Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

This page is for the original release. For the HD Collection re-release, see Devil May Cry HD Collection.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

Developers
	Capcom
Publishers
Steam	Capcom
Japan (physical)	Sourcenext
North America (physical)	Ubisoft
UK (physical)	Mastertronic Games
Russia (physical)	Noviy Disk
Release dates
Windows	June 28, 2006
Reception
Metacritic	66
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Hack and slash
Themes	Fantasy
Series	Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition	2006
Devil May Cry 4	2008
DmC: Devil May Cry	2013
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition	2015
Devil May Cry HD Collection	2018
Devil May Cry 5	2019

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition is a singleplayer hack and slash action game developed and published by Capcom. It is part of the Devil May Cry series, and chronologically takes place before Devil May Cry.

The original game, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, was released on PlayStation 2 in 2005. The enhanced Special Edition was released on PlayStation 2 between June and October 2006, adding new features such as retooled difficulty levels, mid-mission checkpoints, "GOLD mode", and a mode where players can play as Vergil. The Special Edition release was later ported to PC in-house by Capcom and released in several regions throughout 2006, starting in the UK by Mastertronic Games on June 28, in Japan by Sourcenext on June 30 and in North America by Ubisoft on October 16. It was later released worldwide on Steam on June 12, 2007.

The game suffers from bad performance caused by sound files. See Poor performance.

It was delisted on Steam from January 31, 2024.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM 7 DRM disc check. The Japanese retail disc and updates do not have DRM.
Humble Store
Steam (unavailable)

Essential improvements

Patches

Latest version is 1.3.0. Digital distributed versions are already patched to the latest version.

For the legacy version of the patch, if the app says "the version that has been installed cannot be acquired/installation destination is not found" which prevents the update, use the Registry Fix first to properly locate your game folder in the registry and then use the Patch again. Video tutorial on how to update the game.

Updating the game makes it compatible with the Style Switcher mod and enables Windows Vista support.

The update gives the Gamepad Configuration Tool (GPadCfg) that allows the user to assign keys for DInput controllers. Controller configurations will be saved at the bottom part in the DMC3SE.ini.

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
No microtransactions	Game does not contain microtransactions.

Skip intro videos

Skip Ubisoft and Capcom intro
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set SkipIntro=1.

Modifications

It is recommended to update the game version to 1.3 (for the retail version) before installing the mods.

Style Switcher

Although no longer maintained by the original developers, an unofficial continuation of Style Switcher for the 2006 port of Devil May Cry 3 can be found here and can be applied on top of previous versions of Style Switcher.

Make sure to have a backup of the original save file first before using Style Switcher Mod.

Offers many video options (including resolution, FOV and improved visual effects), optional gameplay modifications (including style switching), and XInput controller support.

Game crashes if either Style/Weapon Switcher is Enabled when changing Style/Weapons in the Divinity Statue (happens on v3.1.6).

When enabled, Weapon Switcher will unlock all Guns and Devil Arms even when starting a new progress. It also keeps the Gun Level at Lv. 1 (happens on v3.1.6).

Weapon Switcher causes save file corruption after saving data with the feature enabled. Using Style Switcher alone will make the game crash after selecting certain missions unless both SS and WS are either enabled or disabled (happens on v3.1.6).

Install Style Switcher[citation needed]

Download and install Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 x86 and x64 and DirectX Redistributable (June 2010). Download Style Switcher and extract the files. Move the extracted files to the installation folder. Read the documentation.html for additional information about the mod. Run install.bat. Choose between 0. dinput8.dll for keyboard support or 1. dsound.dll for XInput support if using the XInput Plus method.

Devil May Cry 3 Starter Pack

A preconfigured compilation of community made mods and fixes meant to fix the game while keeping the game vanilla.

Includes Style Switcher v3 as a core, fixed HQ music, XInput controller support without necessity of using middleware software and different button prompts.

The included version of Style Switcher is outdated.

Has texture errors for Dante during certain cutscenes.

Dante stays midair when riding down the elevator and the Temperance Wagon.

Install Starter Pack[citation needed]
Download and install Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 x86 and x64 and DirectX Redistributable (June 2010). Download Devil May Cry 3 Starter Pack and extract the files. Follow the instructions in the readme.txt file.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\DMC3SE.ini
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6550/pfx/

If using the unofficial continuation of Style Switcher, it is recommended to move or delete DMC3SE.ini.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\save0.sav
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6550/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Use Style Switcher or Widescreen Fix.
Multi-monitor			Use Style Switcher or Widescreen Fix.
Ultra-widescreen			Use Style Switcher or Widescreen Fix.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		Use Style Switcher.
Windowed		Toggle with Alt+↵ Enter. Works in v1.3.0.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS
120+ FPS		Capped at 60 FPS. See High frame rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

High frame rate

Change FPS limit[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Open StyleSwitcher.ini. Change Resolution=1280x720@60 as desired; 60 represents FPS limit. Notes The FPS limit must be within 0 to 255 for the mission timer to work correctly.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		No mouse support.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		When using Style Switcher v2.4.3/3.0, edit StyleSwitcher.ini and set EnableXInput or XInputConverter to 1 for XInput support. When using Style Switcher v3.1.6, use XInput Plus or DMC3 Inputs Thing with SDL2 x86. When using DInput devices, use GPadCfg.exe to create a custom controller config. This method is not guaranteed to work properly for generic controllers.
Full controller support		Exiting the game is done with Alt+F4.
Controller remapping		Can remap controller buttons. Dante and Vergil will share the same configuration.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Controller support

Add XInput support

Use XInput Plus for XInput controller support. Run XInput Plus, click Select on Target Program and select dmc3se.exe. Go to the DirectInput tab and tick the Enable DirectInput Output. Click the drop-down button beside LT/RT and select Button 11/12. Click the drop-down button beside GUIDE and select Button 13. Click Customize then the drop-down button beside Left Stick-X and select Y_Axis. Do this the same for Left Stick-Y and select X_Axis. OPTIONAL: Click Setting tab then go to Others tab and disable the Enable Init Beep. Click on Apply button, confirm everything and close XInput Plus. New files will appear in the game folder. Open and edit DMC3SE.ini with Notepad and paste this controller config then Save. [<insert Xbox Controller Name>] START = 7 SELECT = 6 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 2 CROSS = 0 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 10 R2 = 11 L3 = 8 R3 = 9 L<->R = 1 This template should work for most XInput devices. The string within the brackets is the name of the device. It has to match your device's name or the template will not be applied. To get a list of all connected game controllers, press ⊞ Win+R then enter joy.cpl. If the Right Analog makes the character move instead of Left Analog, change the value of L<->R to 0. Run the game to test the controls. Use Style Switcher, DMC3 Inputs Thing and the SDL2 x86 library.

Adjust controller configuration

It is also highly recommended to update the game to v1.3 for the controller configurations to work properly. Some configurations like the Xbox controller will require an additional program to allow the triggers to be remapped as Q and E. Go to Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers, left click your controller under Devices, select Game controller settings, and click Properties. It can also be opened by using the Run dialog ⊞ Win+R then entering joy.cpl Go to <path-to-game>. Edit DMC3SE.ini and either remove all text or create a new definition (preferably at the top) using the following template. [<controller name>] START = SELECT = CIRCLE = TRIANGLE = SQUARE = CROSS = L1 = R1 = L2 = R2 = L3 = R3 = L<->R = Where it says [<controller name>], enter the name of the controller as it appears in the Game Controllers window, for example [USB Joystick] or [Controller (XBOX ONE for Windows)]. Using the Properties window, type in the number of the button you wish to map to a function, minus 1. Subtracting the number with 1 is important due to the zero-based numbering system. For example, if you wish to map TRIANGLE to Y, the Properties window says it is button 4 when pressed, so enter 3 for the line to read TRIANGLE = 3. If the button you wish to assign is a trigger, enter the value as 255 instead. The method with the triggers does not work in the latest version (3.1.6) of Style Switcher and instead must use a middleware called XInput Plus. The line that reads L<->R = should be set to 1 if the right stick controls Dante. If the left stick controls Dante by default, you can delete the line. Alternatively, paste in the correct controller information below: Afterglow Controller for Xbox 360 [Controller (Afterglow Gamepad for Xbox 360)] START = 7 SELECT = 6 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 2 CROSS = 0 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 10 R2 = 11 L3 = 8 R3 = 9 L<->R = 1 MadCatz GamePad [MadCatz GamePad (Controller)] START = 7 SELECT = 6 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 2 CROSS = 0 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 10 R2 = 11 L3 = 8 R3 = 9 L<->R = 1 Wireless Xbox 360 Controller [Controller (XBOX 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows)] START = 7 SELECT = 6 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 2 CROSS = 0 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 10 R2 = 11 L3 = 8 R3 = 9 L<->R = 1 Xbox 360 Wired Controller [Controller (XBOX 360 For Windows)] START = 7 SELECT = 6 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 2 CROSS = 0 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 10 R2 = 11 L3 = 8 R3 = 9 L<->R = 1 Xbox One Controller [Controller (XBOX One For Windows)] START = 7 SELECT = 6 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 2 CROSS = 0 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 10 R2 = 11 L3 = 8 R3 = 9 L<->R = 1 PS2 Controller with Twin USB Joystick Adapter [Twin USB Vibration Gamepad] START = 9 SELECT = 8 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 0 SQUARE = 3 CROSS = 2 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 6 R2 = 7 L3 = 10 R3 = 11 L<->R = 1 PS2 Controller with PS2 to PS3/USB Adapter / PS3 Controller [PLAYSTATION(R)3 Controller] START = 9 SELECT = 8 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 0 SQUARE = 3 CROSS = 2 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 6 R2 = 7 L3 = 10 R3 = 11 L<->R = 0 PS4/5 Controller [Wireless Controller] START = 9 SELECT = 8 CIRCLE = 2 TRIANGLE = 3 SQUARE = 0 CROSS = 1 L1 = 4 R1 = 5 L2 = 6 R2 = 7 L3 = 10 R3 = 11 L<->R = 0 DOBE Wireless Controller For Switch TNS-0117 [Gamepad] START = 11 SELECT = 10 CIRCLE = 1 TRIANGLE = 4 SQUARE = 3 CROSS = 0 L1 = 6 R1 = 7 L2 = 8 R2 = 9 L3 = 13 R3 = 14 L<->R = 0

Adjust controller configuration via GPadCfg

This app will only appear if the game is updated to v1.3. Recommended for DInput gamepads. Run the GPadCfg.exe then assign the buttons. Double-click the Save icon to save. The controller configuration will be saved at the bottom part in the DMC3SE.ini. Saving the controller configuration will be disabled if the user did not assign all buttons. An example is when using an Xbox controller. Due to the controller being an XInput device, the user cannot assign L2 and R2 since the app cannot read Triggers unless the XInput Plus method was applied. Editing DMC3SE.ini manually will be the only option. Using XInput wrappers will fail to open GPadCfg since the app can only read 1 controller at a time. Apps such as XOutput, x360ce, and DS4Windows emulate a virtual Xbox Controller, making the system and GPadCfg think that 2 controllers are plugged in. Hiding the main controller using HidHide will bypass this error.

Generic Controller support

Although Generic Controllers (mostly the USB\VID_0079&PID_0006 types) count as a DInput device, manually configuring it by using the methods above or with GPadCfg will be difficult since there are cases of Analog movement problems. Use XInput wrapper programs such as x360ce or XOutput to "convert" your Generic Controller into an Xbox controller. Using HidHide is also recommended to prevent "double inputs" and "hide" your main controller. Since the program emulates the Xbox controller, use the Xbox config template with the correct controller name and paste it to DMC3SE.ini. Lastly, use programs like JoyToKey or Xpadder to assign LT/RT to Q/E or use the XInput Plus method.

Controller X-axis inversion

Set standard camera[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set InvertCamera=1.

Button prompts

Xbox 360 Button Prompts Mod

Xbox One Button Prompts Mod

DualShock Button Prompts Mod

Generic Gamepad Button Prompts

The game uses numbered button/generic gamepad prompts by default.

Add Xbox 360 or Xbox One button prompts[citation needed]
Download Xbox 360 or Xbox One button prompts. Copy all the files to <path-to-game>\data2 or <path-to-game>\native\rom if using the Style Switcher mod.

Add DualShock button prompts
Download DualShock button prompts. Copy all the files to <path-to-game>\data2 or <path-to-game>\native\rom if using the Style Switcher mod. Supports English, French, German, Italian, Spanish language.

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Japanese				Available via registry edit.
German
French
Italian
Spanish
Polish				Local retail version; download.
Russian				Local retail version; download this for Steam version.
Simplified Chinese				Local retail version.
Traditional Chinese				Local retail version.
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation.
Hungarian				Fan translation.

Issues unresolved

Gold Orb bug

Gold Orbs in the Divinity Statue are actually bought as Yellow Orbs which is useless in Gold Mode. The Gold Orbs that are gathered along the way are the usable ones.

Graphical errors

There are plenty of graphical errors that are not properly optimized in this port such as Gigapede's lightning attack, the background of Mission 18's boss fight sessions, and many more.

Tutorials from the "Files" section are frozen

Video tutorial of certain actions cannot be played.

Save file year outdated

Once you save your progress, the year in-game will always be 16 years behind.

Issues fixed

Force Feedback Driver (XInput) cause issues

Force Feedback Driver (XInput) interfere with Style Switcher XInput causing issues.

Uninstall driver
Uninstall Force Feedback Driver (XInput) if installed.

Xbox One Controller issues

The built-in Xbox One controller drivers have issues.

Download and install the old drivers. Can also be used on Windows 7.
Download the 32-bit or 64-bit Xbox One controller driver and install.

Missing music

Some of the music that was present in the PlayStation 2 version is missing.

Add missing music[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Download the missing music. Extract the files to the installation folder, overwrite files when prompted. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set Volume.BGM=100 and Volume.SE=64 to balance audio.

Add missing music for Vanilla version
Download the missing music in the link above. Delete the old "sound" folder in the game folder. Extract the new "sound" folder from the archive to the game folder. Inside the "sound" folder, run a terminal and enter the command ren "*.ogg" "*.bin" to convert OGG to BIN.

Poor performance

A number of sound files can cause severe frame rate drops.

Changing ForceMode0 value in Style Switcher
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set ForceMode0=1.

Setting CPU Affinity
Open a text editor like Notepad/Notepad++. Enter the following: echo off start /affinity 1 dmc3se.exe Save it as a .bat file inside the game directory then run the batch file.

Delete sound files

Go to <path-to-game>\sound. Delete the following files. Battle_01.bin Battle_01b.bin Battle_03.bin Battle_05.bin Battle_06.bin Battle_07.bin Battle_08.bin Boss_01b.bin Boss_02b.bin Boss_03b.bin Boss_04b.bin Boss_05b.bin Boss_06b.bin Boss_08b.bin Jester.bin Jikushinzou.bin Kaze_01.bin Kaze_02.bin Kaze_03.bin Kaze_04.bin Kaze_05.bin Kaze_06.bin Maguma.bin Mizu_01.bin Mizu_02.bin m_demo_04_004.bin m_demo_04_004v.bin m_demo_09_003.bin m_demo_09_003v.bin m_demo_10_002.bin m_demo_10_002v.bin m_demo_15_001.bin m_demo_15_001v.bin m_demo_19_001.bin m_demo_19_016.bin Nausica.bin Room_01.bin Stage_01.bin Stage_02.bin Stage_02b.bin Stage_03.bin Stage_04.bin Stage_04b.bin Stage_05.bin Stage_05b.bin Stage_06.bin Stage_07.bin Stage_08.bin Stage_09.bin T_bossb.bin

Change language

Using Registry Command for Vanilla version/Style Switcher v2.4.3[citation needed]
Run Command Prompt as Administrator. Enter the following command: For x86: REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\CAPCOM\Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition" /v Language /t REG_DWORD /d ? /f For x64: REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\CAPCOM\Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition" /v Language /t REG_DWORD /d ? /f ? stands for the following: 0 = English 1 = Japanese 2 = German 3 = French 4 = Italian 5 = Spanish

Using Style Switcher v3.0+[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set Language to the following: 0 = Japanese 1 = English 2 = French 3 = German 4 = Italian 5 = Spanish ---- Do not use the following numbers if you don't have these Language files ---- 6 = Korean 7 = Simplified Chinese 8 = Traditional Chinese 9 = Russian 10 = Polish

Start the game in fullscreen

Force fullscreen[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set Mode=1.

Hide mouse cursor

Hide cursor[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set HideCursor=1.

Enable cutscenes

Enable cutscenes[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini. Set SkipCutscene=0.

Enable pre-rendered cutscenes for DMC3SE Vanilla
Use the DMC3SE Registry Fix. Place the reg files inside the game folder and choose between x86 or x64 depending on your system.

Enable music and sound

Enables BGM and cutscene audio[citation needed]
Install Style Switcher. Edit StyleSwitcher.ini Set DisableSoundDriver=0. Disabling the audio will prevent short lag transitions after entering doors.

Game has a short lag when loading a BGM track

Fixes the short lag after entering a room.

Fixes the BGM looping and is best used with Style Switcher.

Still has bugs (e.g. Divinity Statue BGM not stopping).

Replace the original snd.drv file[citation needed]
Download the files. Move the files in the <path-to-game>.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c
Shader Model support	2

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

No middleware information; you can edit this page to add it.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	2000	XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 1.0 GHz	Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	2 GB	4.7 GB
Video card (GPU)	128 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0 compatible Shader model 2.0 support	Nvidia GeForce 7500 256 MB of VRAM