A classic Nintendo 64 shooter that was long associated with frustrating online play is now showing real improvement. RMG-K, the Nintendo 64 emulator at the center of the update, has added rollback netcode to netplay, and that change is significantly reducing input lag while also cutting down desync issues.
That matters because many N64 games were built around fast, shared play, yet online emulation has often stripped away much of that immediacy. In practice, netplay usually forces extra delay so sessions stay synchronized, which is exactly the kind of compromise rollback is meant to reduce.
Why rollback changes the feel of N64 netplay
Rollback netcode is widely known as a strong standard for responsive online play. Instead of simply adding delay to keep both players aligned, it is designed to preserve a faster response to controls while still maintaining synchronization as much as possible.
That approach is often discussed in relation to fighting games, where every frame matters. But its use is now spreading through retro emulation as well, including Nintendo 64 software that has always been difficult to translate cleanly to online sessions.
PC Gamer highlighted the update as an important step for the N64 community. The reason is straightforward: many of the platform’s best-known games rely on quick reactions, yet sluggish online connections have made them feel far less enjoyable than they should.
GoldenEye stands out as the clearest example
GoldenEye is the most obvious case for why this update matters. The game is one of the Nintendo 64’s iconic multiplayer titles, but it has historically been hard to bring online without losing the rhythm that made local play so appealing.
With rollback enabled in RMG-K, 1v1 matches in GoldenEye are now described as much more comfortable than before. What once felt weighed down by lag is starting to come closer to the experience players expect from modern online play.
Even so, the improvement is not universal. The feature does not yet support sessions with more than two players, which means larger GoldenEye multiplayer setups still cannot be fully transferred online.
Early reactions point to a real reduction in delay
The first reactions from the community have been positive. In a Bluesky post, graslu00 said the new netplay update adds rollback to every title and makes input delay drop sharply, while desync becomes much less common.
The same post also pointed to a session between Spain and Australia that reportedly ran at four frames of delay. Before the update, that same connection reportedly needed nine frames, a difference that is easy to feel in a game that depends on fast reactions.
Those numbers help explain why the update has drawn attention beyond simple technical chatter. Cutting even a few frames can turn a sluggish retro multiplayer session into something far more playable, especially for competitive or shooter-focused games.
GekkoNet is powering the broader effort
The rollback code in RMG-K is based on the GekkoNet framework. That same framework is also being used to bring smoother netplay to other classic games outside the Nintendo 64 space.
PC Gamer noted that GekkoNet-based code has already been used to bring netplay to the PC version of Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike on PS2. That suggests the push to improve online play for older games is expanding beyond one emulator or one platform.
For retro fans, that is a meaningful development. Emulator play still cannot fully replace original hardware in every situation, but rollback netcode can close a major gap when players are separated by distance.
For now, the biggest gains remain centered on two-player play in RMG-K. Even with that limit, the early results are strong enough to show that GoldenEye is finally moving closer to a genuinely comfortable online experience.
Source: www.xda-developers.com
