What is the RPL file format?
.rpl files are replay recordings saved by Toribash, a physics-based martial arts fighting game developed by Nabi Studios. Each file captures a complete match frame-by-frame, storing every joint state and player action needed for the game to deterministically reproduce the fight.
Despite the binary-looking extension, .rpl files are plain text and can be opened in any text editor. The file begins with the hashbang line #!/usr/bin/toribash, followed by a VERSION declaration (currently VERSION 6). Subsequent lines encode per-frame joint positions and match parameters. Lines starting with # are treated as comments and ignored by the game.
Because the format is human-readable and editable, the Toribash community practices "replay hacking" - manually modifying joint-state lines to create otherwise impossible or stylized movements. Edited replays are shared widely on community forums.
Replays are saved to the replay/ folder inside the Toribash installation directory and loaded from the in-game replay browser. The game has been free-to-play since November 2007 and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Note that .rpl is also the extension of the obsolete ARMovie/Replay16 video format from early-1990s Acorn RISC OS - an entirely unrelated format rarely encountered today.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWRPL files are plain text and cannot execute code. They are only meaningful within Toribash. Safe to open in any text editor.
Format details
in a nutshell- ARMovie Replay16 video (Acorn RISC OS) - Obsolete Acorn RISC OS chunked video format from ~1992; extremely rare outside vintage RISC OS archives.
Programs that open RPL files
Windows2 apps
Notepad++ (text inspection / replay hacking)
Open-source Open .rpl file to view and manually edit joint state data. 
macOS1 app
Linux1 app
Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Text-based game replay script |
| Encoding | UTF-8 / ASCII plain text |
| Magic/ID header | `#!/usr/bin/toribash` (first line of file) |
| Version marker | `VERSION 6` declaration immediately after header |
| Frame data | Per-frame joint states and player actions, one entry per line |
| Comment syntax | Lines prefixed with `#` are ignored by Toribash |
| Typical file size | 2 KB - 500 KB |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Community editing | Manually editable; practice known as "replay hacking" |
| Storage location | `replay/` subfolder of Toribash installation directory |
| Released | 2006 (Toribash initial release) |
| Latest version | Version 6 (used since at least Toribash 2.0) |
RPL conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about RPL files.
