Ryujinx XLink Kai Setup
XLink Kai is a multi-platform and peer-to-peer LAN tunneling service which enables users to play local area network and ad-hoc multiplayer games on their consoles online with people all over the world. XLink Kai was first released in 2003, supporting the Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube at launch, with PSP, PS3, Xbox 360 and others support arriving soon after.
As of XLink Kai release 7.4.44 the Nintendo Switch emulator Ryujinx LDN version 3.0.2+ is now supported allowing for easy communication between the emulator, local Nintendo Switch consoles on your network and other players around the world!
XLink Kai Home Page - https://teamxlink.co.uk
XLink Kai Status Page - https://status.teamxlink.co.uk/
Popular on XLink Twitter Bot - https://twitter.com/PopularOnXLink
Team XLink Official Discord - https://discord.gg/UyyjNpa
Supported Games List - https://www.teamxlink.co.uk/supported-games
Current State
XLink Kai + Ryujinx support is experimental and only available on Windows.
What works:
- Nintendo Switch games with LAN support.
- Nintendo Switch games with Local Wireless support.
- Ryujinx playing against other Ryujinx players.
- Ryujinx playing against players on Switch (CFW required for Local Wireless games).
- Ryujinx and local Switch playing together.
- Mixing any combination of the above!
What does not work:
- macOS support not yet working
- Linux support not yet working
Supported Games
Nintendo Switch games are divided into two groups; games with LAN support, and games with Local Wireless support. There are different requirements and rules for the two types.
LAN Games
LAN games are the most widely supported and the following can play games together:
- Players using unmodified "OFW" Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite systems.
- Players using modified "CFW" Nintendo Switch systems.
- Players using Ryujinx
There are 25 games with LAN support for Nintendo Switch. Be sure to check the game's compatibility with Ryujinx's compatibility list.
| Title | Versus Mode | Co-op Mode | Game version must match | Total players | Per console | Versus mode | Co-op mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers | ✔ | 8 | |||||
| Air Conflicts: Secret Wars | ✔ | 8 | |||||
| ARMS | ✔ | ✔ | 4 | 2 | |||
| Bayonetta 2 | ✔ | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Don't Starve Together | ✔ | 4 | |||||
| DOOM + DOOM II | 16 | ||||||
| Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour | ✔ | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | ✔ | 4 | |||||
| Mario Golf: Super Rush | ✔ | 4 | 2 | 4 | |||
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | ✔ | Yes | 8 | 8 | |||
| Mario Tennis Aces | 4 | ||||||
| Nintendo Switch Sports | 8 | 8 | |||||
| Pokémon Shield | |||||||
| Pokémon Sword | |||||||
| Pokkén Tournament DX | 2 | ||||||
| Quake II | 8 | ||||||
| Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition | ✔ | 8 | |||||
| Saints Row IV: Re-Elected | 2 | ||||||
| Saints Row: The Third | 2 | ||||||
| Serious Sam Collection | 4 | ||||||
| Sid Meier’s Civilization VI | |||||||
| Splatoon 2 | Yes | 8 | |||||
| Splatoon 3 | 8 | ||||||
| Super Mario Maker 2 | 4 | ||||||
| Titan Quest | 6 |
Local Wireless Games
Local Wireless games are a bit more restricted but the following can play games together:
- Players using modified "CFW" Nintendo Switch systems using ldn_mitm sysmodule
- Players using Ryujinx
Unmodified "OFW" Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite systems are not supported.
There are 195 games with Local Wireless support for Nintendo Switch. Be sure to check the game's compatibility with Ryujinx's compatibility list.
Installing XLink Kai
Follow the installation guide for your Operating System:
- Installing XLink Kai on Windows 7
- Installing XLink Kai on Windows 8
- Installing XLink Kai on Windows 8.1
- Installing XLink Kai on Windows 10
Network Configuration
Ryujinx support in XLink Kai is still experimental and as such the setup process is a bit... bespoke.
Windows
These instructions are Windows 10 and Windows 11 specific. Older versions of windows should be similar.
Installing NPCAP
Due to licensing issues XLink Kai ships with WinPCAP which unfortunately is not compatible with loopback adapters. To solve this you will need to install NPCAP. Version 1.31 is known to be stable.
During installation the default options are fine, just keep hitting Next until finished.
Run kaiLoopbackBridge
- Open Windows Explorer and navigate to
C:\Program Files (x86)\XLink Kai\ - Find
kaiLoopbackBridge64.exe, right click, Run as Administrator - Read the warning, press any key to continue.
- Select Nintendo Switch as the emulator type
- The loopback adapter will now be configured automatically.
- Close kaiLoopbackBridge. We will use it again later.
MacOS
Coming soon.
Linux
Coming soon.
Installing and Configuring Ryujinx
Ryujinx setup is quite simple, read the Ryujinx Guide to get set up.
Network settings
For LAN Games
- Once Ryujinx is running enter the configuration by clicking Options then Settings
- Click the System tab
- Check the box for Enable VSync
- Check the box for Enable Guest Internet Access
- Click the Multiplayer tab
- Under the LAN heading set Network Interface to XLink Kai Loopback Switch XXXX
- Save the configuration and exit Ryujinx.
For Local Wireless Games
- Once Ryujinx is running enter the configuration by clicking Options then Settings
- Click the System tab
- Check the box for Enable VSync
- Uncheck the box for Enable Guest Internet Access
- Click the Multiplayer tab
- Under the Multiplayer heading set Mode to ldn_mitm
- Under the LAN heading set Network Interface to XLink Kai Loopback Switch XXXX
- Save the configuration and exit Ryujinx.
Playing a game on XLink Kai
Since Ryujinx and XLink Kai are not able to communicate with each other directly (yet), kaiLoopbackBridge is used as a "bridge" between them.
- Start XLink Kai and log in
- Start kaiLoopbackBridge, navigate through the prompts and keep it open the entire time you are playing. After a few seconds XLink Kai will see a Nintendo Switch under the Metrics tab.
- Start Ryujinx and start your game. Ryujinx must not be running before you start kaiLoopbackBridge.
- Navigate to a game arena and play!
Finding players
If you are having trouble finding other players to game with please join our Discord chat and use the various console-specific channels. There are also several fan-run discords that host regular game nights.