Do you believe it’s possible to run PS5 games directly on a computer without an emulator? A GitHub project called “DeadCells-PS5-Native” relinked Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition into a standalone Windows executable. The project page records performance at around 55 to 60 FPS in indoor scenes and around 30 to 35 FPS outdoors, with music and sound effects working normally. The technology behind DeadCells-PS5-Native comes from another project, AnyPS5, whose GitHub description is only one line: “A tool for converting PS5 executables into native Linux and Windows executables.” The project was created on August 3, 2026, by the account boykopovar, is under the GPL-2.0 license, currently has 1,674 stars, 118 forks, and 21 open issues, and has not published a single official release.
AnyPS5 will not do emulation; instead, it will switch to relinking.
Traditional game console emulators (such as RPCS3 for the PS3) have to recreate the console’s hardware and operating system in software; every instruction and every graphics call must be run through emulation, and the cost is performance. AnyPS5 skips this layer, for a hardware reason: the PS5 uses AMD Zen 2’s x86-64 architecture, the same as a PC, so CPU instructions do not need to be translated.
The actual approach splits into two parts. The project includes a relinker that converts PS5 executables into the target system’s native format—PE for Windows, ELF for Linux. The other part is an alternative implementation of the PRX system libraries, so games can dynamically link as they normally would and have something to call. The graphics side is handled by a shader recompiler, which recompiles console shaders into the SPIR-V intermediate format used by Vulkan. This approach is closer to Valve’s compatibility layer for running Windows games on Linux on the Steam Deck than to an emulator.
The first native Windows version of a PS5 game
This time, DeadCells-PS5-Native 0.1.0 was released on GitHub, along with a win64 zip and a SHA256 checksum file.Project DescriptionIt says, “To our knowledge, this is the first PS5 game to run as a fully native Windows program,” and notes that it was made possible by AnyPS5: the original x86-64 code was relinked into a standalone executable, with no emulator, no CPU emulation, and no additional runtime processes.
The execution requirements are spelled out in detail: Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, a graphics card driver that supports Vulkan 1.1 with VK_EXT_depth_clip_control, BC texture compression, and buffer device address, 16GB RAM recommended, and the test machine is an NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti. Players must put their own decrypted eboot.elf and game files such as sce_sys, sce_module, and res_pak into the same folder for the executable to run. The project explicitly states that it does not include games, firmware, keys, or any Sony software.
The AnyPS5 main project has not released any version yet. The first to demonstrate a finished product is an external developer, and testing is limited to specific versions and regions of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition; other versions, patches, or repacked dumps have not been tested.
Other PS5-compatible open-source projects in the same space
- KytyPS5: It takes the emulator route and can already get the PS5 version of GTA V running at 40 to 60 FPS on high-end PCs, but it is still experimental and cannot maintain a stable, playable frame rate.
- SharpEmuIt focuses on accuracy and low-level architecture, and it once got Astro’s Playroom running on Steam Deck at around 0.5 to 1 FPS, unable to get past the opening section.
- AnyPS5The main subject of this incident is taking the relink route and has not yet released a version.
Sony’s attitude
AnyPS5’s disclaimer states that the project is for interoperability, research, preservation, and compatibility purposes, and does not include or distribute copyrighted software, firmware, keys, or proprietary libraries; users must ensure on their own that the files they use come from legal sources. As of today, Sony has not issued a statement, sent a takedown notice, or taken legal action against the project.
Conclusion
AnyPS5’s current report card is: no downloadable version, not a single game running, and it crashes after the main menu. It has been less than two months since it was founded, its stars are climbing fast, and its technical approach is indeed different from existing PS5 emulators. The branch that does run, “DeadCells-PS5-Native,” is a 2012 side-scrolling action game that already runs natively on Windows, is playable, has sound, and has usable frame rates. Honestly, this is more like a tech demo, and it is still a very long way from the PS5 being cracked and being able to play all PS5 games on a computer. If you want to play games, buying a console is still more cost-effective.
Source:DeadCells-PS5-Native / AnyPS5
Source: KOCPC Chinese