Last month, we informed you about an unofficial PC version of Mario Kart 64, called SpaghettiKart. But that wasn’t the only one being made. Another similar project is Mario Kart 64: Recompiled. And you know what? Its latest version now works with the awesome HD Texture Pack from MK64 Reloaded, which makes the game look much better. As such, this is a must-have for all Mario Kart fans.
In case you didn’t know, Mario Kart 64: Recompiled is a special fan project that brings the original N64 game to the PC. To achieve this, it uses N64: Recompiled. The project also uses RT64 as the rendering engine to add cool new features and better visuals.
What’s crucial to note is that Mario Kart 64: Recompiled does not come with any game assets. It also does not include any ROM. This means that Nintendo won’t be able to shut it down. In short, this project is similar to the unofficial PC ports of Super Mario 64, Crash Team Racing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Perfect Dark, Jak & Daxter, and Sonic Unleashed.
As I wrote in my previous article about SpaghettiKart, my biggest issue with it was that it did not support Mario Kart 64 HD. So, the fact that Mario Kart 64: Recompiled supports it is huge news.
Mario Kart 64 HD is a mod that adds high-quality textures and updates the characters so they look like the early 3D versions. It makes the game feel like a remaster. This is one of the best ways to play Mario Kart 64 on PC, period.
You can download the latest version of Mario Kart 64: Recompiled from this link. The project requires a GPU supporting Direct3D 12.0 (Shader Model 6), Vulkan 1.2, or Metal Argument Buffers Tier 2 support. The oldest GPUs that should be supported for each vendor are:
- GeForce GT 630
- Radeon HD 7750 (the one from 2012) and newer
- Intel HD 510 (Skylake)
- A Mac with Apple Silicon or an Intel 7th Gen CPU with MacOS 13.0+
So, right now, PC gamers can enjoy Mario Kart 64 at super high framerates at 4K and with amazing sprites. This is the best way you can experience this classic N64 kart racing game. This IS the remaster a lot of Mario Kart fans have been waiting for.
Have fun!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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It looks really cool in HD + with the HD textures 👏🏻
For those a bit confused on what version of HD Texture pack you need to download use this link (not the link above) and scroll a bit to the bottom to download the rtz version (you can put it anywhere because in the MK Recompiled mod settings page you could point the location manually)
https://evilgames.eu/texture-packs/mk64-reloaded.htm#rt64