Extract text from Compressed game assets (ZTMP)
To convert ZTMP Game assets to another format, you need Source Engine or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Compressed Game Server Asset" file type, you need software like Source Engine or a similar tool.
The .ztmp format is a compressed game asset file primarily used by games running on the Valve Source Engine, such as Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Garry's Mod. Server administrators use these files to compress custom assets like maps (BSP), models (MDL), textures (VTF), and sounds (WAV) using algorithms like Bzip2 (BZ2) or LZSS. This reduces bandwidth and drastically speeds up downloads for players connecting to custom multiplayer servers. Software like ZModeler is also known to interact with similar compressed formats.
The main disadvantage of .ztmp files is their lack of native desktop support. Windows and macOS cannot open them directly. These files are meant to be temporary. If a download process fails or is interrupted during a game session, the file remains stuck in the .ztmp format on your hard drive instead of being automatically decompressed into its usable asset form by the game client.
You usually need to extract these files rather than convert them. Target formats depend entirely on the compressed contents, typically resulting in BSP, MDL, or WAV files. Because they lack standard archive extensions, tools like WinRAR or 7-Zip may fail to recognize them natively unless you rename the file extension manually.
This file format is difficult to open because it relies on the game engine's internal extraction logic and network protocol. Most standard online converters fail to process it because it is an obscure, game-specific temporary container. Just drag and drop your file into convert.guru to see what it is and convert it if supported. Our analysis engine can detect the underlying BZ2 or LZSS compression data, meaning viewing or conversion of the embedded files may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ZTMP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted AIN, BSP, WAV, ANIMATION, SBA and MRS files.
If you want to convert ZTMP file to EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP, MAP, SAV or DAT, you can use Source Engine or similar software from the "Game Asset Compression 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 ZTMP, try Source Engine or another comparable tool in the "Game Asset Compression 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 ZTMP converter.