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👥 Communities & Wikis

Knowledge bases, forums, and learning resources for reverse engineering and file formats.

Forums & Communities

Discord Servers

  • REGames - Community for game reverse engineering and file format research.
  • The VG Resource - Community for The VG Resource asset databases (models, textures, sprites, sounds).
  • The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF) - Community for discovering and documenting unused and debug game content.
  • Reverse Engineering - General reverse engineering community and resources.
  • noclip.website - Community for the noclip.website in-browser game viewer project.

Note: Many game-specific and studio-specific Discord servers exist for individual games and franchises. This list includes only general-purpose reverse engineering communities.

Knowledge Bases & Format Databases

  • Just Solve the File Format Problem - ArchiveTeam's wiki for file formats.
  • XeNTaX Wiki (defunct) - Massive database of file format specifications.
  • XeNTaXBackup - Public backup of the XeNTaX game file format reverse engineering forum and wiki, preserving community knowledge on game format documentation, QuickBMS scripts, and format research.
  • RetroReversing - Curated list of retro game development and reverse-engineering resources, tools, and documentation, published as the RetroReversing.com website/wiki.

Platform & SDK Documentation

  • Psy-Q SDK Documentation - Official PlayStation SDK documentation archive. Includes file format references, development guides, and API documentation.
  • File Format Reference - Official Psy-Q SDK file format documentation.
  • PSX-SPX Console Dev - Comprehensive PlayStation technical documentation and reference. Covers hardware specifications, BIOS functions, and development resources.
  • CD-ROM File Formats - Detailed documentation on PlayStation CD-ROM file formats and structures.
  • rom-properties - Shell extension for Windows and Linux that shows information about ROM and disc image files. Supports over 500 game and system file formats across dozens of consoles and handhelds.
  • Features: Metadata viewing (title, publisher, region), icon/boxart extraction, save game management, and explorer integration.
  • pif_rom_dumper - Tool for extracting N64 PIF ROM (system firmware) from Nintendo 64 hardware.
  • Awesome PlayStation Vita - Comprehensive PS Vita resource list including reverse engineering tools, file format decompilers (.rco, .rcs), and RE utilities.
  • ps4libdoc - PS4 library documentation for game development and reverse engineering reference.
  • PSVita-RE-tools - Collection of PlayStation Vita reverse-engineering tools.
  • awesome-gbdev - Curated list of Game Boy development resources, including reverse-engineering tools, hardware/format documentation, disassemblers, and emulators.
  • awesome-megadrive - Curated list of Sega Mega Drive/Genesis development resources, including hardware documentation, disassemblers, and format tools.
  • Pan Docs - The single, most comprehensive technical reference to the Game Boy hardware available to the public, including cartridge header, memory bank controller, and save format documentation.
  • gb-ctr - Game Boy: Complete Technical Reference, an in-depth document covering Game Boy console hardware internals.
  • gb-bootroms - Disassembled and annotated Game Boy family boot ROMs.
  • gbadoc - Community-driven Game Boy Advance technical documentation effort.
  • Architecture of consoles - Series of technical articles on console hardware architecture, covering CPU, graphics, and file/memory layout across many platforms.
  • SiliconRE - Traces, schematics, and technical writeups from silicon-level reverse engineering of custom game console/arcade chips.
  • ay-3-8910_reverse_engineered - Transistor-level reverse engineering of the AY-3-8910 sound chip used in many arcade and home computer systems, with transistor-level schematics, a Verilog model, and a testbench that renders register dumps into audio.
  • awesome-gbadev - Curated list of Game Boy Advance development resources, including documentation, tools, and libraries relevant to GBA file formats and homebrew.

Game-Specific Wikis

📚 Learning Resources & Tutorials

  • DGTEFF - Definitive Guide To Exploring File Formats.
  • The VG Resource Wiki - Wiki with tutorials for ripping and creating sprites, models, textures, and sounds across gaming platforms.
  • Compression Deep Dive - Technical analysis of compression algorithms used in games.
  • How to Crack a Binary File Format - Classic tutorial on reverse engineering file formats.
  • kovidomi/game-reversing - Beginner learning materials on reverse engineering video games.
  • How to Grab Models and Textures - Guide on extracting models and textures from games.
  • ReWolf's Retrogaming Blog - Blog posts on retrogaming and reverse engineering.
  • vgmdocs - Resources and documentation for video game music formats. Includes guides for GBA sound drivers, FM synth presets, conversion tools, and format documentation.
  • Inazuma-Eleven-GO-Modding - Documentation regarding the functions of Inazuma Eleven GO Light/Shadow. Covers game scripting, format specifications, and modding techniques.
  • Crazy Taxi Reverse Engineering - Detailed retrospective series on reverse engineering the GameCube version of Crazy Taxi, covering archive (.all), model (.shp), texture (.tex), and audio (.adp) formats.

🎥 Video Tutorials

Asset Databases