.PSARC File Extension
PlayStation Archive
| Developer | Sony |
| Popularity |
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What is a PSARC file?
A PSARC file is an archive saved in the PlayStation Archive format. PlayStation 3 (PS3) games use PSARC files to store compressed game data, such as cinematics, audio, 3D models, textures, .BIN files, .TXT files, and other assets. Some PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita games also contain PSARC files.
More Information
Many PS3 games, including games in the God of War, Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, and Ratchet & Clank series, store their game assets and other proprietary game data in PSARC files. Doing so allows these games to access data via a standard archive hierarchy. In some cases, developers also compress the game data they store in PSARC files, using zlib or lzma compression, to reduce a game's total file size. (Already-compressed files, such as .BIK video and .MP3 audio files, are usually not compressed further.)
Storing game data in PSARC files also theoretically prevents game modders from accessing that data. However, modders have developed various utilities that allow them to extract, modify, and repackage PSARC files' contents, to alter a game's gameplay.
How to open a PSARC file
You can use PSARC Tool (Windows) or PSARC PS3 Extractor (Linux) to extract the files a PSARC files contains. You can also use these tools to create PSARC archives.