Sonic Unleashed, the controversial game that introduced us to Sonic the Werehog, has officially been ported to PC by a team of intrepid fans. “Unleashed Recompiled” is a PC port that offers support for Windows and Linux devices, with a range of enhancements including “high resolutions, ultrawide support, high frame rates, improved performance, and modding” offered.
Notably, the code base does not include any actual game assets, as this remains the intellectual property of Sega. You may download Unleashed Recompiled, but you will need to provide the game’s actual Xbox 360 files to get it running. Hopefully, that circumvents concerns around the port running into legal trouble – although the reality is there may still be some prickliness in future.
Regardless, the team behind Unleashed Recompiled have expressed great excitement about getting the game to run on PC, and possibly allowing some players to jump in for the first time.
With mixed reception at launch, Sonic Unleashed is one of the lesser-loved Sonic games, but it maintains a passionate fanbase thanks to its all-out weirdness, and its dual night-day gameplay cycle allowing for fresh new levels and gameplay. Based on the Unleashed Recompiled trailer, it appears there’s been some incredible work done here, with Sonic Unleashed looking better than ever on PC.
Read: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 lands in cinemas in March 2027
Sonic Unleashed is more than an emulation
As noted by IGN, this more than just a simple emulation of Sonic Unleashed. Rather, it’s a “ground up” PC version that has been carefully rebuilt and recompiled. It’s a mammoth project, and one that’s clearly been completed with a lot of love and respect for the source material.
Those keen to check it out for themselves have a lengthy process to complete to get the game running, but it looks more than worth it. For those who are planning to jump in, it’s also worth noting that time may be of the essence.
Sega has, in the past, taken a fairly reasonable approach to fan-made Sonic creations, even hiring fans to work on new, official projects, like Sonic Mania. In the case of Sonic Unleashed‘s PC port, this is a free, open source project that relies on a legal copy of Sonic Unleashed to work – so Sega may turn a blind eye here.
But there’s still a very real chance that legal matters force the project’s creators to take down the code base in future – so it’s best to get in quick.
You can learn more about Unleashed Recompiled via GitHub.
