Project Helghast (Killzone 3 native PC port)

Killzone 3 (Guerrilla Games, 2011) has never left the PS3. Project Helghast’s repository was created on 28 October 2026, and eight pre-releases followed in two days, with about 1,100 downloads by 31 October. The README says the developer first ran it on native Windows 11 on 21 October, before the repository went public.

This site is not affiliated with the developer, Sony Interactive Entertainment or Guerrilla Games.

What it is

• A static recompilation: the game’s PowerPC (PPU) and Cell SPU code is translated to C ahead of time and compiled into a native Windows x64 program, so no CPU emulator runs while you play.
• The PS3 replaced on the PC: the PS3 system software the game calls is reimplemented on PC APIs. The game’s GPU command stream is translated to Direct3D 12 as it runs, and SPU scheduling and the PS3’s memory layout are reproduced by a runtime layer, which the developer is replacing with native code step by step.
• Built on your PC: the setup lifts and compiles the game’s code from your own copy with a bundled compiler, in about 10 to 30 minutes (one player reported 8 minutes). No game code, assets or keys are shipped or downloaded.

Current status

The README’s status table (29 October 2026):

• Boot, intro and menus work at the game’s 30 fps.
• The first level runs for 10 minutes or more without problems in 16 of 16 test runs.
• All 9 chapters load and play for minutes in scripted runs; one chapter, Pyrrhus Outskirts, was played by hand to its end in about 29 minutes.
• Speed: about 22 to 23 frames per second in a busy Frozen Shores scene, 16 to 22 on a first visit to a chapter, with the slowest frames at 13 to 14. The developer notes that RPCS3 holds 30 on the same machine, so 30 should be reachable.
• Split-screen co-op works with two controllers, at about 26 frames per second; the views sit slightly out of place and the right one can flicker.
• Saves, checkpoints and Continue work. Botzone reaches its menus in scripted runs; online play reaches the multiplayer menu on a local test server only.
• Known bugs: audio stutters now and then, and far windows and sky look flat white.

Xbox controllers work directly and PlayStation pads through Steam Input, with keyboard and mouse supported too. The tracker had no open issues on 31 October 2026. We didn’t play it ourselves.

What you need

• Your own Killzone 3: the disc dump (a folder with PS3_GAME, or a decrypted .iso), the 1.14 update folder and the decrypted 1.14 EBOOT (EBOOT.elf). The project gives no decryption tools or steps, and we don’t explain how to obtain or copy game data.
• Windows x64 with a Direct3D 12 GPU. The README calls its hardware figures provisional until the game runs at full speed.
• A local drive for the install, not a OneDrive folder; the setup refuses one.

How it installs (overview)

From the README, at a high level: download Project-Helghast-setup.exe (or the portable zip) from the official Releases page and check it against SHA256SUMS. The setup installs for your user only, asks for the disc dump, the update folder and the EBOOT, and builds the game. Always start the game through the launcher (Project Helghast.exe), not kz3.exe, which skips the save-location rules and settings. Saves go to %APPDATA%\Project Helghast.

The README lists everything that can go online, all off by default: a version check, opt-in crash reports and an optional Discord status.

Killzone 2: Project Pyrrhus

Project Pyrrhus is the same developer’s Killzone 2 port, created the same day and built on Project Helghast’s runtime work. It is earlier: on 31 October 2026 the README said the intro movie plays, the menus run with sound, and the first level loads and draws at about 23 frames per second in one scripted run, with the sky drawn green. The latest build is v0.1.6 (30 October 2026, a pre-release). It needs the US disc BCUS98116, the 1.29 update and its decrypted EBOOT; the setup can find all three in an RPCS3 install. It uses Direct3D 12 only.

The original Killzone from the PS2 has a separate recompilation, KillzoneRecomp, in our recompiled games list.

Is it official, and will it stay up?

• No, it is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment or Guerrilla Games.
• We found no takedown when we checked on 31 October 2026. We know of no Sony takedown of the other PS3 recompilations we track, such as the God of War III port, but that could change.
• Get it only from undecuple/project-helghast. The developer says builds come only from the GitHub releases page and that they never ask anyone to paste commands into a terminal.
• The README says the port is developed by one person with AI coding agents, with the maintainer setting goals, playing builds and signing off releases.

Not working?

If the setup’s checks fail, the message names the input, the path and what it must hold; the full log is next to the installer. If a build stops, start the game again and it resumes. Known problems are in the project’s KNOWN_ISSUES file. For every other native port we track, see the recompiled games list.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment (developed by Guerrilla Games) or undecuple (Project Helghast (Killzone 3 native PC port)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.