In the late 2000s, video game development studio Rare attempted to remake its beloved Nintendo 64 first-person shooter, GoldenEye 007, for the Xbox 360. The new vision featured the classic single-player campaign and fan-favorite multiplayer modes along with updated graphics, modern controls, and online play. It even included a toggle that would let players swap between the new graphics and the classic N64 visuals. The remake was nearly complete, but it got shelved in 2008 due to complicated copyright issues.
While the canceled GoldenEye remake was an open secret in the video game industry for years, fans finally saw proof of the project when gameplay footage surfaced online last month. And now, someone leaked a build of the game online.
We can confirm the game is fully playable on PC using Xbox 360 emulation software. The leaked version does not include online matchmaking, but there are local multiplayer options.
For those wondering: Yes, you can theoretically play the 2008 GoldenEye remake on your PC, too. Be aware it’s technically illegal to download or distribute the ROM file, so we won’t show you how to find it. Emulation is a legal gray-zone at best, and the GoldenEye Xbox 360 ROM is even murkier—it’s technically the unreleased property of Rare and contains copyrighted materials from numerous companies, plus the likenesses of several actors.
However, it’s entirely legal to install the necessary software one would need to hypothetically play the leaked ROM on PC. In this imaginary scenario, you’d need to download the Xenia Xbox 360 emulator. Follow the setup and installation steps in the video below:
Note that Xenia is a research tool and not intended for playing illegally-obtained software, but you can use it to play Xbox 360 games you personally own and dumped to your PC. You can play games with a controller or keyboard and mouse. I recommend an Xbox controller, which should get automatically recognized, but you can also use a PlayStation 4 controller if you install DS4Windows.
G/O Media may get a commission