180 votes
WAD File - What is a .wad file and how do I open it?
Learn about .WAD files and view a list of programs that open them.
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Overview
What is a WAD file? A WAD file is a game data file used by Doom and Doom II, as well as other first-person shooter games that use the original Doom engine. It contains data such as sprites (graphics), level information, and items. WAD files are used for storing original game content as well as game modifications.
More Information WAD file open in SLADE The WAD format has been classified into two categories: 1) IWAD ("Internal WAD") and 2) PWAD ("Patch WAD"). The IWAD file type is used for loading core game content, and PWAD files are used for adding optional data to the game. Because of Doom's popularity and the customizability of WAD files, the WAD format became one of the more widely known and widely used game data file formats. Community gamers developed thousands of WAD-based mods for Doom and other games. However, since Doom and Doom II were released in the 1990s, the format is not as commonly used as it once was. The original WAD format, referred to as WAD1, evolved into subsequent formats, including WAD2 and WAD3. These versions were reduced in scope to include only game textures and were used for Quake and Half-Life. Quake WAD texture files can be edited with programs such as Wally.
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DeveloperAbstraction Games
Popularity2.0 | 10 Votes
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.WAD File Extension
3 file types use the .wad file extension.
Doom WAD File
| Developer | id Software |
| Popularity |
4.3 | 180 Votes |
What is a WAD file?
A WAD file is a game data file used by Doom and Doom II, as well as other first-person shooter games that use the original Doom engine. It contains data such as sprites (graphics), level information, and items. WAD files are used for storing original game content as well as game modifications.
More Information
WAD file open in SLADE
The WAD format has been classified into two categories: 1) IWAD ("Internal WAD") and 2) PWAD ("Patch WAD"). The IWAD file type is used for loading core game content, and PWAD files are used for adding optional data to the game.
Because of Doom's popularity and the customizability of WAD files, the WAD format became one of the more widely known and widely used game data file formats. Community gamers developed thousands of WAD-based mods for Doom and other games. However, since Doom and Doom II were released in the 1990s, the format is not as commonly used as it once was.
The original WAD format, referred to as WAD1, evolved into subsequent formats, including WAD2 and WAD3. These versions were reduced in scope to include only game textures and were used for Quake and Half-Life. Quake WAD texture files can be edited with programs such as Wally.
How to open a WAD file
You can open, view, and edit a WAD file with SLADE, a free, multiplatform Doom modding application. However, if your WAD file is saved as a Half-Life package, you may have to select File → Save As and save the file as a WAD2 file to keep your edits.
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Programs that open WAD files
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Pricing
Program Name
Platform
Reset
X
Windows
id Software Doom
Paid
id Software Doom 2
Paid
Doom Builder
Free
SLADE
Free
eXtendable WAD Editor
Free
New WAD Tool
Free
WadAuthor
Free
Wally
Free
Sonic Robo Blast 2
Free
Valve Half-Life
Paid
id Software Quake
Paid
Mac
Sonic Robo Blast 2
Free
SLADE
Free
Valve Half-Life
Paid
Linux
Sonic Robo Blast 2
Free
SLADE
Free
id Software Quake
Paid
Category: Game Files
Updated: July 13, 2020
Nintendo Wii Game Data File
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Popularity |
4.2 | 66 Votes |
A WAD file may also be a game data file used by the Nintendo Wii game console. It contains the data required for installing Wii channels, system menus, or firmware updates. WAD files are often used for installing genuine copies of Virtual Console (VC) games.
More Information
NOTE: WAD files are also used by "Homebrew" Wii developers to install and play games.
Programs that open or reference WAD files
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Program Name
Platform
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X
Windows
Dolphin
Free
Wad Studio
Free
Mac
Dolphin
Free
Linux
Dolphin
Free
Category: Game Files
Updated: July 13, 2020
Danganronpa Game Data File
| Developer | Abstraction Games |
| Popularity |
2.0 | 10 Votes |
A WAD file may also be a game data file used by the PC versions of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, video games in which an android bear forces high schoolers to kill each other. It may contain in-game images, audio, character models, settings, or localization data. Each game contains 4 WAD files.
More Information
Danganronpa is a Japanese video game franchise. It consists of a series of games in which Monokuma, an angry bear-like machine, traps high schoolers and forces them to kill each other before standing trial. If a murderer manages to be declared innocent, they get to go home.
The PC versions of the first two Danganronpa games, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, were developed by Spike Chunsoft and Abstraction Games. Abstraction Games created the WAD file format to store these games' data. Each game includes four WAD files (Danganropa 1 uses the files whose names begin with dr1 ; Danganronpa 2 uses the files whose names begin with dr2 ):
How to open a WAD file
Players who want to extract and edit the game assets that Danganronpa 1 and 2's WAD files contain can do so using HLMWadExplorer (Windows, Mac). While HLMWadExplorer was originally designed to work with the WAD files found in Hotline Miami 2, Danganronpa's WAD files are similar enough that HLMWadExplorer can unpack them.
Programs that open or reference WAD files
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Program Name
Platform
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Windows
HLMWadExplorer
Free
Mac
HLMWadExplorer
Free
Category: Game Files
Updated: June 24, 2021