.PK3 File Extension

Compressed game data file used by games based on the Quake III engine (id Tech 3), which was developed by id Software; may contain maps, textures, audio clips, or other data used for gameplay; can be modified to create custom game content.

PK3 files are similar to .PAK game data files, but are based on a newer format. Since PK3 files are compressed using Zip compression, they can be renamed with a .ZIP file extension and extracted using a file decompression program such as Corel WinZip or PKWARE PKZIP.

Quake III PK3 files should be saved in one of the following directories: quake3/q3ut3, quake3/baseq3, or quake3arena/q3ut3.

NOTE: Examples of games that were developed using the id Tech 3 engine include Quake III Arena, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and Call of Duty Classic.

Data file used by ZDoom, an application used for running older games such as Doom, Heretic, and Hexen; saved in a compressed .ZIP format and contains graphics, sounds, maps, and other data; used as an alternative to the .WAD format for packaging game data.