Multiplatform disc image processor & deduplicated game storage
Convert, extract, scan, verify, fix, and deduplicate disc images across 14 gaming systems.
Then store your entire collection at ~80% space savings with instant virtual-drive mounting.

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NKit is a free, multiplatform disc image processor written in C#/.NET (native AOT compiled). It reads and writes 15+ disc image formats, processes images directly from archives without extraction, and provides scanning, verification, conversion, extraction, fixing, and deduplication — all in one tool.

NKit started nearly 10 years ago as a GameCube/Wii recovery tool. NKit 2 is a full rewrite encompassing all the functionality of dozens of scattered community tools into one unified, cross-platform toolkit.

Four applications ship together:

App	Type	Description
nkit	CLI	Disc image processing (convert, extract, scan, verify, fix, dedupe)
nkit-ui	GUI	Same features with drag-and-drop, progress bars, visual config
nkds	CLI	DataStore management (add, mount, export, compact, verify)
nkds-ui	GUI	Full DataStore UI with storage analysis, per-image stats, mounting

All binaries are native AOT executables — no .NET runtime required. Download, run, done.

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NKDS is a deduplicated game-storage and archiving format. It understands what's inside disc images — not just raw bytes — and uses that knowledge for massive space savings.

Watch the NKDS introduction video

Storage costs money. A full Wii set is 16 TB. Compressed to RVZ that's still ~6 TB. NKDS stores it in under 3 TB — an 83% reduction.

This isn't better compression. It's filesystem-level deduplication — shared system updates, engine libraries, and textures stored once instead of thousands of times, across your entire collection.

• ~80% space savings — Deduplication + Zstandard compression
• Mountable virtual drive — Emulators see regular ISOs, no extraction needed (Dokan/FUSE)
• Byte-perfect reconstruction — Every image verifiable, no data loss
• Crash-safe — Dual-header atomic commits, automatic recovery from power loss
• Flexible storage — Single-file (portable per-game) or multi-file (scalable to hundreds of TB)
• Any source format — ISO, RVZ, WBFS, WUX, CHD, archives — NKDS reads them all
• Multiple workflows — Use nkds / nkds-ui directly, or use NKit's dedupe task (nkit -task dedupe) to create and populate NKDS sets
• Folder storage — Store non-disc content too (MAME sets, versioned ROM collections)
• Export on demand — Reconstruct to any format (ISO, RVZ, WUX, CSO...) directly from the store

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System	Convert	Extract	Fix	Scan	Verify	Dedupe (NKDS)
GameCube	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wii	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wii U	✅	✅	—	✅	✅	✅
PS3	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
PS1 / PS2 / PSP	✅	✅	—	✅	✅	✅
Dreamcast	✅	✅	—	✅	✅	✅
Saturn / Sega CD / CD-i / PC Engine	✅	✅	—	✅	✅	✅
Xbox / Xbox 360	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Default / ISO9660	✅	✅	—	✅	✅	✅

Reads: ISO, RVZ, WIA, WBFS, CISO, WUD, WUX, GCZ, CHD, CSO, ZSO, DAX, JSO, CUE+BIN, GDI, NKit (legacy), CDN/APP, XISO

Writes: ISO, RVZ (Zstandard/LZMA), WBFS, CISO, WUX, CSO, ZSO, APP, CUE, GDI

Process images directly from archives — no temp files, no extraction to disk:

• RAR (1–5) — split, multi-volume, solid
• ZIP / ZipX — split, multi-volume, Zstandard/XZ compression
• 7-Zip — split, solid, Zstandard
• GZip — split

• Convert — Between any readable/writable format pair, lossless or lossy
• Extract — Pull files from disc images with wildcard/regex masks
• Scan — Generate container-independent XML fingerprints
• Verify — Multiple fallback methods (checksums, dat matching, scan comparison)
• Fix — Repair modified images (unscrub, restore partitions, rebuild from IRD)
• Dedupe — Deduplicate to NKDS DataStore

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Platform	Architecture	Notes
Windows	x64, ARM64	No runtime needed. SmartScreen bypass on first run.
Linux	x64, ARM64	chmod +x then run. Legacy builds for older glibc.
macOS	Apple Silicon, Intel	Remove quarantine attribute on first run.

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Releases are published to this repository. Check the Releases page for the latest builds.

For documentation and setup instructions, see the Wiki.

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The source is currently in a private repository while a final refactor is completed. It will be made public soon. The code has been in active development for nearly 10 years and I want it in a clean state before opening it up.

In the meantime:

• Releases are available and fully functional
• Bugs and feature requests are welcome on Discord
• No pull requests yet — the codebase is still moving and I don't want contributors working against a shifting foundation

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Q: When will the source code be released? Soon. The core is done and stable — I'm cleaning up the codebase so it's presentable and maintainable by others. I'll announce it on Discord.

Q: Can I contribute? Not yet. Once the source is public, contributions will be welcome. For now, testing and feedback on Discord is the most valuable help.

Q: Is this free? Yes, always. NKit and NKDS are a hobby and a gift to the communities I enjoy being part of. If you'd like to support the work, you can buy me a beer or sponsor me.

Q: Does NKDS support all systems? The DataStore (add/mount/export) currently supports GameCube, Wii, and Wii U. More systems are coming. NKit itself (convert, extract, scan, verify) already supports all 14 systems.

Q: Do I need to install .NET? No. All releases are native AOT binaries — fully self-contained.

Q: Where do I report bugs? On Discord. Once the source is public, GitHub Issues will be the primary channel.

Q: What about NKit 1 / the old nkit.iso format? NKit 2 reads the legacy nkit.iso/nkit.gcz format but no longer writes it. RVZ replaced it as the recommended compressed format. Use NKit 2 to convert your old nkit files to RVZ.

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Discord	https://discord.gg/YT792u5yWJ
Ko-fi (Donate)	https://ko-fi.com/nanook_
Ko-fi (Sponsor)	https://ko-fi.com/nanook_/tiers
YouTube	https://www.youtube.com/@nanook_nkit
NKDS Launch Video	https://youtu.be/s1tzQhFwMS4

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License will be announced with the source code release.

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NKit & NKDS by Nanook — nearly 10 years of late-night development for game preservation.