File extension BIG
| File type | Electronic Arts Game Resource Package Format |
| Developer | Electronic Arts |
| Ads |
What is a BIG file?
File with a .BIG extension contains reserved data – compressed Electronic Arts game archive. This format is similar to ELF, however, modified and reserved by EA.
Specific resources are utilised by a game during playing. BIG files can be also downloaded as a MOD, in order to modify gameplay of certain games.
Program(s) that can open the .BIG file
Windows
FinalBIG - AssetCacheBuilder
- PlayStation hardware
Dragon UnPACKer 
MultiEx Commander 
Game Extractor 
Command and Conquer: Generals 
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for the Middle Earth 
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 
Need for Speed Undercover 
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - FIFA World Cup
- FIFA 2001
- FIFA 2000
How to open BIG files
If you cannot open the BIG file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports BIG among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the BIG file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the BIG format files
The inability to open and operate the BIG file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Electronic Arts Game Resource Package Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a BIG file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the BIG file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the BIG from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the BIG format
- The BIG file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the BIG file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a BIG file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the BIG file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the BIG file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the BIG file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .a26 | Atari 2600 ROM Image Format |
| .a52 | Atari 5200 Game Image Format |
| .acf | Microsoft Agent HTTP Character Format |
| .acx | Atari ST Program Format |
| .agb | Nintendo Game Boy Advance ROM Image |
| .age3scn | Age Of Empires III Scenario Format |
| .ain | ArcView Attribute Index Format |
| .alr | ADRIFT Language Resource Format |
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.BIG) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected BIG file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the BIG file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. BIG) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.