What is the PS2 file format?
A .ps2 file is a virtual PlayStation 2 memory card image used by the PCSX2 emulator. When PCSX2 runs PS2 games, it emulates the 8 MB Sony memory card hardware by reading and writing a .ps2 file on the host PC rather than physical hardware.
The file is exactly 8,388,608 bytes - mirroring the capacity of the original Sony 8 MB dual-EEPROM memory card. Its internal layout replicates the PS2's proprietary FAT-like filesystem: 16 KB page clusters, directory entries in BESXXXX-XXXXX format (one folder per game title), and BIGSECTOR/SUPERSECTOR structures from the official Sony specification. PCSX2 names its two default virtual cards Mcd001.ps2 and Mcd002.ps2.
Individual game saves can be extracted or imported using mymc++ (a PCSX2 project tool) or the original mymc by Ross Ridge. Supported interchange formats include MAX Drive .max, EMS Adapter .psu, SharkPort .sps, and X-Port .xps. Note that SharkPort also used .ps2 for its own save format - those files are not interchangeable with PCSX2 memory card images despite sharing the extension.
The physical PS2 memory card applied DES-based encryption and per-page ECC error correction; PCSX2 .ps2 images store decrypted logical data without physical ECC, making save data directly accessible to external tools.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .ps2 memory card image is a binary data file containing game save data only. It cannot execute code on a PC. No security concerns beyond standard caution with files from untrusted sources (parser vulnerabilities in emulator software).
Format details
in a nutshell- Adobe PostScript Level 2 Document - Some systems associate .ps2 with PostScript Level 2 files - the text-based page description language by Adobe. Entirely unrelated to gaming; open with Ghostscript or any PostScript-capable viewer.
- SharkPort PS2 Save File - SharkPort (GameShark peripheral) also used .ps2 for individual game save exports - a different binary format from the PCSX2 memory card image despite the same extension.
Programs that open PS2 files
Windows3 apps
PCSX2
Open-source PCSX2 creates and uses .ps2 memory card files automatically. In PCSX2: Settings > Memory Cards to configure which .ps2 files to use. The emulator reads/writes saves during gameplay. 
myMCpp (PCSX2 project)
Open-source Free GUI tool (C++/Qt) to browse, import and export individual game saves within a .ps2 image. Supports EMS (.psu), SharkPort (.sps), MAX Drive (.max), X-Port (.xps), Code Breaker (.cbs) formats.
mymc++ (mymcplusplus)
Open-source Earlier open-source GUI save manager for .ps2 images; precursor to myMCpp. 
macOS1 app
Linux2 apps
Technical details
deep spec| File type | PlayStation 2 virtual memory card image |
| Encoding | Binary |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Fixed file size | 8,388,608 bytes (exactly 8 MB, mirroring the Sony PS2 memory card capacity) |
| Filesystem type | Sony PS2 proprietary FAT-like filesystem |
| Cluster/page structure | 16 KB clusters; BIGSECTOR (8 KB) and SUPERSECTOR (512 B) structures |
| Maximum save slots | 15 game save directories (standard PS2 memory card limit) |
| Save directory naming | BESXXXX-XXXXX format (region code + product code) |
| Default PCSX2 filenames | Mcd001.ps2 and Mcd002.ps2 |
| Encryption | Physical PS2 hardware used DES-based encryption; PCSX2 images store decrypted logical data |
| ECC | Physical cards use per-page ECC; PCSX2 software images omit the physical ECC layer |
| Save interchange formats | MAX Drive .max, EMS Adapter .psu, SharkPort .sps, X-Port .xps, Code Breaker .cbs |
| Extension collision | SharkPort also used .ps2 for its save files - not interchangeable with PCSX2 memory card images |
| Associated OS | Windows, Linux, macOS (PCSX2 emulator) |
| Released | PCSX2 emulator, circa 2003-2005 (first stable PCSX2 releases) |
| Latest version | PCSX2 2.x (2024+); memory card format has been stable since early PCSX2 |
| Specification | www.ps2savetools.com |
PS2 conversions
Community Q&A
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