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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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."