Extract text from GameShark save files (GSV)
To convert GSV save files to another format, you need VisualBoyAdvance or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Saved Game File" file type, you need software like VisualBoyAdvance or a similar tool.
The .GSV file extension is predominantly used for Game Save Files across a highly fragmented landscape of gaming platforms. Typically, it functions as a save state or battery backup for the GameShark Advance, the VisualBoyAdvance emulator, and the Datel Action Replay Max for the PlayStation 2. It is also actively used by modern game engines like Godot for saving player progress (often disguised as JSON text), the classic PC adventure Grim Fandango (using zlib compression), and the Garena client for Warcraft III.
The primary disadvantage of .GSV files is their lack of standardization. Because the extension is shared by hardware cheat devices, software emulators, and wildly different PC game engines, users constantly encounter 'unrecognized format' errors. These proprietary files are usually locked to specific games or hardware, making cross-platform transfers incredibly frustrating. A .GSV file compressed with GZIP for a PS2 Action Replay is structurally completely different from a raw Game Boy Advance memory dump.
Conversion targets depend entirely on the file's origin. For retro gaming, users typically convert .GSV to standard SAV files to migrate their progress to other emulators or flash carts. For PC gaming, Godot-based saves can often be safely converted or renamed to JSON or TXT. Drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because it relies on proprietary engine serialization or specific emulator logic. Usually, only the original game or specialized save managers can properly read or export the exact data. However, convert.guru 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 like JSON or GZIP, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your GSV file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CSV, GZ, GBA, CLT and ST1 files.
If you want to convert GSV file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use VisualBoyAdvance or similar software from the "Game Save Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to GSV, try VisualBoyAdvance or another comparable tool in the "Game Save Data 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 GSV converter.