Mario Kart 64 Port for Sega Dreamcast Showcases Early Gameplay Progress

Mario Kart 64, originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996, continues to captivate retro gaming enthusiasts—this time as it heads toward an unexpected platform: the Sega Dreamcast.

The ambitious homebrew port is being developed by JNMartin, a programmer renowned within the Dreamcast community for bringing classic titles like WipEout and DOOM 64 to Sega's late-90s hardware.

This latest effort not only underscores the enduring popularity of Nintendo's iconic kart racer, but also highlights the remarkable capabilities and enthusiasm of homebrew developers committed to revitalizing retro hardware. Over the weekend, Falco Girgis, a notable member of the Sega Dreamcast homebrew scene, shared a sneak peek of Mario Kart 64 running on the Dreamcast.

The captured gameplay footage offers a behind-the-scenes look at the port's current state, revealing that the project has seen just three weeks of work.

As described by Girgis, visual glitches, rendering artifacts, and fluctuating framerates are present, and audio is not yet implemented.

However, he emphasizes that these early technical issues are par for the course in the development of such ambitious Dreamcast ports, and expects substantial improvements as work progresses. Significantly, recent milestones demonstrate rapid advancement.

While the build previously struggled to move past the initial menu, it is now possible to play through all levels, including with multiplayer features enabled—a testament to JNMartin’s technical proficiency and the collaborative spirit of the Dreamcast homebrew scene. This port owes its feasibility to the Mario Kart 64 decompilation project, which successfully translated the original source code into a format that can be recompiled for new hardware.

Updated as recently as last month, the project now matches every function in the game "byte for byte" with the original release, providing the foundation for JNMartin’s Dreamcast adaptation. Mario Kart 64 has sold over 9 million units worldwide since its debut, and remains available through Nintendo’s digital storefronts, including the eShop for select platforms.

The game is heralded for its intuitive controls, wide multiplayer appeal, and impactful legacy on the racing genre.

As the homebrew community continues to push boundaries with projects like this, Mario Kart 64’s multigenerational appeal only expands. More updates on the Dreamcast port are expected as development continues.

Gaming enthusiasts and retro hardware fans alike can look forward to witnessing how this unique project evolves, further bridging the gap between two of gaming’s most iconic platforms.

Mario Kart Mario Sega Dreamcast Sega Dreamcast Mario Kart 64 Kart JNMartin Falco Girgis Nintendo Nintendo 64