Extract text from AoE3 game recordings (AGE3YREC)
To convert AGE3YREC recordings to another format, you need Age of Empires III or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Replay Recording" file type, you need software like Age of Empires III or a similar tool.
A .age3yrec file is a deterministic game replay recording generated by Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, an expansion pack published by Microsoft. It stores match data, player inputs, and timing coordinates required for the engine to recreate a skirmish or multiplayer match.
This format presents strict limitations. It is not a traditional video file, but rather a sequence of raw engine instructions. Because it relies entirely on the local game engine to render visuals in real-time, you cannot open it with standard media players like VLC. The format is proprietary, closed, and heavily version-dependent; attempting to play a .age3yrec file on a mismatched game patch usually results in a crash or desync.
Standard online converters fail to process .age3yrec files into video formats like MP4 or MKV because they do not possess the required 3D assets to render the frames. The only reliable method to convert this replay into a standard video is to play the match in-game while recording the screen with capture tools like OBS Studio.
This file format is difficult to open or convert outside of its native environment. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. Our platform can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible, allowing you to salvage metadata like player names, civilizations, and map details.
Convert.Guru analyzes your AGE3YREC file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert AGE3YREC file to EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP, MAP, SAV or DAT, you can use Age of Empires III or similar software from the "Game Match Replay Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MOD, BIN, CFG, SCX, DAT, MPQ, LOG, CUE, INI, EXE, SCM or ISO files to AGE3YREC, try Age of Empires III or another comparable tool in the "Game Match Replay Data" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AGE3YREC converter.