Updated on November 9, 2026: Soulbrandt is at 0.1.1 alpha from November 7, which adds the European release BLES00932 with its five languages and no longer needs the PS3 system software. timboat's port is at its November 6 build, which adds a skip-intro option, fixes slow running above 150 FPS and brings an experimental Mac version.
Demon's Souls came out on the PS3 in 2009 and never reached PC. The PS5 remake from 2020 didn't either. In early November two fan projects made the original PS3 game run natively on Windows, without RPCS3 doing the work while you play. Soulbrandt by JonathanDC64 is a ready download with online play on its own server, and a tester has already finished the game on it. timboat's port arrived a few days earlier, builds everything from your disc image and has no online yet. Both use ps3recomp, a tool that turns the PS3 game's code into a normal PC program. Neither includes the game: you need your own copy, the US release BLUS30443 for both ports or the European BLES00932 for Soulbrandt. Below: what works in each, what you need, how setup goes, online play, the problems players report and how to get past them.
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What works in the two ports
The PS3 runs a PowerPC processor and helper chips called SPUs, so its code can't run on a PC as it is. ps3recomp (sp00nznet/ps3recomp) translates that code into C++ ahead of time, and a compiler on your PC turns it into a Windows program. That is why both ports build the game on your machine: the converted code comes from your copy, so nobody can share it. Soulbrandt (JonathanDC64/Soulbrandt, 348 stars on November 8) wraps this in a setup program with menus. timboat's port (timboat/demons-souls-recomp, 201 stars) is a kit of scripts with its own launcher.
| Part | Soulbrandt | timboat's port |
|---|---|---|
| Story | Plays from start to finish, a tester has beaten it; alpha, so not every area is tested on every setting | "The whole game seems playable", in the author's words |
| Frame rate | 30 (original), 60, 120, 144, 165, 240, custom or unlocked; the game's timing is fixed for high rates | 60 recommended; 30, uncapped and custom work, sound can drift above 60 |
| Picture | Render resolution up to 300% (4K), 21:9, 32:9 and 16:10, FXAA or SMAA, HDR on Windows | Resolution, fullscreen and SMAA in the launcher |
| Online | Messages, bloodstains, ghosts, co-op and invasions on the project's own server | None yet, planned after optimisation |
| Download | Ready program that builds the game from your copy | ZIP with tools and a launcher, no ready-to-play build |
| Systems | Windows 10 and 11, Linux (less tested), one Steam Deck test | Windows 10 and 11, Linux and Steam Deck through Proton, Mac as an experiment |
For most players Soulbrandt is the one to try first: it has the simpler setup, the menu with every option and online play. timboat's port is the choice if you only have the game as a disc image, since Soulbrandt can't read ISO files yet.
Which copy of the game and what PC you need
Both ports are made for exact versions of the game. timboat's port takes only the American PS3 release BLUS30443, version 1.00. Soulbrandt takes it too and, since 0.1.1 of November 7, also the European release BLES00932, version 1.00, with all five of its languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. US and European players meet on the same server. Japanese and Asian discs, the US demo and the PlayStation Store versions don't work in either port. The ports contain no game files, and we don't link game files or explain how to get them: you need your own copy and data from your own console.
| What | Soulbrandt | timboat's port |
|---|---|---|
| Game | Your US or European copy as a folder with PS3_GAME inside; ISO files are not read yet | Your US copy as a disc image (.iso or .zip) or a folder with PS3_GAME |
| Other software | RPCS3 installed, setup uses it to open the game's encrypted files (or files you prepared yourself); the PS3 system software is no longer needed since 0.1.1 | Nothing; setup downloads Python, Git and a compiler by itself |
| System | Windows 10 or 11 64-bit with a DirectX 12 card, or Linux with glibc 2.35 and a Vulkan driver | Windows 10 or 11 64-bit with a Direct3D 12 card |
| Processor | With SSE4.1, almost every CPU since about 2011 | Uses AVX2 when the CPU has it (Haswell, Ryzen or newer); 4 to 6 cores can dip in heavy areas |
| Disk | About 4 GB in the build folder, plus 0.5 GB on drive C: during setup | About 14 GB in a short, plain folder path |
| Internet | During setup (about 60 MB on Windows, 130 MB on Linux) and for online play | During setup |
macOS isn't supported by Soulbrandt. timboat's port has a native Apple Silicon build by a contributor called erikomis, but so far it only gets through the menus, character creation and into the tutorial.
How to download and set up Soulbrandt
Download only from the project's Releases page on GitHub. Copies of Demon's Souls on other GitHub pages that promise a "free download" are not this port.
- Download
DemonsSoulsRecomp-0.1.1-windows.zip(or thelinux.tar.xz) from JonathanDC64/Soulbrandt/releases. The source and symbols archives are for developers. - Unpack it into a folder of its own, with no square brackets in the name, and start
Soulbrandt.exe. Windows may say "Windows protected your PC" because the program isn't signed yet: click More info, then Run anyway. - Point setup at your game. The easy route is Import from RPCS3: setup finds the game in RPCS3's list and can bring your save, trophies and some settings across. If you already have the game's files prepared, choose the second option instead.
- Start the build. Setup shows an estimate first. It downloads a compiler and Python, converts the game's code and compiles it, which takes a while on a slower PC. You can stop and carry on later. To build on another drive, press Change next to Build folder before starting.
- Pick a preset. Original plays as on the PS3. Enhanced sets 60 FPS, a resolution that fits your screen, SMAA, 16x texture filtering, fullscreen and HDR when Windows has HDR on. Then choose your online name and press Play.
F1, or L3 plus R3 on a controller, opens the menu at any time, and most settings apply right away. The game checks for a new version at start and asks before changing anything; your saves and settings stay, and you can go back one version.
Online play and settings worth changing
Sony shut down the official Demon's Souls servers in 2018. Soulbrandt turns online play back on through its own server, and it is on by default: messages on the floor, bloodstains, ghosts of other players, co-op and invasions all work. You won't meet people playing in RPCS3, because they use other servers. To play only with friends, set the same matchmaking password in Settings, Network. The same page turns online off, changes your name and hides other players' messages, bloodstains and ghosts. What the server stores about you is in the project's privacy note.
- Frame rate. 60 is the safe choice. Up to 240 and unlocked work, and the author fixed the game's timing so rolls, physics and the camera behave as at 30, but above 60 is less tested. Cutscenes stay at 30 by default because they judder above it.
- Renderer. Windows starts on DirectX 12, Linux on Vulkan. If the picture freezes or the driver resets, switch in Settings, Display, Renderer and restart.
- Mouse look. Keyboard and mouse are laid out like the Souls games on PC, but turning the camera with the mouse is off until you turn on Mouse look in Settings, Controls.
- Rolling. While locked on, you now roll where the stick points. Turn off Roll toward the stick for the original four directions.
- Stat respec. Off by default. With Stat respec in the Nexus on, the Maiden in Black or the statue where you wake up resets your stats to your class and gives back the souls your levels cost.
- Small comforts. Skip the logos and the opening movie, go straight into your last save, move or hide each part of the HUD, and turn off depth of field and motion blur.
The second port: timboat's build kit
timboat's project appeared on October 31 and published working builds from November 3. Its release is a ZIP with tools, patches, build scripts and DemonsSoulsLauncher.exe. Unpack it to a short path such as C:\Games\DemonsSouls with about 14 GB free, start the launcher and press Play: the first time it offers to run SETUP.bat. Give it your disc image, and Enter accepts the suggested answer to every question. Setup unpacks the game, converts about 94,000 functions and compiles the program. The author measured 10 to 30 minutes for the last step on a fast 16-core PC.
Updates come through Check for updates in the launcher, which downloads, rebuilds what changed and keeps your saves. Tick Keep my build after updates to play your current build and rebuild later. The launcher also has frame rate, resolution, mods, god mode and recording options. If the game stutters or crashes, press F8 at that moment and run REPORT.bat afterwards to make a report for the author.
Crashes and common problems
Taken from the issues on both projects in the first two days after release. Soulbrandt's menu has a Report an issue item that fills in your PC's details; the zip it makes includes your save, which has your character's name in it.
- Setup stops with "no modules given" or "Converting the game's code failed". Square brackets in the folder name, such as
[PS3], break the step that looks for the game's files. Rename the folder to plain letters and run setup again. timboat's port has the same rule and also bans&in the path. - "Setup needs about 0.5 GB free on C:". Setup puts its Python on drive C: even when the build folder is elsewhere. Free some space there; the build itself needs about 4 GB.
- Setup can't start RPCS3. If RPCS3 is set to run as administrator, untick that in the Properties of
rpcs3.exe. Since 0.1.1 setup no longer asks for the PS3 system software, so the earlier advice to install firmware 4.93 in RPCS3 no longer applies. - "Graphics lost: the graphics card stopped responding". Reports pile up on the GeForce GTX 1070 under DirectX 12. Switching to Vulkan in Settings, Display, Renderer stopped the crashes for one player, and the author plans to make Vulkan the default for that card.
- Crackling, stuttering or looping sound. Reported on Windows and on Linux and still open on November 7. Send a report from the F1 menu so the author gets your log.
- Endless "New Game" loop with a save error. One player fixed it with a clean reinstall of the port and a fresh import of the save.
- Movies have sound but no picture. This happens only in a build from source without FFmpeg; Microsoft's free MPEG-2 Video Extension fixes it. The release download already has what it needs.
- timboat's port doesn't start on Windows N. Editions without the Media Feature Pack aren't supported yet; a fix is in progress.
Versions
| Date | Project and version | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2026 | Soulbrandt 0.1.1 alpha | European release BLES00932 with five languages, US and European players online together, no PS3 system software needed, 12-15% faster on the Steam Deck, sound stutter and looping sound fixed, online reconnects by itself after a server restart |
| November 6, 2026 | timboat, build 2026-11-06 | Skip the intro, normal running speed above 150 FPS, Keep my build after updates, experimental native Mac build, Linux black screen fixed |
| November 6, 2026 | Soulbrandt | The repository was renamed from DemonsSoulsRecomp to Soulbrandt |
| November 5, 2026 | Soulbrandt 0.1.0 alpha | First public release for Windows and Linux: setup that builds the game, online server, up to 240 FPS, 4K, HDR |
| November 4, 2026 | timboat, build 2026-11-04 | Mouse pointer in menus |
| November 3, 2026 | timboat, builds 2026.11.03.3 to .10 | Setup with nothing to install by hand, one-click updates, quiet build progress, a build tested on a clean Windows |
| October 31, 2026 | timboat | Repository opened |
| June 29, 2026 | Soulbrandt | Repository created |
FAQ
Is Demon's Souls on PC officially?
No. The PS3 original (2009) and the PS5 remake (2020) were never released on PC. Both ports here are fan projects and need your own copy of the US PS3 game.
Is this the PS3 game or the PS5 remake?
The PS3 game from FromSoftware. The remake by Bluepoint is a PS5 game and only runs in early PS5 emulators so far.
Can I finish Demon's Souls on PC this way?
Yes. A tester has beaten the game on Soulbrandt 0.1.0, and timboat writes that the whole game seems playable on that port. Both are early, so expect bugs in some areas and settings.
Does online play work?
In Soulbrandt, yes: messages, bloodstains, ghosts, co-op and invasions on the project's own server, with a password option to meet only friends. timboat's port has no online play yet.
Does the European version work?
In Soulbrandt, yes, since 0.1.1 of November 7: the European release BLES00932, version 1.00, works with all five of its languages, chosen in Settings, Game, Language, and plays online with US players. timboat's port still takes only the US release BLUS30443.
Does it run on the Steam Deck?
Partly. Soulbrandt's Linux build has run on one Steam Deck so far, and timboat's port plays on the Deck through Proton but isn't smooth yet and loads slowly.
Sources
JonathanDC64/Soulbrandt: README (status, features, what you need, how to play, not supported yet), release notes for 0.1.0 alpha of November 5 and 0.1.1 alpha of November 7, 2026 and issues #369, #370, #372, #373, #381, #385, #392 and #403. timboat/demons-souls-recomp: README (status, what you need, build steps, updating) and Releases from November 3 to November 6, 2026. sp00nznet/ps3recomp: the recompiler both ports use. Star counts checked on November 8, 2026. Images: official Demon's Souls (PS3, 2009) promotional screenshots.
