This 8-bit demake of Baldur's Gate 3 was made for a 40-year-old laptop, and it's a massive shot of pure 1980s gaming nostalgia

HardwareGaming LaptopsThis 8-bit demake of Baldur’s Gate 3 was made for a 40-year-old laptop, and it’s a massive shot of pure 1980s gaming nostalgiaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

How I Made Baldur’s Gate III for the World’s First Laptop - YouTubeWatch On

How I Made Baldur’s Gate III for the World’s First Laptop - YouTube

Demakes of the latest popular 3D games are often designed to emulate how they might look on hardware a few years old, sometimes a couple of decades. TakingBaldur’s Gate 3and getting it to run on something that’s over 40 years old, though, is on a whole new level—but that’s exactly what one ingenious software engineer has managed to do.

Strictly speaking, the project isn’t an exact clone of BG3, nor could it be, as the hardware in question is aTRS-80 Model 100computer—arguably the world’s first laptop. With an 8-bit processor running at 2.4 MHz, a few kB of RAM, and a built-in 240 x 64 LCD display, there’s absolutely no chance of running one of the most hardware-demanding games out there.

Despite the limitations of the display, there’s an undeniable charm to the simplistic sprites, and I’m sure BG3 fans will easily recognise the various locations, thanks to handy (or should that be Tandy?) text descriptions alongside them.

As someone who got into games and programming in the early 1980s on a Z80-powered home computer, I immediately got floods of nostalgia, especially seeing the assembly code used to create the demake. Where my first system only had 1kB of RAM, Bowen needed 24kB for the engine, basic sprites, and text.

Even that wasn’t enough, so some ingenious tricks needed to be employed to get BG3’s mountain of information, descriptions, and dialogue into a compact enough format to squeeze into the TRS-80’s RAM. Today’s games are hugely complex and require thousands of kB of memory to run, but mostgaming PCssport far more RAM than they’d ever need.

Forty years ago, that definitely wasn’t the case, especially so when you’re talking about a laptop. The TRS-80 Model perhaps wasn’t the very first laptop you could buy but it was certainly the first that was genuinely usable and it sold in great quantities.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Bowen developed Mol on the back of another project,Dungeon Delver Engine, which lets you create RPGs based on the 5.1 version of Dungeons & Dragons OGL-SRD. The code for both projects is hosted onGitHub, so if you just happen to have an old TRS-80 lying around, and you’re familiar withzasm, then dust off your programming chops and get stuck in.

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

Best gaming PCBest gaming laptop

Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.

More about gaming laptopsIf you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slabLatest23 year-old D&D RPG Neverwinter Nights just got a new update thanks to the ‘unpaid software engineers’ of its unkillable communitySee more latest►

More about gaming laptops

If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slab

A promotional image of an Asus TUF Gaming F17 laptop against a teal background with a white border

If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300

M’colleague Jacob Ridley holding up an Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 at CES 2025, showing the LED underlighting and outer case effects.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 now looks like a dazzler of a gaming laptop, even if it’s still a bit of a paving slab

Latest23 year-old D&D RPG Neverwinter Nights just got a new update thanks to the ‘unpaid software engineers’ of its unkillable communitySee more latest►

Latest

23 year-old D&D RPG Neverwinter Nights just got a new update thanks to the ‘unpaid software engineers’ of its unkillable community

Aribeth de Tylmarande in Neverwinter Nights.

23 year-old D&D RPG Neverwinter Nights just got a new update thanks to the ‘unpaid software engineers’ of its unkillable community

See more latest►

Most PopularSquare Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fansThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anythingIf you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 off

Most Popular

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

If you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 off

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals