Majora's Mask on PC: 2 Ship 2 Harkinian vs Zelda 64: Recompiled

Majora's Mask has two native PC ports, and they're built in completely different ways. 2 Ship 2 Harkinian (2Ship) is a Harbour Masters port built on the decompilation, like Ship of Harkinian is for Ocarina. Zelda 64: Recompiled statically recompiles the N64 binary and renders it with RT64. Both are free, both need your own ROM, and both beat emulation. Here's how they differ, checked against both official repos on Oct 13, 2026.

Legal: CRT Forge links to official project repos only. We never host or link ROMs, ISOs or game dumps. Bring your own dump from a cartridge or disc you own. This isn't legal advice.

	2 Ship 2 Harkinian	Zelda 64: Recompiled
How it works	PC port built on the Majora's Mask decompilation and libultraship	Static recompilation of the N64 binary with N64: Recompiled, rendered by RT64
Latest release (checked Oct 13, 2026)	5.0.1 "Battler Bravo", Aug 25, 2026	v1.2.2, Aug 27, 2025
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux (x64 and ARM64, plus Flatpak), Steam Deck
ROMs accepted	NTSC-U 1.0 (N64) and NTSC-U GameCube	Only the US N64 release (other formats are auto-converted if it's the right ROM)
Renderer	DirectX 11, OpenGL or Metal	RT64 on Direct3D 12, Vulkan or Metal, with N64 effects kept intact
Frame rate and widescreen	Yes	Any frame rate and any aspect ratio, ultrawide included
Mods	Drop .o2r or .otr packs in the mods folder	Mods and texture packs from Thunderstore (use Manual Download), installed by dragging onto the window
Extras	Enhancement menus, nightly builds	Dual-analog camera, gyro aim, autosave, randomizer mod, portable mode
GPU needs	Ordinary OpenGL/DX11 hardware	Direct3D 12 (SM6), Vulkan 1.2 or Metal Argument Buffers Tier 2; SSE4.1 on x86-64
AI policy	Not stated in the README	Hard no: the team says it does not use generative AI and bans contributions that do

Pick Zelda 64: Recompiled if...

You want the most console-accurate look: the README says RT64 renders N64 effects like the Lens of Truth and grayscale cutscenes with no hacks.
You play on a high-refresh or ultrawide monitor. Frame rate changes have no effect on gameplay.
You want modern controls: right-stick camera, gyro aiming on DualSense and Switch Pro controllers, and Steam Deck gyro as mouse.
You want the big mod scene on Thunderstore and the randomizer mod.

Pick 2 Ship 2 Harkinian if...

You own the GameCube release (from the Collector's Edition disc). 2Ship accepts NTSC-U GC as well as N64 1.0.
Your GPU is older: DirectX 11 or OpenGL is enough.
You already use Ship of Harkinian and want the same menus, mod format and workflow.

How to set up 2 Ship 2 Harkinian

Check your dump with the official 2ship.equipment checker.
Download from the official Releases page (5.0.1 "Battler Bravo" when we checked).
Windows: extract and run 2ship.exe. Linux: put your ROM in the same folder as 2ship.appimage and run it. macOS: open 2ship.app and pick your ROM.
If it crashes, edit the Backend section of 2ship2harkinian.json: 0 is DirectX 11, 1 is OpenGL, 2 is Metal.

How to set up Zelda 64: Recompiled

Download the build for your system from the official Releases page (v1.2.2 when we checked).
Launch it and select your US N64 Majora's Mask ROM in the main menu. There's no separate extraction step.
Install mods by dragging the files onto the game window, or with the Install Mods button.

Seeing stutter? The README warns that overlays like MSI Afterburner, Wallpaper Engine and external frame limiters can cause problems. Use the in-game frame rate slider instead.

A note on AI

CRT Forge covers AI in game dev, so it's worth being clear: the Zelda 64: Recompiled team states it has never used generative AI on the project and bans AI-assisted contributions. That's a real contrast with recomps like ssbu-recomp and some Xbox 360 recomps, whose authors say coding agents wrote much of the code. Both approaches are shipping great ports.

More: best N64 PC ports in 2026, how to play decomp PC ports, decomp launchers and the full decomp hub.

FAQ

What is the best way to play Majora's Mask on PC?

There are two native ports. Zelda 64: Recompiled has the most polished experience (RT64 renderer, any frame rate, gyro, dual-analog camera, Thunderstore mods). 2 Ship 2 Harkinian has the newer release and accepts the GameCube version too. Both are free and need your own copy.

Is 2 Ship 2 Harkinian the same as Ship of Harkinian?

Same team (Harbour Masters) and same libultraship base, different game. Ship of Harkinian is Ocarina of Time; 2 Ship 2 Harkinian is Majora's Mask.

Which ROM does Zelda 64: Recompiled need?

Only the US (North American) N64 version of Majora's Mask. It isn't an emulator and can't load other ROMs. Other file formats are converted automatically if it's the right game.

Does Zelda 64: Recompiled support Ocarina of Time?

Not yet. The README says Ocarina of Time support is in development. For Ocarina today, use Ship of Harkinian.

Is Zelda 64: Recompiled based on the decompilation?

No. It statically recompiles the original binary, so it doesn't need decompiled source code, although the team credits the decompilation's reverse engineering as invaluable.

Where are Zelda 64: Recompiled saves?

Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Zelda64Recompiled\saves. Linux: ~/.config/Zelda64Recompiled/saves. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Zelda64Recompiled/saves. Put a portable.txt next to the executable to keep everything in one folder.