.RES is a Source 2 (Valve) file (Games). Analyser identifies a .RES file and reads the metadata in its header, right in your browser. Valve has long used .res resource scripts to lay out UI panels and HUD elements, a convention carried from GoldSrc and Source into Source 2. KeyValues, Valve's nested text format, runs through the whole engine, from configuration to asset definitions. Source 2 stores most assets as human-readable text that its resource compiler turns into the packed binary the game loads.

How do I open a .RES file?

Drop a .RES file onto Analyser at https://lab.valjdakosta.com/ and it is identified directly in your browser - no upload, no account and no software to install. Identify and read Valve Source 2 text assets from Deadlock (Citadel), Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Half-Life: Alyx: the gameinfo.gi manifest (game, title, search-path mounts), KeyValues3 files (.kv3 / .vcfg - surfacing the KV3 encoding and format header), the editor templates (.vsnd_template sound events, .vnm_template node graphs, .mks_template sheets), tools UI (.vqlayout, .vsc colours, .qss Qt stylesheets), function-signature databases (.signatures) and text resource/UI layouts (.res, content-gated against binary Windows .res) - each with parsed metadata plus a source preview.

Can I open a .RES file online for free?

Yes. Analyser is a free online .RES identifier that runs entirely in your browser - your .RES file never leaves your device, so there is nothing to upload and no software to install. It even works offline once installed.

.RES file - what it is and how to identify it online

Click here to analyse any file

Home › Formats › .RESID

What is a .RES file?

.RES is a Source 2 (Valve) file (Games). Analyser identifies a .RES file and reads the metadata in its header, right in your browser.

Did you know: Valve has long used .res resource scripts to lay out UI panels and HUD elements, a convention carried from GoldSrc and Source into Source 2.
KeyValues, Valve's nested text format, runs through the whole engine, from configuration to asset definitions.
Source 2 stores most assets as human-readable text that its resource compiler turns into the packed binary the game loads.
What Analyser reads: Identify and read Valve Source 2 text assets from Deadlock (Citadel), Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Half-Life: Alyx: the gameinfo.gi manifest (game, title, search-path mounts), KeyValues3 files (.kv3 / .vcfg - surfacing the KV3 encoding and format header), the editor templates (.vsnd_template sound events, .vnm_template node graphs, .mks_template sheets), tools UI (.vqlayout, .vsc colours, .qss Qt stylesheets), function-signature databases (.signatures) and text resource/UI layouts (.res, content-gated against binary Windows .res) - each with parsed metadata plus a source preview.
Depth of analysis: .RES is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
Open a .RES file: Drag a .RES file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
Related formats: .GI · .KV3 · .VCFG · .VQLAYOUT · .VSC · .QSS · .SIGNATURES · .VSND_TEMPLATE · .VNM_TEMPLATE · .MKS_TEMPLATE. See all supported file types.