Extract text from game data archives (BIG)
To convert BIG archives to another format, you need Electronic Arts Games or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Data Archive" file type, you need software like Electronic Arts Games or a similar tool.
A .BIG file is a compressed game data archive primarily used by Electronic Arts to store bulk assets like audio tracks, 3D models, textures, and text. Secondary uses include virtual instrument sound banks for Avid Pro Tools via AIR Music Technology, and game archives for the Homeworld series by Relic Entertainment. To open or modify these files, gamers rely on community-built modding tools like Frosty Editor or FinalBig.
Users typically want to convert .BIG files to extract internal media for game modding or data mining. However, the format is highly proprietary, undocumented, and frequently exceeds multiple gigabytes in size. It acts as a locked container rather than a standard media file. You cannot natively browse it on Windows or macOS, and there is no official support from the developers for third-party editing.
Because it is an archive, you do not convert the .BIG file directly into a single format. Instead, the goal is to extract the contents into common targets like DDS or PNG for textures, and WAV or MP3 for audio.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because standard tools lack the specific decoding algorithms for EA's custom compression. Often, only the original software or dedicated modding tools can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BIG file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BIN, ZIP, MP4, 7Z, EXE, RAR, PNG, CTR, PAZ and SAZ files.
If you want to convert BIG file to EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP, MAP, SAV or DAT, you can use Electronic Arts Games or similar software from the "Game Asset Archive Storage" 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 BIG, try Electronic Arts Games or another comparable tool in the "Game Asset Archive Storage" 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 BIG converter.