Choose a game

The best first project is often not a new one. Joining an existing decomp teaches you the tools with people around to help. If you do start your own, a few questions decide how hard it will be.

What this page will cover

Is there already a project? Search before you start, and consider joining instead.
The compiler. Is it known and available? Can it run on your machine (natively or through a wrapper)?
Symbols. Did the game ship with a map file, a debug build or other symbols? They save months.
Size. How much code is there, and how much of it is libraries you won’t need to match?
Language. C is easier to start with than C++.
Community. Is there an active community for the console, with tooling and other projects to learn from?
Motivation. You will spend a long time with this game. Pick one you care about.