NHL 19 PS4 Port for Windows

NHL 19 PS4 Port for Windows

This project runs the PS4 version of EA SPORTS NHL 19 natively on Windows. It isn't an emulator running a whole console. It loads the game's own x86-64 code directly, gives it Windows versions of the PS4 system libraries it calls, and translates its graphics to Vulkan.

It's a fork of GNSB's UFC 3 port: both games run on EA's Ignite engine, so most of the work carries over.

Status

The game boots to the main menu, and Play Now matches play from face-off with the 3D scene, players and HUD drawn, at 60 FPS on a modern PC. Most other modes haven't been tested yet.

Area	State
Boot, intro videos, menus	Working
Play Now matches	Working
Other modes (Franchise, Be a Pro, Ones, EASHL offline...)	Not tested yet
Main menu hub tiles	Missing: they're drawn by the game's web engine (EAWebKit), which isn't loaded yet
Frame rate	60 FPS throughout (the game asks for 30 in matches; the port keeps 60)
Player jerseys (cloth)	Calm with the default settings; a slight jitter at the hem in team select
Bearded players	Drawn correctly (since v0.2.0)
Saves	Profile and game-mode saves work, without the low-storage warning (since v0.2.1)
Controller	Working (one local player for now)
Local multiplayer (several controllers)	Not yet
Online play	Not available: EA's NHL 19 servers are gone (see Online)
Trophies	Recorded locally
Intel CPUs	Working: the game's AMD-only SSE4a instructions are emulated

Found a problem? See Reporting problems.

Features

• Launcher (NHL19.exe) that sets everything up and starts the game:
  • checks your game folder, and merges a base game and update dumped separately
  • game language, controller for player 1, player name
  • video: output 720p or 1080p, window or screen size, FSR 1.0 upscaling with sharpening, FPS limit, presentation mode, fullscreen, FPS counter, PS4 Pro mode
  • developer switches (frame statistics, Vulkan validation, shader cache, logs)
  • a Steam shortcut, and --play to start without the window
• In-game overlay (Insert, or L3+R3 on a controller) to change settings while you play
• Hold ○ for 2 seconds on any screen to quit the game (✕ yes, ○ no)
• The NHL 19 graphics settings that fix black 3D and shaking jerseys, applied for you

Requirements

• Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
• A CPU from Intel Haswell (4th generation Core) or newer, or any AMD Ryzen
• A GPU with Vulkan 1.3 support and an up-to-date driver
• Your PS4 dump of NHL 19: the base game and update 1.60

Supported version

Serial	Region	Update	Status
CUSA11126	North America (UP0006)	01.60	Tested

The port recognises the game by a fingerprint of its executable, so other regions or updates are refused until they're added. Reports are welcome. You can find a dump's serial in its sce_sys\param.sfo (TITLE_ID).

Getting started

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page and unzip it somewhere outside OneDrive-synced folders, for example C:\Games\NHL19Native.
2. Run NHL19.exe.
3. Choose your game folder: the one with eboot.bin in it. If the base game and the 1.60 update are separate folders side by side (CUSA11126 and CUSA11126-patch), choose the base game: the launcher merges them once, with links that take no extra space.
4. Click Play. The first start prepares the files the loader needs from your game, which takes a little while; later starts are quicker.

The first matches also build the shader cache, so expect some stutter the first time you see each new scene.

Where your files are

Logs go to the logs folder beside NHL19.exe (or to %LOCALAPPDATA%\NHL19Native\logs if that folder can't be written, for example under Program Files; the launcher's Log folder setting picks another). Settings, saves and the shader cache live in %LOCALAPPDATA%\NHL19Native (paste that into the Explorer address bar). Set BB_DATA_DIR=. before starting the launcher to keep everything beside the program instead.

Updating

Unzip the new release over the old one, or into a new folder. Your settings and saves stay in %LOCALAPPDATA%\NHL19Native.

Online

NHL 19's online modes needed EA's servers, which no longer run for this game. The port starts the game in a network mode with no server behind it: without a network, the game crashes during start-up, so this is on all the time. The game then behaves like a PS4 that can't reach EA, and plays offline.

The UFC 3 port has its own replacement server for online fights. NHL 19 uses the same EA online system underneath, so a replacement server may be possible later, but it would be a large project.

Release layout

NHL19Native\
  NHL19.exe             start here (the launcher)
  bin\                  sacredfire-game.exe (the loader), bb-gpu-capabilities.exe and their DLLs
  python\               embedded Python, used to prepare the game
  scripts\  tools\      the preparation scripts
  patches\              game patches
  share\                shadPS4's import name list (aerolib.inl)
  licenses\             licences of the port and its components
  VERSION               the build's version

Building from source

The port builds natively on Windows with MSYS2's CLANG64 environment.

1. Install MSYS2, open the MSYS2 CLANG64 shell and install the tools and libraries (press Enter at each group prompt to take all of it):

   pacman -S --needed git mingw-w64-clang-x86_64-{toolchain,cmake,ninja,pkgconf,python,glslang,vulkan-devel,vulkan-memory-allocator,fmt,boost,robin-map,xxhash,sdl3,zydis}
   

2. Clone and build:

   git clone --recursive https://github.com/thegh0sts/NHL-19-PS4-PORT-WINDOWS.git
   cd NHL-19-PS4-PORT-WINDOWS
   bash scripts/build-msys2.sh
   

   The first build also builds a few pinned libraries MSYS2 doesn't package (magic_enum, miniz, VulkanMemoryAllocator, robin-map, xbyak). Programs and their DLLs go to out/windows/bin. BB_LTO=ON gives a slower build and a faster game.
3. Put your game dump in nhl19\ inside the repo (it's in .gitignore, so it's never committed), then run it:

   bash scripts/run-msys2.sh nhl19
   BB_SKIP_PREPARE=1 bash scripts/run-msys2.sh nhl19   # later runs: skip the preparation
   

   The whole log goes to out/run.txt as well as the terminal.

To make a release zip (dist/NHL19Native-windows-x86_64.zip):

BB_PRODUCT=NHL19Native BB_LAUNCHER_EXE=NHL19.exe bash scripts/package-msys2.sh

The script refuses to package uncommitted changes (BB_ALLOW_DIRTY=1 for a test zip) or any game file. The first run downloads the embeddable Python and checks it against a pinned checksum.

Versions and releases

The version comes from git: git describe --tags, so a build of the commit tagged v0.1.0 is version v0.1.0, and later commits read like v0.1.0-3-g2abb064. A -dirty ending means the build had uncommitted changes. To make a release, tag the commit, build and package, then upload. With the GitHub CLI:

git tag v0.1.0 && git push --tags
bash scripts/build-msys2.sh && BB_PRODUCT=NHL19Native BB_LAUNCHER_EXE=NHL19.exe bash scripts/package-msys2.sh
gh release create v0.1.0 dist/NHL19Native-windows-x86_64.zip --title "NHL 19 port v0.1.0" --notes "What's new..."

Settings for testing

run-msys2.sh and the launcher set NHL 19's defaults. Any of them can be changed for one run by putting it in front of the command, for example BB_FLIP_RATE=-1 bash scripts/run-msys2.sh nhl19.

Variable	NHL 19 default	Effect
BB_READBACKS / BB_READBACK_LINEAR	2 / 1	Reads of GPU-written memory. 2 is precise (1 leaves a streak from bearded players' chins to their skates). Without the linear ones, the players and rink render black
BB_WRITE_WINDOW / BB_WRITE_STEP	0 / 0	UFC 3's write handling. On, the players' jerseys shake
BB_PREUPLOAD	1	Background upload of rewritten memory to the GPU
BB_FLIP_RATE	0	0: 60 FPS throughout. -1: the game's own choice (30 FPS in matches, as on a PS4)
BB_ONLINE_SERVER	127.0.0.1	The network mode the game needs to start (no server behind it)
BB_SSE4A_LOG=1	off	Logs each emulated AMD-only instruction
BB_LOG_UNRESOLVED=1	off	Logs every unhandled system call (very large logs)
BB_FRAME_STATS=1	off	Frame timing in the log
BB_REDZONE_SHIFT	on	Protects the game's stack data from Windows exception handling (see v0.2.0). 0 turns it off, for comparison
BB_HOLD_CIRCLE_QUIT	1	Holding ○ for 2 seconds asks "Quit NHL 19?". 0 turns it off

python3 tools/module_imports.py <module.prx> lists what a game module needs from the system and how much of it the port already provides.

How it works

1. Preparation (scripts/prepare.py, link_libc.py, link_modules.py) reads the game's eboot.bin and links it with the PS4 libraries the game ships (libc.prx, libSceFios2.prx) into one image, boot-linked.bin. game_check.py identifies the game by a fingerprint of its executable, gen_import_names.py names the system functions it imports, and content_profile.py records its content details.
2. The loader (sacredfire-game.exe, src/) maps that image into memory and runs the game's code natively. Each call into a PS4 system library (kernel, threads, files, saves, pads, audio, video output, network and so on) goes to a Windows implementation in src/runtime_*.c.
3. AMD-only instructions: the PS4's CPU has AMD's SSE4a extension, which Intel CPUs lack. When the game uses one, the loader catches the error and carries out the instruction itself (src/platform/sse4a.inc).
4. Graphics go through a Vulkan backend based on shadPS4's video_core (gpu/), which translates the game's GNM command buffers and shaders to Vulkan.

Reporting problems

The port is at an early stage, and bug reports are the fastest way to get problems fixed. Open an issue with:

• your CPU, GPU and driver version, and Windows version
• what happened, in which mode and where (menu, face-off, intermission...), and what you were doing
• the log of that session: the newest file in the logs folder beside NHL19.exe, or out/run.txt when running from source
• your saves, so the bug can be reproduced:
  1. Close the game.
  2. Open %LOCALAPPDATA%\NHL19Native in Explorer.
  3. Right-click the user folder → Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder. If it's large, the cache folder inside can be left out: it's only the shader cache.
  4. Attach the zip to the issue.

Please don't attach game files or anything from the out folder: they're made from the game and can't be shared. Saves are fine to share: they hold only your progress and settings.

Version history

v0.2.1 (2026-11-11)

Fixes for the game modes' saves, a crash fix, and a quicker way out of the game.

Game

• No more low-storage warning when starting Franchise, Season, Playoffs, Tournaments, NHL Threes or Be a Pro: the mode's save is now created and the game is told realistic save sizes
• Fixed a crash in Be a GM (a graphics memory error when depth and stencil buffers are paired)
• Hold ○ for 2 seconds to quit: a "Quit NHL 19?" box appears on any screen; ✕ (or Enter) quits, ○ (or Esc) goes back to the game. A short press of ○ still goes back a screen as usual. BB_HOLD_CIRCLE_QUIT=0 turns it off

Launcher

• Logs now go to a logs folder beside NHL19.exe, so they're easy to find when reporting a problem (or to %LOCALAPPDATA%\NHL19Native\logs if that folder can't be written, for example under Program Files)

Under the hood

• Saves are given sizes that add up, as on a PS4 (the space they use, or the space the game asked for, whichever is larger) instead of 1 GiB each; the game totals its saves against its own budget, which the 1 GiB answers overran
• Opening a mode whose save doesn't exist yet now creates it, and the save dialog's answer matches the question the game asked (Yes / OK)
• FindDepthTarget no longer keeps a reference into the image list across an insert that can move it
• More save and storage details in the log (mount mode, blocks asked, save sizes)

Known issues

• Main menu hub tiles are still empty (EAWebKit isn't loaded yet)
• A slight jitter at the bottom of the jerseys in team select
• Modes other than Play Now and NHL Threes are lightly tested; one local player only; no online play

v0.2.0 (2026-11-10)

Fixes for the players' looks, and a stability fix for every part of the game.

Game

• Bearded players drawn correctly: no more dark streak from the chin down to the skates in team select
• Calmer jerseys than in v0.1.0 (a slight jitter at the hem in team select remains)
• Fewer random glitches and crashes: the game's short-lived stack data is now safe from Windows' exception handling (details below)

Under the hood

• PS4 code may keep data in the 128 bytes just below its stack pointer (the "red zone"). Windows writes its exception information right there whenever an instruction faults, and the port's GPU memory tracking makes the game fault thousands of times a minute on purpose. Each of those could silently overwrite the game's data. At start-up the port now moves the game's red-zone accesses 64 KiB lower, out of reach (about 9,500 of them). Code that switches stacks, such as libc's, is left alone. BB_REDZONE_SHIFT=0 turns this off
• Precise readbacks (BB_READBACKS=2) are now the default, in the launcher too: the game reads the GPU's results for faces fresh. Before the red-zone fix, these extra faults made the jerseys shake, which is why v0.1.0 used 1
• Builds from a clean checkout are no longer marked -dirty (line endings and a file-name clash fixed)

Known issues

• Main menu hub tiles are still empty (EAWebKit isn't loaded yet)
• A slight jitter at the bottom of the jerseys in team select
• Modes other than Play Now are untested; one local player only; no online play

v0.1.0 (2026-11-08)

First test release.

Game

• Runs the PS4 version (CUSA11126, update 1.60) natively on Windows: intro videos, menus and Play Now matches
• 60 FPS throughout, including matches
• Graphics settings for NHL 19: the 3D scene drawn (no black players or rink), calm jerseys
• AMD-only SSE4a instructions emulated, so the game runs on Intel CPUs
• Network mode without a server, so the game gets past its offline start-up crash
• No USB keyboard reported to the game (it asked for one at start-up)

Launcher

• NHL 19's own launcher: serial and update check, NHL 19 graphics defaults, data in %LOCALAPPDATA%\NHL19Native
• Output 720p / 1080p, FSR 1.0 upscaling, FPS limit, presentation mode, fullscreen

Known issues

• Main menu hub tiles are empty (the game's web engine, EAWebKit, isn't loaded yet)
• Modes other than Play Now are untested
• One local player only; no online play
• Some stutter the first time each scene's shaders are built

Credits

This port is built on the work of:

• GNSB's UFC 3 port, which this project is a fork of
• SacredFire (T3CHNOLOG1C): the loader and launcher the UFC 3 port grew from
• bbport (deadinside28): the original native PS4 loader approach
• shadPS4: the Vulkan graphics backend and much PS4 knowledge
• SDL3, Dear ImGui, Vulkan, Zydis, xxHash, fmt, sirit, LibAtrac9, miniz, AMD FidelityFX FSR and others: see licenses/

Licence

This project is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later: see LICENSE. Third-party components keep their own licences, listed in licenses/.

Legal

This is a fan project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, the National Hockey League, the NHL Players' Association or Sony Interactive Entertainment. NHL, EA SPORTS and PlayStation are trademarks of their respective owners. The project contains no copyrighted game code or assets; it only runs a copy of the game you dumped yourself from a console you own.