled game. Everything needed from the game is extracted and built locally from your own disc image.

What you need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, PAL SLES-53860, as an ISO.
• Optional: Dynasty Warriors 5, PAL SLES-53339, for Load Original.
• An x86-64 CPU with AVX2 and a Vulkan-compatible graphics card with current drivers.
• Windows 10 (1903 or newer) / Windows 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer.

No separate compiler, Git or Python installation is required. The first build works offline.

Linux: AppImage

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
2. Mark it executable in your file manager, then open it.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start.
4. Let setup verify the disc, translate the code and compile the game. Allow several minutes; the time depends on your CPU. The game starts when setup finishes.

Open the same AppImage again to play. Linux updates reuse unchanged build files where possible; your saves and settings stay in the player data folder.

Windows: ZIP

1. Download DW5XL-v0.1.0-alpha.2-windows-x64.zip and extract it to a short path such as C:\Games\DW5XL.
2. Keep the extracted files together and launch DW5XL.exe. If SmartScreen warns about the unsigned program, choose More info → Run anyway.
3. Select your XL ISO, optionally select the DW5 ISO, and click Start. The first start builds the game locally; later starts launch it directly.

For Load Original, add your DW5 ISO during setup or through the F10 Discs window.

In-game hotkeys

Key	Action
F2	Toggle the performance HUD
F3	Cycle anti-aliasing (SSAA)
F4	Cycle internal resolution: 1× / 2× / 4×
F8	Toggle build ID and game tick overlay
F10	Open disc management

Game data and saves

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
• Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/dw5xl/, normally ~/.local/share/dw5xl/

Within that folder, the compiled game is in build/ and memory-card saves are in game/dw5xl/mc0/. Game files, settings and logs also stay there, separately from the downloaded ZIP or AppImage. Keep this data folder when updating to retain your progress.

Pre-release status

The Linux AppImage has been tested through normal setup and play. Broader Windows performance verification and long-session testing remain open. Occasional hitches and visual issues are still being investigated. Lowering resolution with F4 can help when performance is limited.

SHA-256 checksum files are provided alongside both downloads.

Source and licenses

Source code is available under GPL-3.0. Third-party license notices are included with the bundled tools and libraries.

This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project, unaffiliated with Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.

---

Built by GitHub Actions from 553f229 (run 39679191597) after every test job passed.

Windows and Linux builder packages: launcher, compiler, sources and tools. The first start builds the game from your own disc.

Latest commit: Package offline Linux builder AppImages in CI

Draft packages are updated by CI until the owner publishes this version.

Windows test (in development)

Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends — Native PC Port (Pre-release)

A native Windows x64 port of Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends created via static recompilation (MIPS R5900 → C++ / Vulkan). This is not an emulator; the game runs natively on your hardware.

Important

This download contains NO game files, disc images, or copyrighted game code.
It is an automated builder. On first launch, it extracts, decompiles, and compiles the game locally on your PC directly from your own legitimate game disc.

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What You Need

• Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends (PAL, SLES-53860) as an .iso disc image.
• (Optional) Dynasty Warriors 5 (PAL, SLES-53339) .iso for the Load Original feature (playing the original DW5 Musou and Free Modes inside XL).
• A 64-bit Windows PC with a Vulkan-compatible graphics card.
• No additional tools or compilers are required (a standalone toolchain is bundled).

---

Quick Start Instructions

1. Extract the ZIP: Extract DW5XL-<commit>-windows-x64.zip to a folder of your choice (keep all files in the folder together).
2. Launch DW5XL.exe:
   • Windows SmartScreen warning: Because this is a free community project without an expensive corporate code-signing certificate, Windows Defender will show a blue "Windows protected your PC" popup.
   • Click More info, then click Run anyway.
3. First-Time Setup:
   • In the setup window, browse and select your SLES-53860 disc image.
   • Click Start. The builder will inspect the disc, translate the PS2 code into native C++, and compile it for your PC.
   • This process only happens once and typically takes 1–3 minutes depending on your CPU. Once finished, the game starts automatically.
4. Subsequent Launches:
   • Running DW5XL.exe will launch the compiled native game immediately.
5. Load Original:
   • When prompted in-game to insert the original DW5 disc, a disc-swap window will appear.
   • Select your DW5 (SLES-53339) ISO.
   • In-game, select NO when asked "Cancel data load?" to finish loading.

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Known Issues & Pre-Release Notes

• Performance & FPS Drops: You may encounter occasional frame rate drops in certain heavy sequences (such as parts of the Opening cinematic or intense battle segments), especially when running at 4x resolution. If you experience frame drops, pressing F4 to switch to 2x or 1x resolution will provide smoother performance.
• HUD Jitter / Jumping: When frame rate drops occur, the in-game HUD and on-screen overlays may briefly jump or jitter. Frame pacing and high-resolution rendering optimizations are actively being refined for upcoming releases.

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In-Game Hotkeys

• F2 — Toggle performance / frame rate HUD
• F3 — Toggle Anti-Aliasing (SSAA)
• F4 — Cycle rendering resolution (1x native PS2 / 2x 1080p / 4x 4K)
• F8 — Show Build ID (useful for reporting bugs)
• F10 — Disc management dialog

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Data & Save Files

Game files, compiled binaries, save data, settings, and logs are kept in:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\DW5XL\
Future pre-release updates will automatically retain your save files and memory cards.

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Legal & Source

• Built from commit 3c6b453.
• Source code is licensed under GPL-3.0: github.com/TheSlackbringer/dw5xl-recomp.
• Third-party licenses for all bundled tools/libraries are included in the LICENSES/ folder.
• Disclaimer: This is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Koei Tecmo Games or Sony Interactive Entertainment.