ROMhacking.net's data is moved to the Internet Archive

ROMhacking.net, a longtime resource for video game fan translations and homemade patches for classic games, is shutting down, the site's administrator said Thursday. The site's database, including all files and images, has been transferred to the Internet Archive for preservation.

The website ROMhacking.net is a rich resource for post-release software hacks and patches, especially for games that have never received localizations outside of their native language. Over the past few years, we've written about fan translations for titles like the Super Famicom RPG Sailor Moon: Another Story, Neon Genesis Evangelion's Tamagotchi lookalike for WonderSwan, and Samurai Shodown RPG, all of which were only available in their original Japanese until fans stepped in.

The site is also a font for bug fixes for classic games; In 2020, a ROMhacking.net user uploaded a patch for a Super Mario 64 graphics bug that Nintendo itself never fixed. ROMhacking.net hosts thousands of such patches, hacks and tweaks that modify games to personal taste, allowing players to enjoy often enhanced versions of classic games. The site's Data Crystal wiki is also a robust source of information on how to hack game ROMs for multiple platforms.