Marathon Recompiled (Sonic 06 PC port)

Sonic the Hedgehog, better known as Sonic 06, came out on Xbox 360 in November 2006 and on PlayStation 3 in Japan in December 2006, with Western PS3 releases following in 2007. It never had a PC version. The Marathon Recompiled repository was created on 27 March 2025, and it uses the same recompilers as Unleashed Recompiled, whose team the README thanks for much of the groundwork. Work is ongoing: the last push was on 20 October 2026, and the repository had about 690 GitHub stars on 21 October. We couldn’t find any release date, and we couldn’t find press coverage of Marathon Recompiled itself.

This site is not affiliated with sonicnext-dev or Sega.

What it is

• A static recompilation of the Xbox 360 game: XenonRecomp turns the game’s PowerPC code into C++, and XenosRecomp turns its Xenos shaders into HLSL. The result is compiled into a native program.
• Faithful by design: bugs from the original game are kept on purpose, apart from a short list of minor fixes. The team rejects reports of bugs that also happen on a real Xbox 360.
• PS3 extras as options: the README says the notable differences of the PS3 version are included as settings, although PS3 files themselves cannot be used.
• By a team of Sonic modders: ga2mer started the recompilation; IsaacMarovitz and squidbus work on graphics, Hyper on system features such as achievements and custom menus, with research and patches from Rei-san and Desko.

It works like the other ports in our Xbox 360 recompilation guide.

Current status

The README is written as if releases already existed (it has an FAQ on updating, save locations and an installer), but the Releases page it points to was empty when we checked. The code can be built from source following the project’s building guide, which needs files from your own copy of the game. The team says it gives no support before an official release. We didn’t play the game through ourselves.

What you need

• Your own Xbox 360 copy of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), original and unmodified, plus its title update from the same region. Discs and updates from different regions cannot be mixed, according to the README. We don’t explain how to obtain or copy game data.
• Not a PS3 copy: PlayStation 3 files are not supported.
• For now, the tools and skills to build it from source (the guide covers Windows with Visual Studio 2022 and Clang, Linux and macOS), since there is no ready-made build.
• A controller is recommended; keyboard controls exist but can only be changed in the config file for now.

How to install

There is no official build to install yet. The README describes the planned route at a high level: download a build from the project’s GitHub Releases page, run it, and let the installer check and import the files from your own copy of the game. Saves and settings then live in your user folder (%APPDATA%\MarathonRecomp on Windows). Until a release appears, the only route is the building guide in the repository, which the team does not support.

Other Sonic 06 projects

• Sonic P-06 (Project ’06): a fan remake of Sonic 06 in the Unity engine by Ian “ChaosX” Moris. Engadget reported on its demos in 2019. It recreates the game rather than recompiling the original code, so it is a different kind of project. We don’t link its downloads.
• A Nintendo Switch port built on Marathon Recompiled by another developer is listed on homebrew sites. It is not the official project, and we don’t cover it.

For another Sonic game that only shipped on one platform, Apple Arcade’s Sonic Dream Team now runs on Windows and Android through a fan-made converter; see Sonic Dream Team on PC.

Is it legal and safe?

• Marathon Recompiled is an unofficial fan project. The README says it contains no game assets, and you must use files from your own copy.
• The team says it will never distribute builds on other websites, Discord servers or third-party update tools. A “Sonic 06 PC download” anywhere else, before an official release, is not from the project.
• Use only files from a copy you own.

More on the same technique: Sonic Unleashed, GTA IV Xbox 360, Forza Horizon, Dante’s Inferno, or the full recompiled games list.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Sega (developed by Sonic Team) or sonicnext-dev (ga2mer, IsaacMarovitz, squidbus, Hyper and others) (Marathon Recompiled (Sonic 06 PC port)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.