Setup guide · Windows 11 · integrated GPUs
Play the Switch 2 Ocarina of Time on your PC or laptop
Guarana is a free, open-source Switch 2 emulator tuned for laptop and handheld graphics. Download it, bring your own keys, firmware and game, and you are playing in about five minutes. Here is exactly what to click and what speed to expect.
The 5-minute path
On Windows, Guarana Setup (since v20.1) installs and updates the emulator in one click; the zip is the same emulator without an installer.
Download
Get the Windows x86-64 zip from the latest release, the only official download. Check it against
SHA256SUMSon the same page.Extract and run
Extract to a writable folder and start
guarana.exe.Bring your own keys and firmware
Tools → Install Decryption Keys, then Tools → Install Firmware, with files you dumped from hardware you own. Guarana includes neither and will not tell you where to find them.
Add your game
Double-click the empty game list, pick the folder with your own game dump, start The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Each new area compiles shaders and hitches once; later visits use the cache (why, and what helps).
Use the Ocarina of Time defaults
For this game the global-memory fix (
EDEN_NX2_GM=11) is already on, and extrapolation (EDEN_NX2_EXTRAPOLATE=1) is on in the shippednx2_switches.txt. Then go to Emulation → Configure… → Graphics: Enable Frame Generation on, Frame Generation Multiplier 3, Target Frame Rate 60. Put your own switch lines in%APPDATA%\guarana\nx2_switches.txt, not the copy next to the executable.
Control it with a pad: controller setup. Own a handheld: what to expect.
What we measured, and on what
One machine: Core Ultra 9 285H laptop, Intel Arc 140T, driver 32.0.101.9175, 120 Hz OLED, 32 GB RAM, plugged in. Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. “Game fps” counts only frames the game renders, never generated ones.
| What | Before | After | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Hyrule Field, one shader fix (EDEN_NX2_GM=11), frame generation off | 14.8 game fps | 22.8 game fps | Shipped in v20; on by default for Ocarina of Time only |
| Foliage mesh draw, same runs | 15.7 ms GPU | 5.8 ms GPU | Shipped in v20 |
| Frame pacing, title screen: frames within 2 ms of the median interval | n/a | 100% | Next release |
| Same measure, Hyrule Field | 33-54% | 75% | Next release |
| Headless shader warm-up | n/a | 4,515 pipelines in 155 s | Next release |
Method and caveats: benchmarks. Every row is one laptop. Other games, scenes, drivers and machines will give other numbers.
What to expect on a laptop with integrated graphics
- Not 60 fps from the game. The game itself renders about 23 fps in Hyrule Field on the Arc 140T with frame generation off, and about 26.7 to 28 in gameplay with it on (v20, live readings, not a same-spot A/B). Frame generation makes motion smoother at 60 Hz; the game still reads input at its own rate.
- The first visit to an area hitches while the driver compiles shaders, 0.4 to 1 s per pipeline on Intel. Judge smoothness on the second pass.
- Some games work, most are unmeasured. Every number here is from Ocarina of Time. Other games may run; we have not measured them.
- Reports from others vary with hardware and build, and are not ours to vouch for. Yours helps: send a device report.
Emulator, recompilation, or another fork?
| Route | What it is | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|
| Guarana | Open-source Switch 2 emulator, a Lichii fork tuned for integrated GPUs, with measured pacing and shader fixes | You have a laptop or handheld without a gaming graphics card and want numbers you can check |
| Lichii, Eglantine, Eden | The upstream family Guarana comes from; several repositories share the Eglantine name | You have a large discrete GPU, or want upstream exactly as it is. Check which repository ships the working build |
| A recompilation (for example Hookshot) | One game's code translated into a native Windows program, not an emulator | You want only that game and a project supports your dump. Check that project’s own page; we do not run or measure it |
Questions people ask
Can I play the Switch 2 Ocarina of Time remake on a PC?
Yes, with a Switch 2 emulator, and you need your own copy. Guarana runs it on Windows 11. You supply the keys, firmware and game, dumped from a console and a game you own. On our test laptop (Core Ultra 9 285H, Arc 140T) one shader fix took Hyrule Field from 14.8 to 22.8 game fps with frame generation off. That is one laptop and one scene.
What do I need to play it on a laptop or handheld?
A Windows 11 x64 PC or handheld with a Vulkan GPU and a current driver, 16 GB of RAM at the very least (our laptop has 32 GB), and your own keys, firmware and game dumped from hardware you own. Guarana contains none of them and does not tell you where to get them.
Where do I get the keys and firmware?
Dump your own from hardware you own. Nobody in this project will point you to downloads, and requests for them are closed.
Is the best Switch 2 emulator Guarana, Lichii, Eden or Eglantine?
They are one family: Guarana forks Lichii, Lichii builds on Eglantine, Eden and yuzu. None is a finished product. Guarana is the one tuned and measured for laptop and handheld integrated GPUs, with paired before-and-after numbers. For a large discrete graphics card we have no measurements, so try the family and compare.
Emulator or recompilation: which should I use for Ocarina of Time?
An emulator runs the game as you dumped it and also runs other Switch 2 games, so it is the more general tool. A recompilation turns one game's code into a native Windows program, which can be faster on that one game but is a separate project per game that we do not run or measure. Both need a dump from hardware you own. If a recompilation covers your version of the game and you only want that game, it is worth trying.
Does frame generation add input lag?
Guarana's frame generation for Ocarina of Time extrapolates: it moves the newest real frame forward along the game's motion vectors and shows each real frame as soon as it is ready, instead of holding one back like interpolation does. It does not make the game react faster, and we have not published a latency figure because we have not measured one the same way.
What settings should I use?
On the Arc 140T laptop: Enable Frame Generation, Frame Generation Multiplier 3, Target Frame Rate 60. The global-memory fix turns itself on for Ocarina of Time, and extrapolation is on in the shipped switches file. Other devices are untested, so change one setting at a time and report what you see.
Play it, then help it get better
Guarana is free and open source (GPL-3.0-or-later). It ships no keys, firmware or games: you bring your own, dumped from hardware you own.
- Download: the latest release is the only official download.
- Stuck? Ask in the Discord (bugs and device reports stay on GitHub so they are tracked).
- Test: a device report needs no code and puts your device on the leaderboard.
- Contribute with your AI agent: one sentence gets Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor or Copilot to a pull request. Start at the agents page, or see open wins with numbers.
Related
- Fix stutter in a Switch 2 emulator
- Switch 2 emulator on Intel Arc
- Switch 2 emulator on ROG Ally, Legion Go, MSI Claw and Steam Deck
- Controller setup
- Every device page
Updated 2026-11-13. Home · FAQ · Benchmarks · Legal