An unofficial static recompilation of the Xbox 360 version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005):
a native port, not an emulator.
Play your own copy on Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Steam Frame (SteamOS), Linux and Mac,
and for iPhone and iPad, sideload the experimental IPA or build it yourself.

Download  ·  Quick start  ·  Website  ·  Report a bug

_{What you see in a race, on a 21:9 ultrawide: a wider view, not a stretched one, with the HUD and the mirror where they belong.}

21:9 in a race: the wider view and the low sun's glare.	4:3, the shape of an iPad screen, with more picture above and below.
The intro cinematic at 3440x1440.	A pursuit cinematic at 3840x2160.
The settings menu over a paused race.	First run: the installer has found the player's disc image.

-ios.ipa` on the [release page][releases], or [build it yourself](#iphone-and-ipad) with Xcode | iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro Max (iOS 27). iPad Pro 12.9-inch (M2, iPadOS 27) with a Backbone Pro. Not on the App Store. Those were Xcode-signed builds: the IPA itself hasn't been installed on a device yet. | | **Windows** | Coming soon | | | **Android** | Coming soon | | Each link downloads the newest release. Every file and its `.sha256` checksum file are on the [latest release page][releases]. To check a download, put its `.sha256` file next to it and run `shasum -a 256 -c SpeedBreaker-macos.dmg.sha256` on a Mac, or `sha256sum -c SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz.sha256` on SteamOS (with your file's name): it should say OK. What changed in each release is in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md). ### System requirements - **Everyone:** a disc image of your own **USA (NTSC-U) Xbox 360 disc** (see [Quick start](#quick-start)), about **7.2 GB** of free space, and a display running at about **60 Hz**. - **Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Linux PCs** (the x86-64 SteamOS download): a 64-bit x86 CPU with AVX2 (x86-64-v3): Intel Haswell (2013) or newer, or AMD Excavator, Zen or newer. A Vulkan 1.2 graphics card. - **Steam Frame** (the arm64 SteamOS download): SteamOS on the Steam Frame, kept up to date (v0.1.2 needs the September 2026 release or later). The arm64 download is for the Frame only; it hasn't been tested on any other arm64 Linux device. - **Mac:** Apple silicon and **macOS 15** (Sequoia) or later. The app won't open on older versions of macOS, and there is no Intel Mac build. - **iPhone and iPad:** iOS or iPadOS 17 or later, on an A15-class chip or newer (iPhone 13 and later, M-series iPads), and a controller or keyboard. Devices with less memory than the tested ones are untested. ## Quick start 1. **Back up your own disc.** SpeedBreaker supports one version of the game: the **USA (NTSC-U, English) Xbox 360 disc**. The installer takes a full `.iso`, a trimmed XISO, or a folder with the extracted disc files. No title update is needed. SpeedBreaker doesn't provide game files or disc images, or link to them. 2. **Get SpeedBreaker.** [Download it](#download) for Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Steam Frame (SteamOS), Linux or Mac. On iPhone and iPad you sideload the experimental IPA or build it yourself. Then follow the [setup for your platform](#setup-by-platform). 3. **Start it and install.** On first run, SpeedBreaker looks for your disc image, checks that it is the right game and version, then copies and verifies every file. This takes a few minutes at most. Afterwards you can delete the disc image. 4. **Race.** Your saves and settings are kept apart from the game, so they stay when you [update SpeedBreaker](#how-to-update) or reinstall the game. The settings open with **F1**, **Back + Start** on a controller, or a **three-finger tap** on iPhone and iPad. ### How to update - **Mac:** drag the new SpeedBreaker into Applications, choose **Replace**, then allow it once more with **Open Anyway** (see [Mac setup](#mac)). - **Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Linux:** unpack the new download over the old folder (`~/Games/SpeedBreaker`); your Steam shortcut keeps working. - **Everywhere:** your saves, settings and the installed game are kept, and no disc image is needed. Settings > Advanced > **Check for Updates** says when there's a new release, and so does GitHub's **Watch > Custom > Releases**. ## Setup by platform ### Steam Deck and Steam Machine 1. **Download and unpack** (in Desktop Mode). Download the SteamOS build, [`SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz`][dl-steamos-x86_64]. Make a `Games` folder in your home folder, move the file there, and choose *Extract archive here*. Or, in Konsole: ```sh mkdir -p ~/Games && tar -xf ~/Downloads/SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz -C ~/Games ``` Keep it on internal storage or on an SD card formatted by SteamOS, and don't use `:`, `;` or `$` in the folder names. To update later, unpack the new download over the same folder ([How to update](#how-to-update)). 2. **Add it to Steam.** Steam > Games > *Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library* > Browse. Set the file type to *All Files* and pick `~/Games/SpeedBreaker/speedbreaker.sh`, the launcher (the program itself is in `lib/`). Leave *Compatibility* (Proton) off: this is a native Linux game. 3. **Put your disc image in Downloads,** or in the top folder of an SD card. SpeedBreaker also looks in your home folder, Desktop, Documents, Games, USB drives and EmuDeck's `Emulation/roms/xbox360`. Game Mode only sees SD cards and USB drives formatted by SteamOS; for a card formatted on a PC, copy the image into Downloads first. 4. **Install** (back in Game Mode). Start SpeedBreaker from your library. It highlights the image it found (*Ready to install*; with several, pick yours with Up and Down): press **A**, then **A** again on *Install*. Use the images it finds rather than *Browse for image...*, which may not open in Game Mode. The game goes to the internal storage; to put it on the SD card or in another folder, press Up and pick with Left and Right before *Install*. *Choose a folder...* opens a folder picker in Desktop Mode only. From Game Mode, switch to Desktop Mode and choose the folder there, or run `~/Games/SpeedBreaker/speedbreaker.sh --install --dest ` from Konsole in Desktop Mode (or over SSH). Use a folder on the internal storage or on a card formatted by SteamOS, or Game Mode won't find the game. 5. **Check the screen settings.** - **Steam Deck OLED: set the refresh rate to 60 Hz** (Quick Access > Performance). At 90 Hz the game stutters. On any Deck, leave the Framerate Limit off. - **Docked, or on a Steam Machine:** in the shortcut's Properties > General > Game Resolution, choose **Native**. - The picture fills the Deck's 16:10 screen, with a slightly taller view and the HUD kept at 16:9. For the console's 16:9 picture with thin bars above and below, set Settings > Display > Aspect Ratio to 16:9. **Controls:** the Deck's controls work through Steam Input (default Gamepad layout). **Settings:** hold **View** (two squares, left of the screen) and press **Menu** (three lines, right of the screen). **Uninstall:** delete `~/Games/SpeedBreaker/`, `~/.local/share/speedbreaker/` (this deletes your saves too) and `~/.cache/speedbreaker/`, and remove the shortcut from Steam. **Portable mode:** to keep everything in the SpeedBreaker folder (saves, settings, logs, shader caches and the installed game), so the whole folder can be moved or copied to another Steam Deck, Steam Machine or Linux PC, make an empty file named `portable.txt` next to `speedbreaker.sh`. That starts fresh; to bring your current settings, saves and game along, run `~/Games/SpeedBreaker/speedbreaker.sh --portable on` in Konsole instead, and `--portable off` to go back. Both copy and never delete. The folder's README says more. ### Steam Frame The Steam Frame has its own download. You set it up on the Frame's desktop: open the **Desktop** app in your Steam library. 1. **Download and unpack.** Download the Steam Frame build, [`SpeedBreaker-steamos-arm64.tar.xz`][dl-steamos-arm64], into Downloads (not `SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz`: that one is for the Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Linux PCs). The Frame's file manager can't unpack it, so open **Konsole** and run: ```sh mkdir -p ~/Games && tar -xf ~/Downloads/SpeedBreaker-steamos-arm64.tar.xz -C ~/Games ``` This makes `~/Games/SpeedBreaker`. Keep it on the Frame's internal storage, and don't use `:`, `;` or `$` in the folder names. To update later, unpack the new download over the same folder ([How to update](#how-to-update)). 2. **Add it to Steam.** In the file manager, open `~/Games/SpeedBreaker`, right-click `speedbreaker.sh` and choose *Add to Steam*. Or, in Konsole: `steamos-add-to-steam ~/Games/SpeedBreaker/speedbreaker.sh`. Leave *Compatibility* (Proton) off: this is a native Linux game. 3. **Put your disc image in Downloads.** SpeedBreaker also looks in your home folder, Desktop, Documents and Games. 4. **Install.** Start SpeedBreaker from your Steam library. It highlights the image it found (*Ready to install*): press **A**, then **A** again on *Install*. Or install from Konsole: `~/Games/SpeedBreaker/speedbreaker.sh --install ~/Downloads/your-image.iso` (with your image's name; add `--dest ` to put the game in a folder of your choice). SpeedBreaker plays as a big flat screen in the headset. It is not a VR mode. - **Settings:** press **Menu + View** together. - **Frame rate:** set **Display > Frame Rate** to **30 fps** for smooth play. In the headset, the VR compositor shares the graphics chip. The game keeps its full speed at 30. - **Uninstall:** as on the [Steam Deck](#steam-deck-and-steam-machine). ### Linux There's no separate desktop-Linux package yet. Try the x86-64 SteamOS download, [`SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz`][dl-steamos-x86_64], which brings its own runtime libraries and is tested here on SteamOS (players reported v0.1.1 working on Fedora 44 and Ubuntu 24.04), or [build from source](#building-from-source). Unpack it, put your `.iso` in your home folder, Downloads, Desktop, Documents or Games (or on a USB drive), and run `speedbreaker.sh`: always start the game with it, since it picks the libraries the program in `lib/` needs (started on its own, the program fails on most systems with a message such as `GLIBC_2.44 not found`). The game starts in a window; Display > Fullscreen switches to full screen and decides how the game starts. The installer puts the game in `~/.local/share/speedbreaker/game`, or on a drive, or in any folder you pick with *Choose a folder...* (it needs a file chooser portal or zenity; without one, use `--dest`, below). On a laptop with two GPUs, SpeedBreaker uses the dedicated graphics card; with NVIDIA's driver the launcher also turns on PRIME render offload. That hasn't been confirmed on a real two-GPU laptop yet: the log's `[video] Vulkan devices:` line says which GPU it chose and why, and a report with that line from yours would help. To pick another, start it with `NFSMW_GPU=`, e.g. `NFSMW_GPU=intel %command%` in Steam's launch options. ### Mac 1. **Download and install.** Download [`SpeedBreaker-macos.dmg`][dl-macos], open it, and drag SpeedBreaker to your Applications folder. 2. **Open it.** The app isn't notarized by Apple, so the first time you open it, macOS refuses. Close that message (don't move the app to the Trash), then go to **System Settings > Privacy & Security**, scroll down to the message about SpeedBreaker, click **Open Anyway** and confirm. You only need to do this the first time you open a new download. On current macOS, Control-click > Open no longer skips this step. 3. **Put your disc image in a `Games` folder in your home folder** (`~/Games`). That's the only place SpeedBreaker looks by itself, so macOS doesn't have to ask for access to your other folders. For an image anywhere else, use *Browse for image...*. 4. **Install.** The game goes to `~/Library/Application Support/SpeedBreaker/game`, or to an external drive or any other folder if you choose one (*Choose a folder...*, with the arrows on the *To* row). An empty folder is used as it is; a folder that already holds files gets a new `SpeedBreaker Game` folder inside it. For a folder in Desktop, Documents or Downloads, or on an external drive, macOS asks once whether SpeedBreaker may use it: choose **Allow**. iCloud Drive can't hold the game (nor Desktop and Documents, if your Mac keeps them in iCloud): macOS would upload it and can remove its files from the Mac to save space. **Settings:** **F1** or **Cmd+,**, or Back + Start on a controller. The game starts in a window; Display > Fullscreen switches to full screen and decides how the game starts from then on. The window's green button (or Ctrl+Cmd+F) switches only until you quit. In a window, the picture runs up under a transparent title bar, and the window's buttons show while you move the mouse over it. While you play, the mouse pointer hides after two seconds without moving. SpeedBreaker needs macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later. ### iPhone and iPad SpeedBreaker isn't on the App Store. There are two ways to get it onto your iPhone or iPad: - **Sideload the IPA (experimental).** Each release has an IPA, `SpeedBreaker--ios.ipa`, on the [release page][releases]. A sideloading tool such as AltStore signs it with your own Apple Account and installs it. The game asks iOS for more memory than most apps, and a free Apple Account can't give all of it, so with a free account it may not start, or iOS may close it in busy scenes. When iOS refuses the memory, the game says so on screen. The IPA itself hasn't been installed on a device yet (the tested iPhones and iPad ran the same app built and signed with Xcode): read [Sideloading the IPA](scripts/ios/README.md#sideloading-the-ipa-experimental) first, and please report how it goes, with your device and tool. Coming from a build you made yourself, the IPA installs as a separate app: install the game again from your disc image, and your saves stay with the old app. - **Build it yourself** with Xcode on a Mac, signed with your own Apple developer account: [scripts/ios/README.md](scripts/ios/README.md) walks you through it. Once SpeedBreaker is on your device: 1. **Get your disc image onto it.** Copy the `.iso` into **Files > On My iPhone (or iPad) > SpeedBreaker**, where it is found by itself. Or tap **Browse** and pick it from anywhere the Files app reaches, such as iCloud Drive or a USB drive. A browsed image is read where it is, not copied first. 2. **Install.** The game goes into the app's own storage, and is left out of iCloud and computer backups (your saves are still backed up). Afterwards you can delete the disc image. 3. **Connect a controller or a keyboard.** The game itself doesn't use touch. Pair a Bluetooth controller, such as an Xbox or PlayStation one, or use a Backbone. So far, a Backbone Pro on the iPad is the one tested. **Settings:** tap with **three fingers**, or press Back + Start on the controller (View + Menu on a Backbone). SpeedBreaker runs in landscape, full screen. If you switch away, the game freezes, and it resumes exactly where it stopped. If 60 fps isn't steady on your iPhone, set Display > Frame Rate to 30 fps or Auto. ## Controls SpeedBreaker hands the game an Xbox 360 controller, so a race plays with the game's own Xbox 360 controls. Buttons are matched **by position**: on a PlayStation controller, Cross is A, Circle is B, Square is X and Triangle is Y. | Xbox 360 control | Controller | Keyboard | |---|---|---| | Left stick | Left stick | A / D or Left / Right steer; Up / Down push it up and down | | Right trigger | Right trigger | W | | Left trigger | Left trigger | S | | A / B / X / Y | Bottom / right / left / top face button | Space / Backspace / Left Shift / Left Ctrl | | LB / RB | Shoulder buttons | Q / E | | D-pad | D-pad | Arrow keys | | Start | Start / Menu / Options | Enter | | Back | Back / View / Create | Esc | | Right stick | Right stick | O / L up and down, K / ; left and right | | Stick clicks | Press a stick in | Z (left), C (right) | - One player, one controller: the first one connected is used, and you can plug one in at any time. The keyboard always works as well. - Because Back + Start opens the settings, the game sees Back a moment late: a tap arrives when you let go, a hold after a quarter of a second. - The game shifts gears with the right stick, so from the keyboard you shift with O and L. Holding both keys of a pair centres the stick. - Every keyboard control can be reassigned: **Settings > Controls** (F1). Each control has two keys: choose a row, Left or Right for its first or second key, press A or Enter, then the key you want (Esc or B cancels). Y or Backspace clears a key, X or Delete puts the row's defaults back, and *Reset page* restores this whole table. A key may drive several controls, as the arrows do. There is no mouse control in game. **To open the settings:** | Device | Open or close the settings | |---|---| | Keyboard | **F1** (on a Mac also **Cmd+,**) | | Xbox-style controller | **Back + Start** (View + Menu) together | | Steam Deck | Hold **View**, press **Menu** | | Steam Frame | **Menu + View** together | | iPhone and iPad touchscreen | **Three-finger tap** | ## Settings The game pauses while the settings are open. The D-pad (or arrow keys) chooses and changes a row, LB and RB (or Q and E) turn pages, and B (or Esc) closes the menu. On a touchscreen, tap and drag. The mouse works too. Every change applies at once and is saved when you close the menu. The bottom row has *Reset page* (the page's defaults), *Close*, and *Quit Game*, which asks first, with *Cancel* chosen (not on iPhone and iPad, where apps are closed from the app switcher).

All settings and their defaults

**Display** | Option | Choices | Default | |---|---|---| | Fullscreen | On / Off | Off: a 1280x720 window you can resize. The game always starts as set here; on a Mac, the window's green button switches only until you quit, and the row then says NOW FULLSCREEN or NOW WINDOWED. Always on in SteamOS Game Mode. Not shown on iPhone and iPad, which are always full screen. | | V-Sync | On / Off | On. Off can tear, but shows frames sooner. | | Frame Rate | Auto / 60 fps / 30 fps | 60 fps on most devices. 30 fps keeps the game at full speed. Auto runs at 60, or at a steady 30 while the device is hot or can't hold 60. | | Screen Resolution | Full / 75% | Full. iPhone and iPad only: 75% is slightly softer and saves graphics work. | | Aspect Ratio | Fill Screen / 16:9 | Fill Screen: wider screens get a wider view; 4:3, 3:2 and 16:10 screens (the Steam Deck, many Macs) a taller one. 16:9 always shows the classic picture with bars. | | Brightness | -5 to +5 | 0, the picture as it is. Each step makes the shadows and mid-tones a little lighter or darker, like a TV's brightness; black and white stay put, and the menus never change. | | Xbox 360 Display Gamma | On / Off | On: the gamma ramp the game sets for a real Xbox 360's TV output, with slightly deeper shadows and slightly brighter mid-tones. Off: the flatter picture of v0.1.3 and earlier. | The game's own Brightness slider, in the pause menu's Options > Video, works too while Xbox 360 Display Gamma is on (with it off, it does nothing). Its middle is the default look; Y (Defaults), then Yes, puts it back. **Graphics** | Option | Choices | Default | |---|---|---| | Anti-Aliasing | On / Off | On | | Upscaling | Bicubic / Bilinear / FSR 1 | Bicubic. FSR 1 (AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 1) keeps curves, wires and diagonals smooth when the picture is enlarged a lot, such as 1x on a 1440p or 4K screen; it is used only when the picture is enlarged, costs a little more GPU time, and makes foliage look slightly painted. Not on iPhone and iPad. | | Sharpening | 0.00 to 1.00 | 0.30 (0 turns it off). With FSR 1, the share of its sharpening pass's full strength. | | Anisotropic Filtering | Auto / Off / 2x / 4x / 8x / 16x / Original | Auto: 16x on dedicated graphics cards and M-series iPads, 4x elsewhere. Original uses each texture's own setting, as on the 360. | | Mipmaps | On / Off | On, so distant textures don't shimmer | | Internal Resolution | Auto / 1x (720p) / 1.5x (1080p) / 2x (1440p) / 3x (2160p) | Auto: enough to cover your screen, within what the device can afford (whole scales only: 1x, 2x, 3x, or 3x2 on an ultrawide). On iPhone and iPad, Auto always picks 1x. | **Audio:** Master Volume (100%), Mute (Off), and Mute in Background (Off), which silences the game while its window isn't in front. **Input:** Stick Deadzone (8%; raise it if the car steers by itself), Trigger Deadzone (2%), and Vibration (On). **Controls:** the keyboard keys for each Xbox 360 control, two per control, as in the table under [Controls](#controls). The keys are saved by name in `settings.toml`'s `[keys]` table (`w`, `left_shift`, `keypad_1`, or `none`; `runtime/user/key_names.h` lists them). **Advanced:** Asynchronous Shaders (On: an object is skipped for a frame or two while its shader compiles, instead of the game stuttering), Performance Overlay (Off: fps, frame times, and CPU and GPU time per frame), **Save Bug Report**, and **Check for Updates** (the only thing that goes online, and only when you press it). The page also shows which build you're running.

## Tips for smooth play - **Run your display at 60 Hz.** On a Steam Deck OLED, set the refresh rate to 60 Hz and leave Steam's Framerate Limit off. - **MacBook Pro with a 120 Hz (ProMotion) screen:** since v0.1.4 SpeedBreaker asks for each frame to reach the screen 1/60 s after the last. Measured in fullscreen on an M1 Pro: 99.9% of frames in menus and about 94% while driving (fewer in the heaviest scenes). Other screens show frames as before. - **Start with Auto.** If busy scenes drop below 60, set Internal Resolution one step lower, or let Frame Rate *Auto* fall back to a steady 30. - **30 fps is a real option.** It's a steady 30 at full game speed, and the smooth choice in the Steam Frame headset. - **Between 1x and 2x,** try 1.5x (1080p): much sharper than 1x, with a little over half the pixels of 2x. - **On iPhone and iPad,** keep Internal Resolution at Auto (1x). On the tested iPad Pro (M2), 2x is too slow for races. The iPhone 18 Pro Max holds 60 fps at 1.5x, but on a cable it reached iOS's "serious" heat level in about nine minutes (1x did in about six), and Frame Rate Auto then drops to 30. Screen Resolution 75% saves more. - **Docked Deck or Steam Machine:** set the shortcut's Game Resolution to Native. - **See what's happening:** Settings > Advanced > Performance Overlay. ## FAQ and troubleshooting **Does SpeedBreaker include the game?** No. No game files are included or distributed. You install the game from your own backup of your own disc, and SpeedBreaker checks it file by file. **Which version of the game do I need?** The Xbox 360 **USA release (NTSC-U, English)**. The installer checks your image and tells you if it's a different version. PAL and Japanese discs and re-releases haven't been tested, so expect the installer to refuse them. Games on Demand packages aren't supported, and no title update is used. **Does it work with the PC version of the game?** No. SpeedBreaker is built from the Xbox 360 version and installs only from the Xbox 360 USA disc. PC copies of *Most Wanted*, including the Black Edition, aren't supported. **Is this an emulator?** No. It's a static recompilation: the game's Xbox 360 code was translated ahead of time into a native app, so that code runs directly instead of being emulated. SpeedBreaker supplies what the game expects from the Xbox 360: its system software, graphics, audio and controllers. **Can it run above 60 fps?** No. 60 fps is the game's own cap. **Can I bring my Xbox 360 saves?** No. Xbox 360 saves can't be imported, so your career starts fresh. **The installer refused my image. Why?** It always says what to do. The usual causes: - *Another game, or an unsupported version:* it isn't the USA disc. - *Truncated image:* most often a copy cut off at 4 GB by a FAT32 drive. Copy it again from your own backup, onto a drive that can hold files over 4 GB. - *Not a disc image,* a Games on Demand package, or a video-only DVD image. - *Missing or corrupt files:* make a new backup from your disc. **My Mac says SpeedBreaker can't be opened.** Use **Open Anyway** in System Settings > Privacy & Security (see [Mac setup](#mac)), again after each update. SpeedBreaker needs macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later on Apple silicon. **The game stutters on my Steam Deck OLED.** Set the screen to 60 Hz (see [Steam Deck setup](#steam-deck-and-steam-machine)). **My laptop runs the game on the slow built-in graphics.** Since v0.1.2 SpeedBreaker is meant to pick the dedicated GPU by itself (not yet confirmed on a real two-GPU laptop). If it doesn't, see the `[video] Vulkan devices:` line in `last-run.log`, set `NFSMW_GPU` (see [Linux](#linux)), and please open an issue with that line. **The picture is small or stretched on my TV or monitor in Game Mode.** Set the shortcut's Properties > General > Game Resolution to Native. **Can I have the bars back on my Deck?** Yes. The game is 16:9 and the Deck's screen 16:10, and since v0.1.1 the picture fills it with a slightly taller view. Set Settings > Display > Aspect Ratio to 16:9 for the console's picture with thin bars above and below. **My SD card or USB drive doesn't show up in Game Mode.** Game Mode only sees drives formatted by SteamOS. Copy the image into Downloads from Desktop Mode. **Can I install the game somewhere other than the default folder?** Yes. On the installer's last page, choose where it goes on the *To* row: internal storage, a removable drive, or *Choose a folder...* for any folder (SteamOS: in Desktop Mode). An empty folder is used as it is; a folder that already holds files gets a new `SpeedBreaker Game` folder inside it, and the top of a drive gets the drive's own `speedbreaker/game` (`SpeedBreaker/game` on a Mac). Or install from a terminal with `--dest` (see [Command-line installer](#command-line-installer)). SpeedBreaker remembers the place; if it's on a drive that isn't connected when the game starts, the installer says so: connect it and start the game again. **The car steers by itself.** Raise Settings > Input > Stick Deadzone. **The picture looks different since v0.1.4.** v0.1.4 applies the gamma ramp the game sets for a real Xbox 360's TV output: slightly deeper shadows and slightly brighter mid-tones, as on the console. For the previous, flatter picture, turn off Settings > Display > Xbox 360 Display Gamma. For lighter or darker shadows either way, use Settings > Display > Brightness. If the picture is much brighter and washed out, the game's own Brightness slider (pause menu > Options > Video) was probably moved up in an earlier version, where it did nothing, and saved: it now takes effect. Set the slider back to the middle, or press Y (Defaults) and choose Yes. **How do I quit in fullscreen without a keyboard?** Open the settings and choose *Quit Game* on the bottom row; it asks first. **The game ignores my touches on iPhone or iPad.** The game needs a controller or a keyboard. Touch only works in SpeedBreaker's own screens; a three-finger tap opens the settings. **Where are my saves, settings and logs?** | | Linux and SteamOS | Mac | iPhone and iPad | |---|---|---|---| | Saves, settings, logs | `~/.local/share/speedbreaker/` | `~/Library/Application Support/SpeedBreaker/` | Inside the app (not shown in the Files app) | | Installed game | `game/` in that folder, `speedbreaker/game` on a drive, or the folder you chose | `game/` in that folder, `SpeedBreaker/game` on a drive, or the folder you chose | Inside the app | | Shader caches (safe to delete) | `~/.cache/speedbreaker/` | `~/Library/Caches/SpeedBreaker/` | Inside the app | Deleting that folder, or deleting the iPhone or iPad app, deletes your saves. A game you installed in a folder of your own stays there until you delete that folder. In [portable mode](#steam-deck-and-steam-machine) (SteamOS and Linux) all of it is in the SpeedBreaker folder instead: `data/`, `data/game` and `cache/`. ### Reporting a bug 1. Open the settings, go to **Advanced**, and choose **Save Bug Report**. 2. A notice says where the zip file went: your **Desktop** (on SteamOS, pick it up in Desktop Mode, or in the Desktop app on a Steam Frame), the **SpeedBreaker** folder in the Files app on iPhone and iPad, or the data folder above when there is no Desktop. Its name says which version you were running, for example `speedbreaker-bug-report-v0.1.6-_.zip`. 3. Open an [issue][issues], attach the zip, and say what you were doing, what you expected, what happened, and roughly how long into the session it happened. The zip holds recent logs, any crash and hang reports, your settings, a summary of your system and a screenshot of the last game frame. Paths in your home folder show as `~`. If the game crashed, start it again and save a report: the crash report is included. **Never attach game files or disc images to an issue.** [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) says how bug reports and pull requests are handled. ## What's next - **Windows:** coming soon. - **Android:** coming soon. **One more thing… SpeedBreaker: Carbon, coming soon.** It's planned, not available yet. There are no dates and no promises: it's ready when it's ready. ## For developers ### How it works SpeedBreaker is a **static recompilation**. [XenonRecomp](https://github.com/hedge-dev/XenonRecomp) translates the game's PowerPC code into C++ ahead of time, and that C++ is compiled into a native program for x86-64 or arm64. A runtime written for this project stands in for the Xbox 360: its kernel and system software, its GPU, its XMA audio and its controllers. - **Graphics:** a Vulkan renderer that translates the Xenos GPU's commands and shaders. On Mac, iPhone and iPad it runs on Metal through MoltenVK. - **Platform layer:** SDL3 for windows, input and audio. The installer, the settings menu and the overlay are drawn with Dear ImGui. - **Audio:** XMA decoding done the way the hardware does it, frame by frame, with a patched, decoder-only FFmpeg. - **Resolution:** the 3D scene renders at 1x, 1.5x, 2x or 3x; the bloom and haze stay at the original resolution, so the game keeps its colour grade. - **Frame pacing:** the game's clock locks to the display's measured refresh (58.5 to 61.5 Hz), one game step per refresh. 30 fps runs two game steps per frame. On a Mac the clock's thread runs with real-time priority, and on a 120 Hz ProMotion screen each frame is shown at a set time after its tick (turned off for the session if the screen doesn't keep those times). - **Sun glare:** the game measures the sun with occlusion queries; SpeedBreaker counts them on the GPU. The game's data (cars, city, audio, movies) comes from the player's disc. SpeedBreaker contains no game data or assets. ### Command-line installer The installer also runs from a terminal. On SteamOS and Linux, run it through `speedbreaker.sh` (`~/Games/SpeedBreaker/speedbreaker.sh --install ...`); on a Mac, the program is `SpeedBreaker.app/Contents/MacOS/SpeedBreaker`. ```sh SpeedBreaker --install [--dest ] # install (into exactly , if given) SpeedBreaker --verify # check every file without copying SpeedBreaker --find-images # list the disc images it can find SpeedBreaker --where # show where the game is installed speedbreaker.sh --portable on|off # SteamOS and Linux: portable mode (copies, never deletes) ``` Without `--dest` the game goes to the default folder, as from the installer screen. `--dest` installs into exactly that folder, which must be new, empty or hold a previous install (not a temporary folder kept in memory, such as `/tmp` on SteamOS); the game remembers it. ### Building from source The repository contains no game code: the build recompiles your own `default.xex`, from the USA disc. The generated code (`ppc/`), the game files (`game/`) and the toolchain (`tools/`) are ignored by git. **Never commit or share them.** The supported executable is 3,936,256 bytes, with SHA-256 `aebdf3c14d1e4e4ed2c130d94bc1a0e97bd6d5bf39bdfdef33c3909c9cc4ba4c`. #### 1. Dependencies - **Mac:** Xcode's command-line tools, and from Homebrew: `brew install llvm lld cmake ninja molten-vk`. The libraries the app bundles (SDL3, the Vulkan loader, glslang, SPIRV-Tools and FFmpeg's XMA decoder) are built from their own source releases by `scripts/macos/build_deps.sh`, for macOS 15 like the release (step 3). Homebrew's bottles of them (`brew install sdl3 vulkan-loader vulkan-headers glslang spirv-tools`) also work, for an app that runs only on the macOS you build on (step 3). - **SteamOS:** build inside an Arch Linux distrobox (podman and distrobox ship with SteamOS). The development launcher, `scripts/steamos/speedbreaker.sh`, expects the container to be called `nfsmw-build`: ```sh distrobox create --yes --name nfsmw-build --image docker.io/library/archlinux:latest \ --additional-packages "clang lld cmake ninja git python sdl3 vulkan-headers \ vulkan-icd-loader vulkan-tools glslang spirv-tools mesa vulkan-radeon pkgconf \ make diffutils patch curl nasm libpulse pipewire pipewire-pulse alsa-lib libdecor" distrobox enter nfsmw-build ``` - **Other Linux distributions:** your distribution's equivalents of the package list above (Clang 18 or newer). Untested so far. The GPU needs Vulkan 1.2 and BC (DXT) texture support. - `gh`, logged in, is optional: it fetches Xenia's instruction tests. #### 2. Toolchain, your game files, recompilation From the repository root: ```sh scripts/setup_tools.sh # XenonRecomp + SpeedBreaker's patches, extract-xiso, FFmpeg's XMA decoder # Extract your own disc image into game/files and check the executable. mkdir -p game/files tools/extract-xiso/build/extract-xiso -d game/files -x /path/to/your-backup.iso shasum -a 256 game/files/default.xex # must print aebdf3c14d1e4e4ed2c130d94bc1a0e97bd6d5bf39bdfdef33c3909c9cc4ba4c # Translate the game's code into C++ (writes ppc/). mkdir -p ppc tools/XenonRecomp/build/XenonRecomp/XenonRecomp config/nfsmw.toml tools/XenonRecomp/XenonUtils/ppc_context.h ``` #### 3. Build ```sh # Linux and SteamOS (on SteamOS, inside the container) cmake -S . -B build/main -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \ -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ # Mac (Homebrew's LLVM): the libraries for macOS 15, as the release (a few minutes; it downloads # their source archives and checks each one's SHA-256), then the game against them scripts/macos/build_deps.sh build/deps cmake -S . -B build/main -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \ -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=/opt/homebrew/opt/llvm/bin/clang \ -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=/opt/homebrew/opt/llvm/bin/clang++ \ -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$PWD/build/deps" -DFFMPEG_XMA="$PWD/build/deps/ffmpeg-xma" # (or, with Homebrew's libraries instead of build_deps.sh, an app for your own macOS only: the # same cmake line with -DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET= instead of the last # two options; make_app.py names the version if it's wrong) ninja -C build/main SpeedBreaker ``` Run `build/main/runtime/SpeedBreaker` from the repository root. With the whole disc extracted in `game/files`, it plays from there. Otherwise the first-run installer asks for your disc image. #### 4. Package it (optional) - **Mac app:** `python3 scripts/macos/make_app.py` makes `build/app/SpeedBreaker.app`, with its libraries, MoltenVK and the license notices inside. It refuses a library built for a newer macOS than the build (and says how to fix it); `python3 scripts/macos/check_app.py build/app/SpeedBreaker.app` runs the release's checks. Add `--dmg` for `build/app/SpeedBreaker-macos.dmg` and its `.sha256`, laid out like the download on Releases. - **SteamOS bundle (x86-64):** inside the container, `scripts/steamos/make_bundle.sh` makes `build/bundle/SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz` and its `.sha256` (plus a copy named by the version, `SpeedBreaker--steamos-x86_64.tar.xz`): `speedbreaker.sh` at the top, the program and its libraries in `lib/`. Install it as described in [Steam Deck setup](#steam-deck-and-steam-machine). - **Steam Frame bundle (arm64):** the Steam Frame download on Releases is built on a Frame, and so is your own: the Frame's SteamOS ships clang, CMake, Ninja, glslang and the Vulkan headers, so no container is needed. Build an SDL3 release into `~/deps/sdl3` (with `-DSDL_X11_XSCRNSAVER=OFF`), and do step 2 on the Frame (another machine's FFmpeg build won't link there). Then: ```sh cmake -S . -B build/main -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang \ -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ -DSDL3_DIR=$HOME/deps/sdl3/lib/cmake/SDL3 \ -DCMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH=ON ninja -C build/main scripts/steamos/make_bundle.sh build/main build/bundle ``` This makes `build/bundle/SpeedBreaker-steamos-arm64.tar.xz` and its `.sha256` (plus a copy named by the version). `-DCMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH=ON` keeps your `~/deps` folder out of the program: the bundle brings SDL3 in its own `lib/`. Install it as described in [Steam Frame setup](#steam-frame). - **iPhone and iPad:** `scripts/ios/build_deps.sh` builds the iOS libraries, and `scripts/ios/build.sh` builds, signs and installs the app. The steps, and signing with your own Apple developer account, are in [scripts/ios/README.md](scripts/ios/README.md). #### Tests The unit tests build with `-DSB_TESTS=ON` added to the `cmake` line, and `ctest --test-dir build/main` runs them. `tests/run_instr_tests.sh` checks the instructions SpeedBreaker's patches add to XenonRecomp. It needs LLVM's `llvm-mc` and `llvm-objdump` and `ld.lld`: on a Mac, Homebrew's `llvm` and `lld`; elsewhere, your distribution's (on Arch, the `llvm` and `lld` packages; the container above has only `lld`). `LLVM=` and `LLD=` pick others. So far it has been run on a Mac only. None of the tests needs game files; `write_watch_test` needs `ppc/`. ## Credits SpeedBreaker is made by **project(u)**. It stands on the shoulders of a lot of open-source work. Thank you to the **hedge-dev** team, for XenonRecomp and for the approach Unleashed Recompiled pioneered that this project follows, and to the **Xenia** project, for a decade of Xbox 360 research. | Project | What SpeedBreaker uses it for | License | |---|---|---| | [XenonRecomp](https://github.com/hedge-dev/XenonRecomp) (hedge-dev and contributors) | The PowerPC-to-C++ recompiler. Its XenonUtils (XEX loading) is built into the runtime. | MIT | | [Unleashed Recompiled](https://github.com/hedge-dev/UnleashedRecomp) (hedge-dev and contributors) | The reference runtime. Parts of the kernel, XAM, memory and threading code are adapted from it. | GPL-3.0-or-later | | [Xenia](https://github.com/xenia-project/xenia) (Ben Vanik and Xenia contributors) | GPU register, microcode and Xenos headers are ported from it, and its kernel, XMA and GPU behaviour is the reference throughout. | BSD-3-Clause | | freedreno (Rob Clark) | Code inside the ported microcode header | MIT | | [FFmpeg](https://ffmpeg.org/) 7.1.1 | XMA decoding: a decoder-only static build with a SpeedBreaker patch | LGPL-2.1-or-later | | [SDL3](https://www.libsdl.org/) | Windows, input, audio, app lifecycle | zlib | | [Dear ImGui](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui) (Omar Cornut) | The installer and settings UI | MIT | | [Roboto](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Roboto) (Google) | The UI font | Apache-2.0 | | [FidelityFX Super Resolution 1](https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR) (AMD) | The FSR 1 Upscaling choice | MIT | | [o1heap](https://github.com/pavel-kirienko/o1heap) (Pavel Kirienko) | The guest heap allocator | MIT | | [glslang](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glslang) and [SPIRV-Tools](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/SPIRV-Tools) (Khronos) | Shader compilation at runtime | BSD-3-Clause and others; Apache-2.0 | | [MoltenVK](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/MoltenVK) and the [Vulkan Loader](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Loader) (Khronos) | Vulkan on Mac, iPhone and iPad | Apache-2.0 | | [toml++](https://github.com/marzer/tomlplusplus) (Mark Gillard) | `settings.toml` | MIT | | [SIMDe](https://github.com/simd-everywhere/simde) (Evan Nemerson and contributors) | SIMD in the recompiled code | MIT | | [libmspack](https://github.com/kyz/libmspack) (Stuart Caie) | LZX decompression | LGPL-2.1 | | [tiny-AES-c](https://github.com/kokke/tiny-AES-c) | XEX decryption | Unlicense | | [TinySHA1](https://github.com/mohaps/TinySHA1) (Saurav Mohapatra) | SHA-1, via XenonUtils | ISC-style | | [extract-xiso](https://github.com/XboxDev/extract-xiso) | Developer tool for unpacking disc images (not shipped) | Its own license | The x86-64 SteamOS download also carries glibc and libstdc++ (LGPL-2.1+; GPL-3.0 with the GCC Runtime Library Exception); the Steam Frame download uses the system's. Full license texts are in [THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md](THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md) and [LICENSES/](LICENSES/), and every download carries them too: in `licenses/` in the SteamOS downloads, in `SpeedBreaker.app/Contents/Resources/licenses` in the Mac app, with each bundled library's own license, and in `SpeedBreaker.app/licenses` in the iPhone and iPad IPA. The source code of the LGPL and GPL parts in the downloads (FFmpeg, libmspack, and the x86-64 download's glibc and GCC runtime) is published next to the downloads of each release, as `SpeedBreaker--third-party-source.tar.xz`. ## License SpeedBreaker is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the **GNU General Public License** as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version (GPL-3.0-or-later). See [COPYING](COPYING) and [NOTICE](NOTICE). Third-party components keep their own licenses, listed above. Copyright (C) 2026 project(u) and SpeedBreaker contributors. ## Legal notice SpeedBreaker is an unofficial, fan-made project by project(u). It is **not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Electronic Arts Inc., the Need for Speed brand or Valve Corporation.** "Need for Speed", "Most Wanted" and "Carbon" are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Steam, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, SteamOS and their logos and icons are trademarks of Valve Corporation. All other trademarks, including Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation, Apple, Mac, macOS, iPhone, iPad, iCloud, Xcode, App Store, Backbone, Vulkan, Linux, Windows, Android, NVIDIA, GeForce, AMD and Intel, belong to their respective owners. They are used here only to describe what SpeedBreaker works with. The game is named only to say which game SpeedBreaker runs; no logos, box art or key art of the game are used. The game content visible in screenshots belongs to its owners. **No game files are included or distributed.** SpeedBreaker contains no game data or assets: no textures, models, audio, movies or disc files. To play, you need your own legally obtained backup (a disc image) of your own Xbox 360 disc of *Need for Speed: Most Wanted* (2005). The in-app installer verifies it and installs it. SpeedBreaker is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, as set out in the GNU General Public License. [releases]: https://github.com/SpeedBreakerProject/speedbreaker/releases/latest [dl-steamos-x86_64]: https://github.com/SpeedBreakerProject/speedbreaker/releases/latest/download/SpeedBreaker-steamos-x86_64.tar.xz [dl-steamos-arm64]: https://github.com/SpeedBreakerProject/speedbreaker/releases/latest/download/SpeedBreaker-steamos-arm64.tar.xz [dl-macos]: https://github.com/SpeedBreakerProject/speedbreaker/releases/latest/download/SpeedBreaker-macos.dmg [issues]: https://github.com/SpeedBreakerProject/speedbreaker/issues