TL;DR: Tobyn Jacobs demonstrated Minecraft running inside Elden Ring, with its items, redstone and Creative Mode reportedly included, though no release date or download is available. Other game mashups are appearing on X, using techniques such as passthrough modding; AI tools may help, but their role in the viral projects is unclear.
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Video game mods have given us everything from DLC-sized expansions to multiplayer support, but this might be something nobody saw coming. When we hear “merging video games,” we usually picture Master Chief swapped in for Lara Croft or similar character model mods. Putting one entire game inside another wouldn’t even cross our mind, but that’s exactly what’s happening here.
The latest example comes from mod creator Tobyn Jacobs, who showed Minecraft running inside the Elden Ring. The clips show Steve swinging a sword at Lands Between enemies while Minecraft’s hotbar, hunger and armor bars sit on screen. Jacobs says all 1,600 items, working redstone and Creative Mode made the trip too, and he claims it runs on a Mac. There’s no download link or release date yet.
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It isn’t just Minecraft and Elden Ring either. Others have been showing off similar projects over on X, including Escape from Tarkov mechanics in Skyrim, Minecraft movement in GTA V, Call of Duty: World at War Zombies mixed with Mario Kart, and Mario firing bullets at Master Chief. Weapons, movement, enemies and inventories from completely different worlds are being brought together, and almost any combination now looks possible.
One explanation behind this phenomenon doing the rounds from modders on X is a “passthrough” approach, where both games run side by side and mods let them swap data like collisions and visuals. Recompilation tools such as N64: Recompiled, which turn old game binaries into code that runs natively on modern hardware, make games easier to pull apart, and some projects havem scratch
AI is also speeding up parts of the process. Rehan Sheikh’s open-s engine, decompile code, find mod loaders and test changes, and it even includes a “mashup-mods” workflow for ports, reimplementations and using decompiled games as libraries. It has only been shown off with Terraria and Age of Empires II, though, and it’s not clear which of the viral clips used AI at all
How are Minecraft’s combat, inventory, and survival systems adapted in Tobyn Jacobs’ Elden Ring mashup?
In Tobyn Jacobs’ mashup, Steve swings a sword at Elden Ring enemies, while Minecraft’s hotbar brings its inventory interface onto the screen. Hunger and armor bars are also visible, and Jacobs says all 1,600 Minecraft items are included, though the clips do not show how the survival systems work.
How does passthrough modding synchronize gameplay data between two running games?
In the passthrough approach, both games run side by side while mods exchange data such as collisions and visuals. The story does not explain how those exchanges are timed or kept synchronized.
How does Universal Modder’s mashup-mods workflow use decompiled games as libraries?
Universal Modder gives Claude Code tools to identify a game’s engine, decompile its code, find mod loaders and test changes. Its “mashup-mods” workflow includes using decompiled games as libraries for ports and reimplementations, but the exact steps for doing that are not specified.
Which Nintendo 64 games have been made playable with N64: Recompiled?
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Despite all the bashing of AI slop in video games, this feels like one of those rare cases where AI is genuinely looking useful. In what other world would we have seen Steve gliding through Skyrim’s snowy peaks, or skateboarding in Call of Duty?
