Evidence at a glance #
source evidence…
What was done #
This project performs static recompilation of the Linux version of Portal 2 into a native ARM64 application for macOS and iPhone, utilizing a custom runtime for system calls and graphics without emulation.
The project portal2-recomp transforms the Linux x86 binaries of Portal 2 into a native ARM64 application for Apple silicon devices. The process involves translating x86 machine code into C and compiling it, supported by a runtime that provides necessary interfaces for libc, threads, SDL2, and graphics. The author reports the game is fully playable on macOS and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the latter achieving a steady 60 fps. The implementation includes a Metal renderer, which provides performance improvements over the OpenGL fallback. Development was conducted by Raphaël Kanapitsas in October 2026, with AI coding agents, specifically Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex, writing the majority of the code. The project is limited to a specific release of the Linux binaries, and the iOS version lacks co-op, achievements, and Steam features. GitHub Actions are used for runtime checks and Python tests, though full game builds are not performed in CI due to the absence of game files.
Reproduce it #
Clone the repository and run ./setup.sh with paths to the game folder and the Linux depot 661. For iOS, use ./setup.sh --ios with Xcode and a valid Apple ID.
Community #
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