The Living Scene
The C64 demo scene did not die with the 1990s. Groups are still releasing new productions, competing at demoparties, and pushing the hardware in ways that were not attempted in the golden era.
Active Groups
These groups have released C64 demo or demo-adjacent productions since 2020. Active membership fluctuates; some operate with just one or two core members, while others coordinate across multiple countries.
Booze Design
DenmarkResponsible for Edge of Disgrace (2008), one of the most cited C64 demos of the last two decades. Booze Design continued releasing after that landmark production and has collaborated with other major groups at Revision and other events. Their visual style emphasises raster effects and animated colour fields.
Censor Design
SwedenOne of the longest-running groups in the C64 scene, founded in the late 1980s. Co-produced Comaland (2014) with Oxyron. Censor Design demos are known for dense SID programming and layered raster effects. The group has remained active across multiple eras without significant breaks.
Onslaught
United KingdomA British group that has stayed active from the early 1990s through the present. Their Bad Apple 64 port brought wider attention to what modern C64 coding can achieve. Onslaught's output ranges from traditional scrollers to technically ambitious animation ports. See their work on the Catalogue page.
Genesis Project
SwedenA large Swedish group spanning both game and demo development. Genesis Project has been producing C64 software since the early 1990s and continues to release new material. Their demos tend toward polished presentation and strong SID scores, drawing on a wide membership roster.
Fairlight
SwedenFairlight originated as a cracking group in 1987 and evolved into a demo group. In recent years they have released collaborative productions alongside Booze Design and other partners. We Come in Peace with Censor Design is among their more recent joint releases. See the Videos page for a recording.
Kryo
SwedenThe one-man group of Lft (Linus Akesson). Kryo productions focus on technical extremes: A Mind Is Born (2017) packs a complete synthesizer, music, and visuals into 256 bytes of machine code. Lft documents the engineering behind each production on his website and continues experimenting with hardware-level constraints. Read more on the People page.
Triad
SwedenAnother veteran Swedish group active from 1986 onward in both cracking and demo production. Triad has maintained a presence through the 2010s and 2020s with new C64 game releases and demo contributions. Their longevity in a fragmented scene is notable for a group that never fully disbanded.
Productions Since 2021
The following productions were released from 2021 onward and represent the current state of C64 demo craft. All are available on CSDb and Demozoo with download links and competition results.
Stoned
A collaborative release from two of the scene's most experienced groups. Stoned placed in the C64 compo at Revision 2022 and demonstrates the continued graphical ambition of both groups working together. Available on CSDb and via the party release archive.
Eclectic
A recent Onslaught production showcasing the group's broad range of effects and coding styles. Eclectic lives up to its name with varied visual sections. A recording is available on the Videos page. Full credits and download on CSDb.
We Come in Peace
A collaborative production between Censor Design and Fairlight, two groups with strong SID composition traditions. We Come in Peace balances visual effects with an original SID score. Recording on the Videos page, download on CSDb.
Bad Apple 64
A port of the well-known Bad Apple animation to the C64 hardware - not via video playback tricks, but through custom coding that drives the hardware directly. The result drew significant attention outside the usual scene audience and sparked discussion about what modern C64 coders can achieve.
Browse the full production archive at csdb.dk or demozoo.org. Both databases carry download links and competition results for every entry.
Annual Demoparties
These events run C64 competitions as part of their annual program. The schedule for each varies slightly year to year; check demoparty.net for current dates and registration details.
Revision
The largest demoparty in Europe. Revision hosts competitions across modern PC, console, and oldskool platforms including C64. The party streams compos live and archives all entries on Demozoo. Attendance runs several hundred people; tickets typically go on sale early in the year.
Datastorm
A Swedish party with a focused oldskool culture. Datastorm has hosted some of the strongest C64 compo entries in recent years. The smaller scale keeps the atmosphere close-knit and the compos competitive. Check the Datastorm website for registration each year.
X
An invitation-based Dutch party focused specifically on C64 and Amiga productions. X has a reputation for consistently high-quality entries and a smaller, more curated attendee list than larger multi-platform events. Announcements appear on CSDb and Pouet.
Evoke
A summer demoparty in Cologne that covers a range of platforms. Evoke's oldskool categories include C64 entries. The summer timing makes it a natural follow-up to Revision for sceners who attend multiple parties in a year.