ico-pc

ico-pc

This is ICO (Sony Computer Entertainment, 2001) made to run natively on a Windows or Linux PC, the Steam Deck, 64-bit ARM Linux handhelds, and Android phones and tablets. It runs the game's own code, so it plays, sounds and feels like the PAL PlayStation 2 game. There are extras, such as a sharper picture, widescreen and smoother motion, but they stay off until you turn them on.

[!IMPORTANT] This project is not connected to Sony Interactive Entertainment or Team Ico. ICO is a trademark of its owners. The game itself is not included here or in the downloads. You need your own copy of the PAL disc (SCES-50760), saved as a disc image file, and the program reads the game from it. See docs/LEGAL.md.

What you need

• Your own disc image of ICO, PAL version (SCES-50760). A disc image is one file that holds the whole disc. It ends in .iso, .chd or .bin (a .bin can come with a .cue file, which also works). Other regions and editions do not work.
• Something to play on:
  • a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC, or a Linux PC, with an up-to-date graphics driver (any recent NVIDIA, AMD or Intel graphics card works);
  • a Steam Deck;
  • a 64-bit ARM Linux handheld or board with an up-to-date graphics driver (new in this version, and tested on one handheld so far);
  • or a 64-bit Android phone or tablet with Android 10 or later, usually one from 2022 or newer. Android support is experimental in this version. More about Android.
• About 1 GB of free space for the game's files, which the first start copies out of the disc image.

Install

Download the file for your device from the releases page.

Windows

1. Download the file whose name ends in -win.zip.
2. Unzip it into a folder you can write to, such as Documents or a Games folder. Keep all the files together.
3. Open the x64 folder and double-click ico_pc_x64.exe.

Linux and Steam Deck

1. Download the file whose name ends in -linux.tar.gz.
2. Unpack it into a folder in your home folder.
3. Double-click ico_pc, or run it from a terminal.

The Linux version needs a fairly new system: SteamOS 3.5, Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 or newer. On a Steam Deck, unpack it in Desktop Mode and start it once there so it can ask for the disc image, then add ico_pc to Steam with Steam > Add a Non-Steam Game and play in Game Mode. Steam Deck tips.

On a 64-bit ARM Linux handheld or board, download the file whose name ends in -linux-arm64.tar.gz instead and follow the same steps. It also needs a fairly new system: Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 or newer. This download is new in this version and has been tested on one handheld so far.

Android

1. Download the file whose name ends in -android.apk on your phone or tablet.
2. Open it. Your phone may ask you to allow installing apps from your browser or file manager first. Say yes.
3. Open ICO from your apps.

The Android guide explains the first start, the touch controls and where your saves are.

The first start

The first time you start the game, it asks for your disc image. Choose the file and wait while it copies the game's files out of it. This takes a minute or two and happens only once. After that, the game no longer needs the disc image, so you can move or delete it. On Android, the screen says what the game is doing the whole time (the Android guide has the steps).

You can skip the question. Put the disc image beside the program and name it Ico_PAL.iso (or Ico_PAL.chd, or Ico_PAL.bin). On Windows, "beside the program" means inside the x64 folder.

Questions people ask first

• Ico walks when I push the stick all the way. Why can't he run? The original game only runs in eight directions. Turn on Options > Gameplay > Analogue stick fix to run in any direction. The full answer.
• How do I use a texture pack? Copy it into the textures folder that comes with the game. Step by step.
• Can I turn off the blur or the glow? Yes, in Options > Effects. What each one does.
• Where are my saves? In a folder the game makes for you. Where that is.

More questions and answers.

Guides

Guide	What it covers
Questions and answers	Short answers to the questions people ask most
Controls	Gamepad, keyboard and mouse, the model viewer, photo mode, touch controls
Options	Every row of the Options menu in plain words
Texture packs	Sharper textures made by fans
Model packs	Replacement 3D models, and how to make them
ReShade	Adding your own picture effects
Android	Playing on a phone or tablet
Saves and portable mode	Where your saves are, keeping everything in one folder, bringing a PS2 save over
When something goes wrong	The log file, error messages, the Steam Deck

Getting help

When something goes wrong, the game writes what happened into a file named ico-pc.log, in a logs folder beside the program (on Android, in the game's own folder). Open a report on the issues page and attach that file. When something goes wrong explains the error messages and what to try first.

How it differs from the PS2

• The title screen has an Options line and a Quit to desktop line (Quit game on Android). Options is the same menu you get from the pause menu.
• The language and 50/60 Hz questions the PS2 asks at first start are skipped. Both are in Options.
• Starting a New Game shows one more screen, with Mirror mode and New Game+. More about them.
• You can change the language in the middle of a game.
• The ending credits run about four seconds longer, for a line of credit for this project.
• The pause menu shows your journey's numbers on the right.

Everything else is meant to match the PS2. If the picture or the timing is different from the console, that is a bug worth reporting.

Building it yourself

See docs/BUILDING.md. You do not need the disc image to build it.

Special thanks

• Sad Origami, for the ICO PAL HD texture pack, and for the support and blessing to test the port with it (GBAtemp thread).

Legal and licence

The code in this repository is MIT licensed (LICENSE). The licence covers the code written for this project and grants no rights in the game, its data or anything else owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment or Team Ico. docs/LEGAL.md says what may and may not be in the repository, and docs/THIRD_PARTY.md lists the third-party code the program uses. The game code began as a fork of the ICO decompilation project.