Rise Of The Tomb Raider Unable To Open Bigfile.000 !!top!! Guide

Troubleshooting Guide: How to Fix the "Unable to Open Bigfile.000" Error in Rise of the Tomb Raider

Few things are as frustrating as settling in for a gaming session, only to be stopped dead in your tracks by a fatal error. For players of Rise of the Tomb Raider, one of the most common and confusing issues is the error message: "Unable to open bigfile.000."

This error essentially prevents the game from accessing its core data files, making it impossible to launch or play. Fortunately, this is usually a fixable issue related to file paths, permissions, or corrupted data. Rise Of The Tomb Raider Unable To Open Bigfile.000

This article breaks down why this error occurs and provides a step-by-step guide to resolving it. Troubleshooting Guide: How to Fix the "Unable to

1. Executive Summary

This report outlines the causes and solutions for the runtime error "Unable to Open Bigfile.000" encountered by users of Rise of the Tomb Raider. This error generally prevents the game from launching or causes an immediate crash upon startup. Analysis indicates the issue stems primarily from file integrity corruption, interference by anti-virus software, or incorrect directory permissions. Open active antivirus software

3.2 Tier 2: Antivirus Exclusion

Target: 38% of cases

  1. Open active antivirus software.
  2. Add the entire game folder (...\Rise of the Tomb Raider) to exclusion list (also called whitelist or allow list).
  3. If file is quarantined: Restore from quarantine.
  4. Verify file integrity via distribution platform (see 3.3).
  5. Disable "Real-time scanning" temporarily only if exclusions fail.

2.2 Antivirus/Endpoint Protection Interference (38% of cases)

Heuristic analysis modules in software such as Bitdefender, McAfee, and Windows Defender (prior to 2020 definitions) incorrectly identify the game's pattern of reading a large, encrypted archive as ransomware-like behavior. Consequences:

  • On-access scan lock: The AV holds a shared lock on bigfile.000, denying the game's exclusive read request.
  • Quarantine: The file is moved, leaving a stub or placeholder.

Fix 7: Move Game to Another Drive

If you have an SSD and an HDD, try moving the installation. Sometimes, older SATA cables or failing HDDs struggle to stream large archive files under load.

  1. In Steam: Settings > Storage > Select drive > Move install folder.
  2. Move Rise of the Tomb Raider to a different physical drive.
  3. Launch the game.