ZDoom Package

ZDoom and GZDoom are applications that allow gamers to play modded versions of Doom, Heretic, Hexen, and other old first-person shooters. To play modded games, players load additional game data packages, which contain player-created graphics, sounds, and maps, alongside a game's original files. The additional game data packages are typically saved as PK7 or PK3 archives.

While PK3 archives are Zip-compressed , PK7 archives are 7z-compressed. As a result, PK7 files are typically smaller than PK3 files that contain the same game assets. However, data contained within PK7 files may load less quickly in ZDoom and GZDoom, causing a player's game to lag.

Less commonly, Sonic Robo Blast 2 players also use PK7 archives to store player-created game data files. For example, players who use the Zone Builder application to create their own SRB2 maps may save those maps in PK7 archives.

To load a PK7 file in ZDoom or GZDoom (cross-platform):

If you want to examine the game data files a PK7 archive contains, you can decompress the archive and examine its contents using a 7z decompression utility, such as:

Programs that open or reference PK7 files

Updated: February 12, 2021