GDV File

What are GDV files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a GDV file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your GDV files.

What is a GDV file?

A .GDV file is a Gremlin Digital Video file.

Gremlin Digital Video is a proprietary video format developed by Gremlin Interactive for storing full-motion video sequences (cutscenes, intros, in-game cinematics) in several of its CD-ROM games from the 1990s, including Realms of the Haunting, Hardwar, Jungle Strike and Normality. It combines video and audio in a single file, optimized for playback on the hardware of its era.

The format supports palettized 8-bit video (256-color) and audio in various PCM or DPCM encodings. Internally it uses a header that specifies number of frames, framerate, whether audio is present and its format (sample width, channels), and video bit-depth. Palette data precedes the first frame when using 8-bit video. Video frames are stored in chunks; each chunk may include compressed video (using a variety of LZ-77-derived and palette update methods), optional changes per frame, or reuse of previous frame content. Audio data is interleaved per frame or chunk depending on flags.

Files begin with a magic number in the first four bytes: the byte sequence 0x94 0x19 0x11 0x29.

How to open GDV files

We have identified one GDV opener that is compatible with this specific type of GDV file.

Programs that open Gremlin Digital Video files

Last updated: August 6, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of GDV files. Remember, different programs may use GDV files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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