The projects at a glance
| Project | Primary repository | Documented focus |
|---|---|---|
| PS2 Web Recomp | snuri00/ps2-web-recomp | PS2 Emotion Engine static recompilation to WebAssembly, WebGPU runtime and a native runner. |
| PS2Recomp | ran-j/PS2Recomp | Experimental PS2 ELF-to-C++ static recompiler and runtime for native PC ports. |
| PSP Web Recomp | snuri00/psp-web-recomp | The sibling PSP project; its documented rendering path uses WebGL2, not the PS2 project’s WebGPU GS. |
| Play! | jpd002/Play- | A separate PlayStation 2 emulator; the PS2 Web Recomp README credits it among hardware references. |
| PCSX2 | pcsx2.net | A separate PS2 emulator, also credited as a hardware-behavior reference by this project. |
Static recompilation versus runtime emulation
Static translation generates host code before the game runs. A runtime emulator reproduces the behavior needed while executing the console program, often with its own compilation strategies. PS2 Web Recomp combines ahead-of-time translation of the main CPU code with runtime emulation of other components. Treating these approaches as mutually exclusive would obscure how this project actually works.
The right practical question is what build steps, supported games, platform prerequisites and debugging work a specific project documents. An experimental port pipeline can be valuable to a developer without offering the same ready-to-use scope as an established emulator.
Avoiding common mix-ups
The PS2 browser project uses the owner snuri00 and the hyphenated name ps2-web-recomp. The separate native project uses ran-j/PS2Recomp. A report about the original God of War, a fan project or another fork cannot automatically establish support for God of War II in this browser repository.
The PSP sibling targets a different console and graphics API. Its phone demonstrations and reported performance do not establish the PS2 project’s mobile compatibility. Similarly, a shared memory-card format does not mean two runtimes share code or have identical save compatibility.
Which source to read first
For the browser experiment described on this site, start with snuri00’s README and the local build guide. For a native-port development workflow, inspect the other recompiler’s own README, modules and wiki. For emulator use, follow the selected emulator’s own setup and compatibility documentation. This page does not rank performance across projects because no controlled comparison was run.
Sources: the linked projects’ own repositories, reviewed 15 October 2026. This is a scope comparison, not an independent performance benchmark.