About
Super Mario 64 Coop DX is a community-maintained open-source co-op mod built on the SM64 PC decompilation project, supporting up to 16 players online, a Lua mod API, uncapped framerate, and widescreen support. It needs a legally obtained SM64 USA ROM, which you supply on first launch to generate the game assets. The project ships official prebuilt Linux and SteamOS binaries in its GitHub releases (v1.5 is the last to include a dedicated SteamOS build; from v1.6 the Linux build is used), so on Steam Deck you can usually just download, extract, and run — no compiling required. A community sm64-steam-deck-builder script also exists for building from source if preferred.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- sm64coopdx
- Needs files
-
- Super Mario 64 USA ROM dump (baserom.us.z64) that you own legally
Runtime
- Runs as
- Native Linux
- Proton
- not needed
The one thing to know
- Requires a USA Super Mario 64 ROM dump that you own legally. The project does not distribute ROM files. Supply your own copy — do not use ROM sites.
- Easiest Steam Deck path: in Desktop Mode, download the prebuilt SteamOS or Linux build from github.com/coop-deluxe/sm64coopdx/releases (latest v1.5.1; v1.5 is the last with a dedicated SteamOS asset — use the Linux build from v1.6 on), extract it, and run the sm64coopdx executable.
- On first run, provide your ROM one of two ways: drag and drop your .z64 ROM onto the sm64coopdx window, or rename your USA ROM to baserom.us.z64 and place it either next to the executable or in ~/.local/share/sm64coopdx/. The game generates its assets on first launch; this takes a few minutes.
- Prefer building from source? The community sm64-steam-deck-builder script (github.com/the-outcaster/sm64-steam-deck-builder) automates the build pipeline in Desktop Mode (needs build dependencies / root).
- Add the sm64coopdx executable as a non-Steam game shortcut to launch it from Game Mode.
- Online co-op requires all players to be running the same version of SM64 Coop DX.
- Lua mods go in the mods/ subdirectory next to the binary; many are available at sm64coopdx.com/mods.
- The game is a fan project based on the Nintendo decompilation; Nintendo has not authorized it. The project distributes no Nintendo IP — only the build toolchain and co-op code.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.