Why convert PAK to PK3?
Quake I and Quake II used the PAK format. Quake III Arena and idTech 3 engine games switched to PK3, which is internally a ZIP archive renamed with a .pk3 extension. If you have content in a Quake-style PAK and want to use it in a Quake III-based game or mod, you need to repack it in this format.
How to convert PAK to PK3
PakExplorer FREE
Open the .pak in PakExplorer, select all files, extract to a working folder, then use 7-Zip to pack that folder as a ZIP and rename it to .pk3.
Dragon UnPACKer FREE
Drag the .pak into Dragon UnPACKer; if it recognizes the format, extract all files to a working folder, then repack as ZIP with 7-Zip and rename to .pk3.
7-Zip FREE
After extracting PAK assets, select all files and folders in 7-Zip, choose Add to archive > ZIP, then rename the resulting .zip to .pk3 and place it in the game's mod folder.
About these formats
.PAK
Game Resource Package (PAK)
A PAK file is a game resource package that bundles textures, 3D models, sounds, maps and scripts into one file so the game engine can load them efficiently. There is no single PAK format -…
Open .PAK details →
.PK3
id Tech 3 engine resource file
A .PK3 file is associated with id Tech 3 engine resource, a game file.
Open .PK3 details →Quality & what to watch
- PK3 archives for idTech 3 games must follow a specific internal folder structure (textures/, models/, sounds/, maps/) - check the modding guide for your specific game before packing.
- This workflow applies only to Quake/id-style PAK files (those starting with the PACK signature); PAK files from other engines use incompatible layouts.
- Place the finished .pk3 in the appropriate mod folder (for example, baseq3/ for Quake III Arena) and the engine loads it automatically on next start.
