All about BIG Files

The BIG file type is primarily associated with BigFileEditor.

BIG	File extension: BIG
	File type:	archive file

What is a BIG file?

BIG files mostly belong to BigFileEditor.

This BIG file is a game archive container that stores compressed data used in video games. It is mostly used to hold game assets like textures, audio files, scripts, and other content that a game engine needs. In many cases, these archives are built by Electronic Arts and are known as a compressed game data file.

Other uses include:

Homeworld Archive: A container for archived game data used in Homeworld 2. More details are available at GOG.com.
Sound Bank: Holds Wizoo sound samples for programs like Avid Pro Tools. Visit Avid for further information.
EA Sports Data: A large, often compressed, game data file used in EA Sports titles which may be managed with tools such as Frosty Editor.
Generic Game Asset Container: Serves as a container for various game assets, including some audio or speech data, which can be opened with extraction tools like Game Extractor (Watto.org).

This file is designed as a custom archive optimized for fast access. Few know that these archives can include mixed data types with proprietary indexing or even encryption for performance and protection.

FilExt.com tips: Use specialized archive editors or extraction tools to view or modify these files. Testing with tools like BigFileEditor, Frosty Editor, or Game Extractor is advised. Always back up the original file before making changes.

How to open a BIG file

You need a suitable software like BigFileEditor to open a BIG file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your BIG file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a BIG file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online BIG Text Viewer

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Programs that open and convert BIG files:

BigFileEditor
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. BIG files are often referred to as BigFileEditor games because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Cartes Michelin
Related links: XnView
Chinese Text
Old version.
Electronic Arts (Game MOD File) by Electronic Arts, Inc.
BIG files control various parts of Electronic Arts games. A utility called FinalBig (search for FINALBIG.EXE) is said to be able to create individual MODs which can then be imported into the various games. The games usually have command-line parameters you can use to play the MOD if you want to keep your game files intact. The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: 42 49 47 46, ASCII: BIGF. Related links: Various Versions of FinalBig
Fifa World Cup Game File
Home World 2 (SGA Archive) by Relic Entertainment Inc.
SGA Archives are used in various games from Relic Entertainment Inc. They contain game data. The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: 5F 41 52 43 48 49 56 45 02 00 00 00, ASCII: _ARCHIVE. This file format is classified as Archive.
Homeworld (Compressed Data Archive) by Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Related links: Format

BIG file format:

The file format determines how the data is stored in the file. Often, the file format can be deduced from the file extension or the initial bytes (called the signature). Nonetheless, different programs can utilize the same file extension to represent distinct file formats. Double-clicking on the file often results in an error when opening. If there are problems opening a file, you must first determine the file format used. Below you will find our evaluation of the BIG files:

The BIG extension is very commonly used. This BIG file itself is among the most popular common file types and includes different formats for the applicable programs. The two most popular formats are as follows:

65% of all BIG files are associated with VIV/BIGF Electronic Arts Game Archive. If you open these files in a text editor, you will see only illegible characters. The file size is in the range of 80 KB to 410 MB. This is an old file type which is rarely used today. The keywords BIGF and data are typical for these files. The file name INI.big is typical for these files. Such files sometimes refer to audio, data, overlay, maps, music, english, inizh and reborn.
4% of all BIG files belong to SGA archive - Home World 2 game data. These files contain neither text nor words, but only data. The files are on average 160 MB in size and range from 60 KB to 680 MB. Several words can almost always be found in the files, e.g. _ARCHIVE. The file name English.big or EnglishSpeech.big is typical for these files. Such files sometimes refer to ships, speech, campaign, players and patch.

All other BIG files (31%) have different formats, the following 11 formats exist: Wzoo, SCHl, BIGF, BHG and FGIB. Sometimes used for generals, misc, streams, locale, englishzh, graphic, options or movies. If you want to find out which format your BIG file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .big file to analyze".

Technical Data for BIG File Extension

File classification:

Game

Identifier:

Hex: 42 49 47 46, ASCII: BIGF (provided by TrID database)

Related files:

arc, wad, bsa, pk3, zip, zbig, bh, exe, gib, bigfile, dat, spitzer chapter 3a, fsh, bmp, ctr, rar, vp6, vid, scb, bix, fat, mus, psg, ini, pak

Related links:

Various Versions of FinalBig

Mime type:

application/octet-stream

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: bigFile, FileType: Big Crocodile File, AppName: bigcroco
EXEFile: bigcroco.exe

ProgramID: GraphicsConverterPro.big, FileType: Cartes Michelin, AppName: GraphicsConverter-reg
EXEFile: GraphicsConverter.exe

ProgramID: CompuPic sbig
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\CompuPic\compupic.exe %1

ProgramID: XnView.Image
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\XnView\xnview.exe %1

ProgramID: DUP5.Files
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Dragon UnPACKer 5\drgunpack5.exe

ProgramID: FinalBIG.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\FINALB~1\FinalBIG.exe

Show all 6 listings To Top

a big archive file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with BIG files

Associate the BIG file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open archive files. Because only the current version supports the latest BIG file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the manufacturer website after an available BigFileEditor update.
To make sure that your BIG file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .BIG file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.