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{{About|modifications to ROM images of video games|video games unofficially produced by hobbyists for closed systems|Homebrew (video games)}}
'''ROM hacking'''
ROM [[Hacker (hobbyist)|hacking]] is generally accomplished through use of a [[hex editor]] (a program for editing non-textual data) and various specialized tools such as [[tile-based video game|tile]] editors, and game-specific tools which are generally used for editing levels, items, and the like, although more advanced tools such as [[assembly language|assemblers]] and [[debugger]]s are occasionally used. Once ready, they are usually [[#Distribution|distributed]] on the [[Internet]] for others to play on an [[Console emulator|emulator]] or a games console.<ref name="dictionary">{{cite web|url=http://www.romhacking.net/dictionary/?page=dictionary|title=Dictionary of ROM hacking terms|website=ROMhacking.net}}</ref>
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<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Comparebrownred.PNG|frame|Screenshots comparing the world maps in ''[[Pokémon Red]]'' (original game, left) and ''Pokémon Brown'' (hacked game, right) {{ffdc|1=Comparebrownred.PNG|log=2013 December 20}}]] -->
Most hacking groups offer web space for hosting hacks and screenshots (sometimes only hosting hacks by the group's members and hosting almost any hack), a message board, and often have an [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] channel. Several hacking groups have also created guides that aims to help beginners get into grips with ROM hacking for the first time,
There are many sites on the internet dedicated to world of ROM hacking, with each site focusing on several hacks and translations of several different games across multiple series, franchises and platforms. One of the most popular sites dedicated to ROM hacking of video games was {{Anchor|Romhacking.net}}ROMhacking.net, which first went online in late 2005. From its inception up until 2024, it served as a hub related to all things ROM hacking, hosting a repository of hacks, translations, utilities, documents, and patches for many well-known and obscure video games from the [[Third generation of video game consoles|third generation]] up to the [[Seventh generation of video game consoles|seventh generation]]. ROMhacking.com was the immediate predecessor of ROMhacking.net, which launched five years earlier in 2000 as "The Whirlpool" and was briefly renamed as ROMhacking.org between 2001 and 2002 before returning to its original name afterwards and then went offline in late 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Legacy - ROMhacking.com/ROMhacking.org |url=https://www.romhacking.net/about/#romhackcom |website=ROMhacking.net |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://romhack.ing/help/about|title=Help - About|website=RHDI|access-date=2 April 2025}}</ref>
{{asof|2024|8|1}}, ROMhacking.net
==Methods==
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Another basic hacking skill is graphics hacking, which is changing the appearance of the game's environments, characters, fonts, or other such things. The format of graphics data varies from console to console, but most of the early ones (NES, Super NES, Game Boy, etc.) store graphics in [[Tile-based video game|tiles]], which are 8x8-[[pixel]] units of data, which are arranged on-screen to produce the desired result. Editing these tiles is also possible with a hex editor, but is generally accomplished with a tile editor (such as [http://segaretro.org/Tile_Layer_Pro ''Tile Layer''] or [https://github.com/toruzz/TileMolester ''Tile Molester'']), which can graphically display the ROM data, as well as finding and editing tiles.
Graphics hacks can range from simple edits (such as giving [[Mario]] an [[afro]] or [[Luigi (character)|Luigi]] a [[golf club]]) to "porting" characters from one game to another (such as creating [[pixelation|pixelated]] ("retro-styled") sprites of later generation [[List of Pokémon|Pokémon]] for use with Generation I-V Pokémon games<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-04-13 |title=Pokemon Rom Hacks List: GBC, GBC & NDS - PokemonCoders |url=https://www.pokemoncoders.com/pokemon-rom-hacks/ |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=PokemonCoders |language=en-US}}</ref>), to full-blown thematic changes (usually with accompanying palette changes; see below).
More sophisticated graphics hacking involves changing more than just tiles and colors, but also on how the tiles are arranged, or tile groups generated, giving more flexibility and control over the final appearance. This is accomplished through hex editing or a specialized tool (either for a specific game or a specific system). An example of this approach was the incomplete ''Pokémon Torzach'', a [[Pokémon FireRed]] hack of that attempts to add a whole new generation of Pokémon and tiles to the game. It was able to achieve some desirable results with the tools that were currently available at the time.<ref name="Pokemon FireRed ROM Hacks">{{cite web |title=Pokemon FireRed ROM Hacks |url=https://www.pokemoncoders.com/pokemon-fire-red-rom-hacks/ |website=PokemonCoders.com|date=11 March 2019 }}</ref> ''Super Mario Land 2 DX: 6 Golden Coins'' is another example of graphics hacking, which is an enhanced version of the [[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins|original game]] that added, among others, full-color support (the original game was greyscale-only) and some quality-of-life improvements, such as fixes with screen flickering issues from the original game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/12/a-christmas-gift-from-game-boy-rom-hackers-super-mario-land-2-in-color/|title=A Christmas gift from Game Boy ROM hackers: ''Super Mario Land 2'' in color|last=Machkovech|first=Sam|date=25 December 2017|website=Ars Technica|access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Advance map screen.png|left|thumb|225px|Screenshot of Advance Map, an editor for Pokémon games for the GBA]] -->
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As many Game Boy Advance games use the M4A Engine (informally called "Sappy Driver" and officially known as "MusicPlayer2000" or MP2k) for music, the program SapTapper can be used to hack Game Boy Advance music data. Various other utilities were created to work with the engine such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20160306150654/http://www.pokemonhackersonline.com/showthread.php?t=120-Wataru-Kun-s-Ultimate-Pok-mon-Music-Hacking-Guide Sappy 2006]. Another instance of the same engine being used between games is on the Nintendo 64 where most games use the same format; albeit with different sound banks for each game. A utility known as the [https://github.com/jombo23/N64-Tools/tree/master/N64MidiTool N64 Midi Tool] was created to edit the sequences that the majority of Nintendo 64 games use, however it does not cover first-party N64 titles that use a slightly different engine such as ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.
On the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis), several games made for the system
===ROM expansion===
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A more recent patching format, the APS patching system, has also been developed by a devoted Game Boy Advance ROM hacker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pokecommunity.com/member.php?u=28656|title=The PokéCommunity Forums - View Profile: HackMew|website=www.pokecommunity.com|date=27 June 2006 }}</ref> Compared to other patching formats, the APS system is more space efficient, is reversible, and is faster than its predecessor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2488977&postcount=1&highlight#A-Ptch|title= Newest patching format, APS, recently released|website=www.pokecommunity.com|date= 20 May 2007}}</ref>
The main purpose of distributing a hack in patch form is to avoid the legal aspects of distributing entire ROM images; the patch records only what has ''changed'' in the ROM, hence distributing it does not usually distribute parts of the original game. {{Citation needed span|date=September 2024|reason=A claim of legality without source|
In a novel example of legal distribution, Sega released a [[Steam (service)|Steam]]-based virtual hub for its previous collection of Mega Drive (Genesis) games, entitled ''[[Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection#Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub|Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub]]''. The ''Hub'', besides allowing players to play emulated versions of these older games, takes advantage of Steam's support for user-created content through the Steam Workshop, officially allowing the distribution of ROM hacks of any of the offered games.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-04-29-modders-are-already-having-fun-with-sega-mega-drive-classics-on-steam | title = Modders are already having fun with Sega Mega Drive classics on Steam | first = Wesley | last = Yin-Poole | date = April 29, 2016 | access-date = May 3, 2016 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref><ref name="steamworkshopsmd" />
==Usage==
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<!-- This paragraph isn't here to list every single game that has been hacked, just the most commonly hacked ones. -->
Of these, popular games to play are popular games to hack; many hacks have been released of games of the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (series)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series, ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' series
A notable hacked arcade game was ''[[Street Fighter II: Rainbow Edition]]'', which featured increased game speed and new special moves. The success of this game prompted Capcom to release ''[[Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting]]'' as an official response.
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