Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Unable To Open - Bigfile.000

HEADLINE: Stuck in the Darkness: Fixing the "Unable to Open bigfile.000" Error in Shadow of the Tomb Raider

By [Your Name/Tech Desk]

Few things ruin a gaming session faster than a crash to the desktop just as you are about to explore a hidden tomb. For players diving into Lara Croft’s darkest adventure, the error message "Unable to open bigfile.000" has become a notorious boss fight in itself. shadow of the tomb raider unable to open bigfile.000

This error usually occurs right at launch or during a transition between levels, preventing the game from reading critical asset data. If you are staring at this cryptic message, don't worry—you don't need to reinstall the entire game just yet. Here is a breakdown of why this happens and how to fix it.

2. Run the Game as Administrator (Permissions Issue)

Sometimes the game lacks permission to read bigfile.000. HEADLINE: Stuck in the Darkness: Fixing the "Unable

  1. Locate the game’s .exe:
    • Steam\steamapps\common\Shadow of the Tomb Raider\SOTTR.exe
  2. Right-click SOTTR.exe → Properties → Compatibility tab.
  3. Check Run this program as an administrator → OK.
  4. Launch the game again.

Alternatively, ensure the game folder isn’t set to Read-only. Right-click the game folder → Properties → uncheck “Read-only” → Apply to all subfolders.

Method 7: Advanced Fix – Force Recreate bigfile.000

In rare cases, the file exists but is flagged internally as "in use" or "corrupt" even after verification. You can manually force the game launcher to rebuild it. Locate the game’s

  1. Navigate to your game folder (e.g., steamapps/common/Shadow of the Tomb Raider).
  2. Locate bigfile.000.
  3. Rename it to bigfile.000.BACKUP (do not delete it yet – safety first).
  4. Run the Verify integrity of game files process again (see Method 3).
  5. The launcher will see that bigfile.000 is missing and will download a fresh, working copy.
  6. Once the game runs successfully, you can delete the backup file.

Fix 2: Verify Game File Integrity

If the file is missing or corrupted, your game launcher can fix it. This will not delete your saves.

For Steam:

  1. Right-click Shadow of the Tomb Raider in your Library.
  2. Select Properties → Installed Files.
  3. Click Verify integrity of game files.
  4. Wait for the process to complete. Steam will detect that bigfile.000 is wrong and re-download it (approx. 15-20 GB).

For Epic Games Store:

  1. Click your Library.
  2. Click the three dots next to Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
  3. Select Verify.