Getting Started

This guide walks you through the basics of using Source 2 Viewer to browse, preview, and export Source 2 game assets.

Downloading Source 2 Viewer

Download the latest release from s2v.app.

Source 2 Viewer is portable and requires no installation. Just run the executable directly.

• Source 2 Viewer (GUI) is Windows-only. It can be run on Linux/macOS using Wine.
• Source2Viewer-CLI (command-line) is cross-platform. Download for your target platform is available in the changelog section.

Using the Explorer

The Explorer tab is the main way to browse game files. It opens by default on launch (this can be disabled in settings) and is accessible from the top bar. It automatically discovers all installed Steam games and their VPK archives, including workshop content. Click a game to expand it and browse its files.

The Explorer also shows:

• Recent files at the top, so you can quickly reopen files you've worked with before
• Bookmarks for files you've saved for later. Right-click any file and select bookmark to add it

Opening Files Manually

There are several ways to open files:

• Use File → Open (Ctrl+O) to browse for any .vpk file or individual Source 2 files (.vmdl_c, .vtex_c, etc.)
• Drag and drop files or folders directly onto the window

Opening VPK Links

A file inside a VPK can be opened directly with a vpk: link, made of the package path, a colon, and the path inside it:

vpk:steam:730/game/csgo/maps/de_dust2.vpk:maps/de_dust2.vmap_c

• The package path is either a full path, or relative to an installed Steam app as steam:<appid>/, which works on any computer with that game installed.
• Right-click a file and choose Copy URL to get its link. It uses the steam: form when the package belongs to an installed Steam app.
• Pass the link to Source2Viewer.exe on the command line to open the file.
• After Register .vpk file association in settings, clicking a vpk: link anywhere opens it in Source 2 Viewer.
• A file in a VPK nested inside another uses one more colon: vpk:outer_dir.vpk:maps/inner.vpk:models/file.vmdl_c.
• A % in a path is written as %25.

Searching

Press Ctrl+F to open the search dialog. It supports several search modes:

• File Name (Partial Match)
• File Name (Exact Match)
• File Full Path
• Regex
• File Contents (Case Sensitive)
• File Contents Hex Bytes

Results are shown in a list with file name, size, and type columns.

Previewing Assets

Double-click any file to open it in a new tab. Different file types get specialized viewers:

• Models (.vmdl_c) → 3D viewer with orbit, pan, zoom
• Textures (.vtex_c) → Image viewer with channel isolation (RGB, Alpha)
• Sounds (.vsnd_c) → Audio player with waveform
• Maps (.vmap_c) → 3D map viewer
• Materials (.vmat_c) → Material parameter viewer
• Other formats → Text/hex viewer

A preview mode can be enabled in settings. When active, selecting a file in the tree will automatically display it instead of showing the file list.

Relevant keyboard shortcuts are shown at the bottom of each viewer.

Exporting Files

Right-click a file to access two export modes:

• Export as is saves the raw compiled file without any conversion. Use this when you need the original Source 2 format.
• Decompile & export converts files to standard editable formats. The output format can be chosen in the save dialog:
  • Models → glTF (.gltf/.glb) or decompiled .vmdl
  • Maps → glTF or decompiled .vmap (for Hammer Editor)
  • Textures → PNG, JPG, or EXR (for HDR textures)
  • Sounds → WAV or MP3
  • Materials → .vmat
  • Physics (.vphys_c) and navigation meshes (.nav) → glTF
  • Other resources → Their decompiled text format

TIP

"Decompile & export" is what most people want. It produces files you can directly open in Blender, image editors, audio players, or Hammer Editor.

Batch Operations

• Select multiple files: Hold Ctrl and click to select individual files, or hold Shift to select a range
• Export entire folders: Right-click a folder and choose an export option to export everything inside it

TIP

For large batch exports, consider using the command-line utility which supports multi-threaded extraction.

Issues

If you have questions or want to chat, join the Discord server.

If you want to report a bug or request a feature, see the reporting issues guide.