What is the TXD file format?
.txd is an archive format used by various games for storing game textures. Textures are bitmap images - ranging from small detail tiles to full 2048×2048 surfaces - used to render the game environment. The format is native to the RenderWare 3D graphics engine developed by Criterion Software, and it appears in many RenderWare-based titles beyond the *Grand Theft Auto* series, including *Manhunt*, *Midnight Club*, *Bully*, and *Tony Hawk's American Wasteland*.
Internally, .txd uses a chunk-based binary stream. An outer Texture Dictionary chunk (type 0x16) wraps one or more Texture Native chunks (type 0x15), each storing a texture name, dimensions, mip-level count, and pixel data. Pixel data may be uncompressed or DXT block-compressed (DXT1/DXT3/DXT5) on PC; PlayStation 2 builds use a big-endian byte order and native PS2 VRAM formats instead. In GTA titles, .txd files are embedded inside .img archives and must be extracted before editing.
TXD files can be modified with external tools. Textures can be replaced with different images to introduce new graphical elements to the game. Many dedicated tools for modifying .txd files are available, including Magic.TXD and TXD Workshop. Using modified TXD files in multiplayer games is frowned upon as it may interfere with gameplay.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPassive binary data file; contains only texture image data. No executable code. Safe to open with trusted tools. No known exploits.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open TXD files
Windows4 apps
Magic.TXD
Open-source File → Open TXD. Supports viewing, editing, and exporting individual textures to PNG/TGA/BMP. Supports GTA III, VC, SA, and other RenderWare games. 
Linux1 app
Magic.TXD
Open-source Build from source or use available Linux binary; same features as Windows version. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary texture archive (RenderWare binary stream) |
| Developer | Criterion Software (RenderWare engine) |
| Magic bytes | 16 00 00 00 at offset 0 (chunk type 0x00000016 - Texture Dictionary) |
| Byte order | Little-endian (PC/Xbox); big-endian (PS2/GameCube) |
| Chunk structure | Outer Texture Dictionary chunk (0x16) wrapping Texture Native chunks (0x15) |
| Texture compression | None (raw) or DXT1/DXT3/DXT5 block compression (PC only) |
| Color depth | 8, 16, or 32 bpp; DXT1 = 4 bpp effective, DXT3/DXT5 = 8 bpp effective |
| Maximum texture dimensions | Power-of-two; up to 2048×2048 px on GTA SA PC |
| Mip-map support | Yes; multiple mip levels per texture stored in each Texture Native chunk |
| Typical file size | 10 KB - 50 MB |
| Platform | Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSP |
| Archive embedding | Stored inside .img archives in GTA games; must be extracted before editing |
| RenderWare versions covered | 3.1-3.7 (GTA III, 2001, through GTA San Andreas, 2004) |
| Released | 2001 (GTA III, first major RenderWare game with TXD archives) |
| Latest version | RenderWare 3.7 (GTA San Andreas, 2004) |
| Specification | gtamods.com |
TXD conversions
Community Q&A
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