Def Jam Android native port

The Def Jam Android port (contatg/Def-Jam-Android-Native-Port) runs Def Jam: Fight for NY natively on ARM64 phones. It is a separate project from the PC port, maintained by contatg; its repository is a documentation and release hub, and the APKs are published on its GitHub Releases page. The newest file is Def-Jam-v1.4-FG.apk, released November 6, 2026 as “Def Jam v1.4 – The Big Update”.

Download the APK

16.4 MB (16,447,375 bytes). Check the SHA-256 with the checker below the table before installing; Android also refuses an update signed with a different key, which is one more sign of a genuine file.

What your phone needs

Android

Android 10 or newer, ARM64 (64-bit) only.

Graphics

A Vulkan driver. Adreno works with the default settings; Mali and PowerVR have optional fixes; the hakuX mode needs extra Vulkan features.

Storage

Room for the complete extracted game (about 3 GB) in internal shared storage, plus the APK and your saves.

Game

Your own USA Xbox copy, extracted. The launcher has a built-in ISO/XISO extractor; otherwise copy the extracted folder yourself.

Frame rate

Not guaranteed. Since v1.2 menus aim at 60 FPS and fights at 30 FPS on low-end phones; v1.4 removed the 45 FPS cap.

Set up the game folder

1. Install Def-Jam-v1.4-FG.apk and allow the file access it asks for.
2. Create DefJamFFNY at the top level of internal shared storage, and a game folder inside it.
3. Copy every extracted file and folder of your own disc into game, keeping the names and structure, or use the launcher’s built-in extractor on your own ISO/XISO.
4. Open the launcher. It must say Game found. Start with internal resolution 1x, then try higher.

Internal storage/
  DefJamFFNY/
    game/
      default.xbe          the original Xbox executable
      fighter.xml  gamedata.xml  gconfig.xml  venue.xml
      assets/  audio/  fonts/  motion/  movies/  screens/
      …every other file and folder from your extracted disc
    save/                 your progress: keep it when updating
    settings.ini          written by the port
    defjam-native.log     log of the last launch

Renaming an .iso to .zip or .xbe does not extract it, and an ISO or default.xbe on its own is not enough. Root access is not needed.

What v1.4 adds

• Experimental frame generation: Lossless / LSFG (menus, scenes and fights) and Win-FG (fights only) in the native Vulkan mode. LSFG needs your own Lossless.dll imported in the launcher; Win-FG does not. Frame generation can pause when the GPU is overloaded or the phone heats up.
• No more 45 FPS cap, and a clearer FPS counter.
• hakuX emulation mode: the launcher now offers native Vulkan or the bundled hakuX 1.3.0 emulator (GPL-3.0 or later) for phones where the native port does not work. It needs an ARM64 phone and a Vulkan driver with the required features. From your extracted folder the launcher can prepare a temporary XISO for it.
• Controls: an updated touch editor for menus and fights, the D-pad moves as a group, and the Xbox and PlayStation layouts gain all four shoulder buttons (LB/RB, L1/R1).
• Languages: the native mode accepts compatible language packs as ZIP files and shows subtitles in Story scenes that carry subtitle data.

Native Vulkan or hakuX

Start with Native Vulkan: it is the port itself and the mode the earlier releases were tuned for. Switch the launcher to hakuX only if the native mode will not render on your phone. hakuX is an emulator credited to rfandango and its contributors, with MCPX/APU audio from the xemu project; it needs a stronger Vulkan driver, so compatibility varies. On Mali or PowerVR phones, try the launcher’s Fix Mali / PowerVR options (conservative synchronization, conservative rendering or both) in the native mode first; they can lower FPS, so keep Default on phones that already render correctly.

Touch controls and gamepads

The fight screen offers Xbox-style, PlayStation-style and custom artwork layouts with two real analog sticks; buttons can be moved, resized and faded with the in-game wrench, and v1.4 adds all four shoulder buttons. Physical gamepads work too: a DualSense or an Xbox Wireless Controller pairs with Android over Bluetooth, and the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless is another option. Touch controls stay visible after a pad disconnects (fixed in v1.1).

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Online play and voice

v1.1 added an FFNY Online lobby with public rooms and room codes; v1.3 moved sign-in to a Discord account service, fixed room discovery with compatible PC lobbies, and added push-to-talk room voice. Both players must choose the same region (Europe or North America). The maintainer warns that online depends on an outside service and may need further updates; King of the Hill, spectators and open-microphone voice are not supported.

Device reports still open

Open issues on github.com/contatg/Def-Jam-Android-Native-Port/issues on November 9, 2026. If your phone matches, add your log there.

Updating and logs

• Install each new APK over the old one with the same signing key; never uninstall or clear app data just to update.
• Back up DefJamFFNY/save before changing phones.
• Since v1.3 the launcher checks the repository for newer releases and opens the APK download when you ask.
• After a failed launch, copy DefJamFFNY/defjam-native.log before starting again (it is replaced on the next launch) and send it without game files or saves.

Earlier APKs, for example Def.Jam.apk from v1.3, are listed with their SHA-256 on the download page.