# WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 on PC

An unofficial Windows version of the Xbox 360 game, built by recompiling its code
to native x86-64 with [ReXGlue](https://github.com/rexglue/rexglue-sdk). It is not
an emulator you load a disc into each time: the game code runs as a normal Windows
program, and the launcher copies the game files from your disc image once.

**This repository contains no game files.** You need your own Xbox 360 disc image
of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, the USA/Europe release. The launcher checks every
file against that release and refuses anything else.

## What works

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Tested and playable | Exhibition matches with entrances, finishers and cutscenes; backstage brawls; menus; Create a Superstar, Superstar Threads and Paint Tool |
| Not tested yet | Road to WrestleMania (can crash at any point), other create modes, Universe, online |
| Tested hardware | Windows 11 with an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. Other GPUs and Windows 10 have not been tried. |

Exhibition matches usually play without problems at 60 FPS. Road to WrestleMania
has not been tested and can crash at any point, so save often there. Other
untested modes may crash too; an [issue](../../issues) with the session log
attached helps fix them.

## Play it

You need:

- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit (tested on Windows 11)
- A graphics card with Vulkan support and a current driver
- About 6 GB of free space for the game files
- Your disc image (`.iso`) of the USA/Europe Xbox 360 release
- A controller is recommended

Steps:

1. Download the latest `SVR2011-<date>-<commit>.zip` from [Releases](../../releases).
2. Extract the whole zip to a normal folder, for example `C:\Games\SVR2011`.
   Avoid `Program Files` and folder names with accents or non-English letters.
3. Open `SVR 2011.exe`. If Windows SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher,
   choose **More info**, then **Run anyway**. The launcher is not code-signed.
4. Choose **Browse**, select your `.iso`, then **Set up game files**. The launcher
   checks all 366 files and copies them into `gamedata`. This takes a few
   minutes and happens once. Your `.iso` is only read, never changed.
5. Connect your controller and choose **Play**.

### If something is off

- **Stutter or uneven speed:** keep *Display sync* on *VSync* and *Frame pacing*
  on *Even 60 Hz*. The game runs itself at 60 FPS like the console, so no
  external limiter is needed. If you use RivaTuner (RTSS) anyway, set its limit
  to exactly 60 or off; any other value stutters.
- **Motion not quite smooth:** check that *Frame pacing* is on *Even 60 Hz*. It
  shows every frame on an even 60 Hz beat a few milliseconds after the game
  finishes it, which is smoothest on every monitor.
- **A short hitch the first time you see a new move or arena:** the release
  includes prebuilt shaders for the tested modes, which the game prepares while
  it starts. Anything else compiles the first time it appears, is saved in
  `cache`, and is smooth from then on.
- **Image looks soft:** keep *Sharpen the image* on (the default). It upscales
  with AMD FSR 1 at 1x and sharpens with CAS at 2x and 3x, at almost no cost.
  2x and 3x add real detail if your GPU has room. Menu text and 2D art come from
  the disc at 720p, so they stay the same at every setting.
- **Updating to a new version:** your saves are in `userdata`. Copy that folder
  into the new version's folder before you play.
- **Crash or wrong graphics:** close the game and choose **Logs** in the
  launcher, which selects the newest `session-...` folder. Zip that folder and
  attach it to a new [issue](../../issues). It holds the game log, launcher
  settings and game arguments, never saves or game files. Log lines can contain
  folder paths, which may show your Windows user name; check it before posting.

## Build from source

This is for developers. Players only need the zip above.

You need:

- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, and about 25 GB of free space including the `.iso`
- [PowerShell 7](https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell-on-windows)
- [Python 3](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
- [Git](https://git-scm.com/download/win)
- [7-Zip](https://www.7-zip.org), used once to unpack LLVM
- Visual Studio 2026 Build Tools with the *Desktop development with C++*
  workload, which includes CMake, Ninja and the Windows SDK

Run these in PowerShell 7 from the repository folder, with your `.iso` copied
into it:

```powershell
# Download pinned ReXGlue and LLVM releases into .tools (SHA-256 checked)
./scripts/bootstrap.ps1

# Verify the disc and extract its files into assets
python scripts/inspect_disc.py 'WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 (USA, Europe).iso' --extract-all assets

# Translate the game's PowerPC code to C++ in generated/
./scripts/build.ps1 -Action Codegen

# Fetch the ReXGlue sources for the Vulkan runtime and build the game
./scripts/prepare-vulkan.ps1
./scripts/build.ps1 -Renderer Vulkan -Action Configure
./scripts/build.ps1 -Renderer Vulkan -Action Build -Jobs 6

# Play
./scripts/play-vulkan.ps1
```

Always pass `-Renderer Vulkan`. The D3D12 renderer is the script default for
historical reasons and hangs on the tested GPU.

If Build Tools or the Windows SDK are not in their default locations, pass
`-VisualStudioRoot` and `-WindowsSdkRoot` to `build.ps1`. If 7-Zip is not on
PATH or in Program Files, pass `-SevenZipPath` to `bootstrap.ps1`.

Other useful commands:

| Command | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `./scripts/install-launcher.ps1` | Creates `SVR 2011.lnk`, a settings window for this checkout |
| `./scripts/play-vulkan.ps1 -PerfCapture` | Records every frame time to `perf.csv` in the session folder |
| `python scripts/merge_shader_cache.py shader-cache <cache folders>` | Merges the shader caches of test sessions into `shader-cache/`, which the player zip ships |
| `./scripts/package-portable.ps1` | Builds the player zip in `out/portable/` |
| `python -m unittest discover -s tests -v` | Runs the Python tests |
| `./tests/test_portable.ps1` | Checks the portable launcher, including disc setup with a synthetic image |

Every play session writes its log, settings and exit result to
`analysis/vulkan-play-<timestamp>/`.

## How it works

1. `inspect_disc.py` reads the Xbox 360 disc image and extracts `default.xex`
   and the game data. The build accepts only the known executable (SHA-256
   `6aead4cb…d3ebc1`).
2. ReXGlue translates the executable's PowerPC code to C++ ahead of time.
   `svr2011_manifest.toml` lists functions the automatic pass misses.
3. The generated code links against the ReXGlue runtime, which provides the
   Xbox 360 kernel, audio, input and a Vulkan GPU backend derived from
   [Xenia](https://github.com/xenia-project/xenia).
4. `patches/` holds this project's fixes to that runtime. The build applies them
   automatically:
   - `rexglue-xmp-no-delay.patch` removes a 10 ms music-player delay that held
     menus and backstage brawls to about 45 FPS
   - `rexglue-frame-pacing.patch` presents each frame exactly on the game's
     60 Hz vblank, as the console does, so play is even without a limiter
   - `rexglue-window-restore.patch` fixes a black window after minimizing
   - `rexglue-async-pipelines.patch` holds one frame while an unseen shader
     builds instead of stalling for each pipeline

The investigation notes in [`docs/`](docs) record what was measured and why each
default was chosen, including [performance](docs/performance.md) and
[boot](docs/boot-investigation.md) history.

## Legal

This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by THQ, Yuke's, WWE or
Microsoft. This repository contains no game code or data; the build generates
both from a disc image you own. Do not share the `gamedata` or `assets` folders or any disc
image.

This project's own code is under the BSD 3-Clause license in
[`LICENSE`](LICENSE). ReXGlue is used under its license, included in
[`third_party/rexglue-LICENSE.txt`](third_party/rexglue-LICENSE.txt). The
project scaffold and `generated/rexglue.cmake` come from ReXGlue's templates.