Extract text from Crusader Kings II save files (CK2)
To convert CK2 save files to another format, you need Crusader Kings II or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Strategy Game Save" file type, you need software like Crusader Kings II or a similar tool.
A .CK2 file serves as the primary save state container for Crusader Kings II, the grand strategy game by Paradox Interactive. These files encapsulate the entire state of a medieval world, including dynastic lineage, character attributes, diplomatic relations, and war status. While ostensibly simple, .CK2 files present immediate hurdles for users attempting to access their data outside the game interface. By default, the game often saves these files as compressed archives (effectively standard ZIP files with a custom extension) to save disk space, rendering them unreadable to standard text editors. Even when uncompressed, the files contain hundreds of thousands of lines of proprietary Paradox script, causing basic tools like Notepad to hang or crash due to memory constraints.
For users looking to modify their save data (save editing) or continue their campaign in a different era, direct conversion is necessary. To edit game variables - such as adding gold or changing traits - the file must first be treated as an archive and decompressed to reveal the raw TXT or GAM data inside, which can then be safely edited with robust code editors like VS Code or Notepad++. For players intending to "paint the map" across history, the most common conversion path is transforming the .CK2 save into a EU4 file using the official CK2 to EU4 Converter DLC or community-maintained tools, allowing the dynasty to persist into the Renaissance era within Europa Universalis IV.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CK2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted HDSAV, PCK, RBXL, CK3 and EU4 files.
If you want to convert CK2 file to EU4, CK3, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF or DAT, you can use Crusader Kings II or similar software from the "Grand Strategy Save Game" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to CK2, try Crusader Kings II or another comparable tool in the "Grand Strategy Save Game" 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 CK2 converter.