PS4 PKG Tool v1.8.0

PS4 PKG Tool v1.8.0 Changelog

Added features

shadPS4 Manager

PS4 PKG Tool now includes a dedicated shadPS4 Manager for setting up shadPS4 and managing installed games.

• Install the recommended shadPS4 build, choose a core version, or adopt an existing installation.
• Optionally install QtLauncher for graphics, controller and audio configuration.
• Install base-game and update PKGs to a configured shadPS4 game library.
• Launch installed games from the Manager or directly from the PKG list.
• View installed-game title, version, compatibility status, size and recent test results.
• Manage shadPS4 builds, switch active builds safely and check for updates on demand.
• Browse, back up and restore shadPS4 save data.
• Show shadPS4 compatibility data in the PKG list, with platform selection and filtering.

Setup and play a game

1. Open Tools > shadPS4 Manager and choose Install shadPS4.
2. Choose the recommended build, a specific core version, or an existing shadPS4 installation.
3. Select a managed-build location and a shadPS4 game-library directory. Optionally install QtLauncher.
4. In the PKG list, select a base-game PKG and any matching update PKG, then choose Install to shadPS4.
5. The selected packages are added to the Tasks tab with the base game ordered before its update. Updates merge into the installed base-game folder and update the displayed version.
6. Open shadPS4 Manager > Games, select the installed game and choose Launch.

Compatibility status is informative only. It does not guarantee that every game, update, configuration or PC will run correctly.

Test games and create compatibility reports

• Use Add Feedback in shadPS4 Manager > Games after testing a game.
• Record the observed status: Nothing, Boots, Menus, In-Game or Playable, plus notes and error details.
• Saved results appear in the game's local test history and recent-results views.
• Use Create Report to prepare a shadPS4 compatibility report from a saved result.
• The report builder pre-fills game and test information, supports Markdown preview and copies the finished report for submission.

Theme

Choose a DarkUI theme in Program Settings to customize the application's appearance. The selected theme is saved and applied across the app.

OrbisPkgTool integration

OrbisPkgTool is the project's native C# PS4 fake-PKG engine. It is a managed replacement for Sony's orbis-pub-cmd.exe and handles supported PKG, PFS, PFSC and PARAM.SFO data, including the required PKG cryptography.

Experimental: Packages generated by OrbisPkgTool have been validated and compared on PC, but they have not been tested on a jailbroken PS4. A successful build or validation does not guarantee that a package will install, launch or play correctly on real hardware. Keep backups and use generated packages at your own risk.

PS4 PKG Tool uses OrbisPkgTool in-process for:

• Reading package metadata and PARAM.SFO data.
• Listing files inside a PKG.
• Full PKG extraction with progress and cancellation.
• Installing games to shadPS4.
• Validating, building, repacking and merging supported fake PKGs.
• Combining a base PKG with its latest update into one merged Game PKG.

Unicode package and destination paths work directly for normal reads and extraction. Program Settings includes an optional OrbisPkgTool temporary-work directory.

Successful repacks clean their work directory when safe. Failed repacks, or repacks whose output remains inside the work directory, keep the work data so the output or diagnostic files are not deleted.

Task Queue

Long-running package work can now be queued and processed sequentially from the Tasks tab.

• Full Extract, Merge PKG, PKG to FFPFSC and Install to shadPS4 run through the queue.
• The queue supports automatic or manual processing and retains tasks between launches.
• Full Extract, PKG to FFPFSC and shadPS4 installation support multiple selected PKGs. shadPS4 installs base packages before updates.

Experimental PKG to FFPFSC conversion

PS4 PKG Tool can convert PS4 PKGs into FFPFSC images for installation testing on jailbroken PS5 systems with ShadowMountPlus.

• Conversion supports one or more selected PKGs and runs through the Task Queue.
• This feature is experimental and has not been broadly tested on real PS5 hardware. Keep the original PKG and verify converted output before relying on it.

Game asset preview

The File Browser now supports game-asset browsing and previewing directly from a PKG.

• Three-pane browser: file tree, file list and preview area.
• Preview supported images, textures, audio, text and bounded hex data.
• Browse supported Unity bundles and serialized .assets files.
• Unity assets show their individual objects first, allowing a specific asset to be selected for preview or texture export.
• Browse supported Unreal PAK and package layouts.

PKG Viewer

PKG Viewer is the standalone viewer for a single .pkg file. Launch PS4 PKG Tool with one PKG file path to open that package directly.

• Package overview, PARAM.SFO data, header/build information and entry lists.
• Trophy and artwork views.
• Full extraction, artwork export and change-info viewing.
• The same three-pane File Browser and asset-preview workflow as the main app.
• Passcode prompt support for protected packages.

File Explorer integration

Enable File Explorer Integration in Program Settings to add a PS4 PKG Tool submenu to the Windows right-click menu for .pkg files. The submenu accepts one or more selected packages; Rename and Copy work with multiple packages, while Validate, Extract and Install to shadPS4 currently handle one package at a time.

• Rename with curated naming formats or a custom format.
• Copy Title, Title ID or Content ID.
• Validate a PKG.
• Extract a PKG with passcode prompting, progress and cancellation.
• Install a PKG to shadPS4 with the same progress flow as the app.

PKG library and management

• Save and load individual PKG manifests.
• Clear the current list without deleting PKGs or the cached manifest.
• Check update PKGs that do not have a loaded base game.
• Organize PKGs by title, title ID, category, region or type.
• Rename packages by install priority and with naming presets.
• Merge a selected base PKG and update PKG.
• Refresh the shadPS4 game list from the Manager.
• Use aligned context actions in both the table and grouped PKG views.
• Export the loaded File Browser tree.

Improvements

• Faster PKG metadata and icon loading.
• Faster selection of larger installed shadPS4 games.
• Trophy archive entries are streamed during archive extraction instead of being buffered all at once.
• Replaced preview images are disposed correctly.

Added settings and interface options

• Added theme selection and reorganized Program Settings.
• Added an optional OrbisPkgTool temporary directory setting.
• Added clearer Compatibility Platform settings for shadPS4 and PS5 backward compatibility data.

Fixed issues

• Required Firmware now reads PARAM.SFO > PUBTOOLINFO > SDK_VER correctly.
• Base-game and update metadata is consistent across directory scans, manifests and dropped PKGs.
• A saved directory with no PKGs no longer prevents other saved directories from loading.
• Fixed File Browser preview state and Back-to-list navigation.
• Fixed errors while typing in the File Browser filter box.
• Fixed inconsistent disabled actions when launching with an empty library.
• Fixed stale package information, artwork and title text remaining after the library becomes empty.