KartPad (Mario Kart Wii native port)

Mario Kart Wii came out in 2008 and has never been released outside the Wii. In July 2026 patchzyy, known for the Retro Rewind tooling and the Wheel Wizard mod manager, announced WiiCompiled, described as the first static recompilation of a Wii game; its first public setup release followed on 23 August 2026. KartPad (repository chrissotraidis/kartpad) was created on 28 August 2026 by the maintainer of BlueWake, takes WiiCompiled’s translator and runtime, and adds Android and Apple apps, touch controls and game-data management. The two projects are maintained separately.

This site is not affiliated with the KartPad or WiiCompiled developers or with Nintendo.

What it is

• A static recompilation: the game’s PowerPC code is translated ahead of time by WiiCompiled’s translator and compiled into the app as native arm64 code. Nothing is compiled while you play; the README says there is no PowerPC JIT on iPhone or iPad.
• Graphics run on Vulkan on Android and Metal on Apple devices, through the Aurora layer. KartPad also uses components derived from Dolphin, including game-data handling, but the game does not run inside the Dolphin emulator.
• Two games in one app: the original Mario Kart Wii and Retro Rewind, chosen when KartPad opens.
• Extras, according to the README and release notes:
  • touch controls you can move, resize and hide, with an acceleration lock
  • optional motion steering and Shake to Trick
  • controllers and local split-screen; keyboard on Mac; experimental direct Wii Remote and Nunchuk pairing on Mac
  • ghost import, player name and license management, and in-app updates on Android

It is a game-specific port, not a general Wii emulator: it only runs the supported Mario Kart Wii and Retro Rewind versions. It works like the other recompilations in our recompiled games list.

Current status

Releases have come every few days. 0.8.0 (12 October) moved to the latest WiiCompiled engine, 0.8.1 reverted an Android graphics change that hid characters on some Snapdragon phones, and 0.8.3 added Retro Rewind 6.13.3. The repository had 33 open issues when we checked.

Known problems listed by the project: short pauses the first time a menu or course appears while graphics are prepared, frame drops on some courses and when devices get warm, and invisible characters on some Adreno GPUs (including the Galaxy S24 Ultra) and on PowerVR GPUs. Steady 60 FPS is not verified on every device; the project suggests starting at native resolution on Android. For 0.8.3 the maintainer notes that online races, physical Android phones and iPhone gameplay were not yet checked.

What you need

• Your own PAL disc: Mario Kart Wii RMCP01, revision 0. Other regions are not supported. KartPad takes the extracted game files (about 2.5 GB) or, on iPhone, iPad and Android, a disc image plus the 16-byte key from your own Wii; the project does not include that key. We do not explain how to obtain or copy game data.
• Android: an arm64 phone or tablet with Vulkan, Android 9 or newer and about 6 GB free.
• iPhone or iPad: iOS or iPadOS 16 or newer, a sideloading tool (Sideloadly, AltStore or SideStore) with your own Apple ID, and a Windows, Linux or Mac computer to run PadMint.
• Mac: an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or newer.
• Apple TV (experimental): tvOS 17 or newer and an extended game controller; there is no download, only a developer build from source.

How to install (overview)

The project’s README has the exact steps; in short:

• Android: install the APK from the official GitHub Releases page, copy your game data to the device and import it in the app. From 0.7.14 the app updates itself, and installing a new APK over an old one keeps your saves.
• iPhone and iPad: run PadMint, the maintainer’s builder, choose Mario Kart Wii, your disc image and iPhone/iPad, then sideload the app it makes and import your game data.
• Mac: in PadMint 0.5.1 or newer, choose This Mac; it builds the KartPad app on your computer.
• Retro Rewind: choose Set Up Game on its card in the app and KartPad downloads the official pack (about 1.9 GB for 6.13.3).

What the downloads contain

The Android app includes KartPad’s translated game code, and the README says it holds no game files: no disc image, courses, music, textures or console keys. It still needs game data from your own disc. The project’s rights document says the decision to publish ready-to-play builds rests on how community static recompilations are handled today, not on a rights clearance. Ready-to-play iPhone, iPad and Mac builds were published for 0.7.9 to 0.7.13 and then stopped; since 0.7.14 those platforms get only an app without game code, which PadMint completes from your disc. The Retro Rewind pack is not included in any build.

Retro Rewind and online play

Retro Rewind is not a KartPad feature but a separate community mod distribution for Mario Kart Wii, by ZPL and team, that adds a large number of extra tracks and runs its own online service, Retro WFC. Both KartPad and WiiCompiled compile Retro Rewind’s code together with the base game into a separate native program. That is why a Retro Rewind update needs a new KartPad build: the README says 22 of its last 24 updates changed the mod’s code. KartPad 0.8.3 matches Retro Rewind 6.13.3, which Retro WFC currently requires.

• Retro WFC: the project reports sign-in, worldwide rooms and races on Android, with occasional room disconnects; it is not verified on every device or network.
• Wiimmfi for the original game: an open request (#90), not supported yet.
• Private rooms: hosting is unfinished.
• Mobile data: some carriers block the direct connections the game uses, so finding a room can fail; the project suggests Wi-Fi or a VPN.

KartPad or WiiCompiled?

Both are free, GPL-licensed static recompilations of the same PAL disc, and KartPad is built on WiiCompiled. They differ in platforms and in what they ship.

WiiCompiled (patchzyy/Wiicompiled) is the original project. Its setup tool checks your disc image, runs the translator over the whole game and builds the native program on your own machine, which takes a while and about 20 GB of free space the first time. Its README lists interpolated frame rates above 60 FPS (experimental), any window shape, high internal resolution and an in-game settings bar, and says the physics match the Wii, as shown by ghost replays. It calls itself not fully finished, with rendering, networking and performance still being worked on. Its first public release was v0.2.20 on 23 August 2026, and v0.2.34 added the macOS installer. It is listed in our recompiled games list.

Was it made with AI?

Partly, in both cases, and both say so. KartPad’s README says it uses substantial AI assistance for code, tests, documentation, debugging and maintenance, that some support replies are automated, and that build and device records describe what was checked. WiiCompiled’s README says AI coding tools were used during development. Tom’s Hardware highlighted the AI use in its coverage of WiiCompiled’s announcement.

Is it official, and will it stay up?

• KartPad and WiiCompiled are unofficial fan projects, not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.
• We found no takedown. On 20 October 2026 both repositories and their releases were online, and GitHub’s public DMCA archive had no notice naming either project; the Nintendo notices from August to October 2026 there concern unrelated repositories.
• Because KartPad’s Android app contains translated game code, it is more exposed than WiiCompiled, whose releases contain none. The source and the PadMint build-your-own route would not be affected by that alone.
• Get them only from the official GitHub repositories. Both projects warn against builds shared elsewhere.

Not working?

If KartPad says Game Data Import Failed or asks for a Wii key, you picked a disc image; the README recommends importing the extracted game folder instead. A black screen after “Ready to play” usually means some game files did not copy, often from a cloud drive that had not finished downloading. On Android, don’t uninstall to update, or your saves go with it. Bugs that look like game-runtime problems can go to WiiCompiled’s tracker; app and platform problems go to KartPad’s. Other ports of Nintendo games: The Wind Waker, Super Mario Galaxy and Animal Crossing.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Nintendo or Chris Sotraidis (chrissotraidis), building on patchzyy's WiiCompiled (KartPad (Mario Kart Wii native port)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.