emulator: RealRTCW
type: standalone
core_classification: enhanced_fork
source: "https://github.com/wolfETPlayer/RealRTCW"
upstream: "https://github.com/wolfETPlayer/RealRTCW"
profiled_date: "2026-10-20"
source_commit: "ad529d588e4dec717aff0779f9d1555eddc1e2be"
core_version: "5.2"
display_name: "RealRTCW"
mode: standalone
cores:
  - rtcw
systems: [return-to-castle-wolfenstein]

notes: |
  Single-player overhaul of Return to Castle Wolfenstein built on the iortcw
  SP engine. RetroBat installs RealRTCW.x64.exe with its renderer and game
  module DLLs, which report RealRTCW 5.2, the tag dated the same day as the
  package build. emulatorlauncher runs it with fs_homepath set to roms/rtcw
  and fs_game set to the folder of the .rtcw file, and refuses to start
  unless roms/rtcw/Main holds z_zrealrtcw_ui.pk3, pak0.pk3 and
  sp_pak1.pk3 to sp_pak4.pk3
  (emulatorLauncher Generators/PortsLauncher.Configuration.cs:1362-1420).

  BASEGAME is "main" and the Windows home path is RealRTCW\5.1. On Windows the
  Steam install of RTCW (app 9010) is added as a search path, found through
  its Main\pak0.pk3.
  ref: code/qcommon/q_shared.h:58-72, code/sys/sys_win32.c:157-163

  The engine stops with a fatal error when main/pak0.pk3 is missing, or
  present with a checksum other than 1886207346. A demo pak0 under demomain/
  (checksum 2985661941) is accepted with a warning and skips the point-release
  check. Otherwise the four point-release paks are required: a missing one is
  fatal, a checksum outside the five language tables only prints a warning.
  ref: code/qcommon/files.c:180-225, code/qcommon/files.c:3782-3889,
       code/qcommon/files.c:3904-4034

  The mod's own assets ship in the RealRTCW 5.2 package as eleven further pk3
  archives in main/, which the engine loads in name order like any other pak,
  without naming or checking them. Their z_ prefixes sort them after the
  retail paks so their files win. The package also carries
  realrtcwdefault.cfg, which the engine requires, and autoexec.cfg.
  ref: code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, code/qcommon/files.c:3300-3340,
       code/qcommon/files.c:4364-4368,
       code/qcommon/common.c:1939-1955

files:
  - name: "pak0.pk3"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/pak0.pk3"
    required: true
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:183-185, 3927-3949, 4011-4029"
    note: "RTCW retail base. Checksum 1886207346, fatal when missing or when the checksum differs."
    unsourceable: "retail data the collection does not hold, and a same-named file of another game must not stand in"

  - name: "sp_pak1.pk3"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/sp_pak1.pk3"
    required: true
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:188, 196, 204, 212, 220, 3782-3889"
    note: "Fatal when missing. One checksum per language (en/fr/gm/it/sp), and a mismatch prints a warning."

  - name: "sp_pak2.pk3"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/sp_pak2.pk3"
    required: true
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:189, 197, 205, 213, 221, 3782-3889"
    note: "Fatal when missing."

  - name: "sp_pak3.pk3"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/sp_pak3.pk3"
    required: true
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:190, 198, 206, 214, 222, 3782-3889"
    note: "Fatal when missing."

  - name: "sp_pak4.pk3"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/sp_pak4.pk3"
    required: true
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:191-192, 199-200, 207-208, 215-216, 223-224, 3782-3889"
    note: "Fatal when missing. GOTY edition pak, one checksum (4131017020) for every language."

  - name: "pak0.pk3"
    description: "Single-player demo"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "demomain/pak0.pk3"
    required: false
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:181, 3920-3925, 3993-4008, 4032-4033"
    note: "Checksum 2985661941. Stands in for main/pak0.pk3 with a warning, and the point-release check is skipped."

  - name: "realrtcwdefault.cfg"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/realrtcwdefault.cfg"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    size: 3981
    sha1: 94861a3fa25583581146898160a78e9c1326e7af
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:4364-4368, code/qcommon/files.c:4403-4422, code/qcommon/common.c:1939-1941"
    note: "Default bindings and settings. FS_InitFilesystem and FS_Restart stop with a fatal error when it cannot be read, and Com_ExecuteCfg executes it first at startup."

  - name: "autoexec.cfg"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/autoexec.cfg"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 174
    sha1: 40f25a7d6434fadf07a8cb642f8413c323352284
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/common.c:1949-1955"
    note: "Executed after realrtcwconfig.cfg unless safe mode is on. The 5.2 copy executes xbox.cfg and dlc1.cfg."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_localization.pk3"
    description: "Mod localization assets"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_localization.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 56031325
    sha1: 382ce141f9e2f4823eab11f3d7940a6b630d7ee2
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_maps.pk3"
    description: "Mod maps"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_maps.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 105504914
    sha1: 2e5b8d28bf2b433d73c51ede8eecf2d84dd4e642
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_models.pk3"
    description: "Mod models"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_models.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 207704226
    sha1: f8bb353657e76a277387b0d13b85b9f4e80591fc
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_models_characters.pk3"
    description: "Mod character models"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_models_characters.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 312770218
    sha1: a31a1e5d2d29197c9329ea41a9f8318a3eb06c0c
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_models_weapons.pk3"
    description: "Mod weapon models"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_models_weapons.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 90678014
    sha1: 31958b5ca4dd05412bfa10dfe8314356e87e774d
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_sounds.pk3"
    description: "Mod sounds"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_sounds.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 437827343
    sha1: 5cc30ffe317f178d15c2321df3496ef0b78f1166
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_realrtcw_textures.pk3"
    description: "Mod textures"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_realrtcw_textures.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 487884661
    sha1: 5ab5eef819aec87631b7feba4071fec47c0ae835
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_zperson.pk3"
    description: "Mod player model overrides"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_zperson.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 3802225
    sha1: b00a3d82bc9139bae385b435c6f6e24a421ecbdf
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_zrealrtcw_ui.pk3"
    description: "Mod menus and UI assets"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_zrealrtcw_ui.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 18699203
    sha1: a598a567a62f4d6810bac11cb34edbac2c4653a6
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_zzrealrtcw_scripts.pk3"
    description: "Mod map scripts"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_zzrealrtcw_scripts.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 533510
    sha1: 787d90c2cf7aa870cd9c602cec835045af572bc4
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."

  - name: "z_zzzsurvival.pk3"
    description: "Survival mode assets"
    category: game_data
    system: return-to-castle-wolfenstein
    path: "main/z_zzzsurvival.pk3"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    size: 66528063
    sha1: c8a6f12b369d13480954b4771d79796c9e569609
    source_ref: "code/qcommon/files.c:3241-3248, 3300-3340"
    note: "Shipped in the RealRTCW 5.2 package, so installed with the mod. Loaded by the pak scan of main/, never named by the code."