PS3:Decrypting PS3 ISOs

If a PS3 is not used to dump a PlayStation 3 disc, the resulting ISO file will be encrypted, resulting in an error when attempting to run the game, usually 80010017. Dumping a disc as an encrypted ISO with ManaGunZ on a PS3 will also show the same error.

There are many methods of decrypting ISOs, and this page will show each method.

PS3Dec Method

Materials Needed

• A Windows computer
• PS3Dec
  • If you wish to compile this app, the source code is found here.
  • A GUI Version of this tool is also available with decryption keys.
• A matching decryption key
  • Get the dkey for your game from Redump or aldostools' repository.
  • Redump also provides an up-to-date zip file of every key here

Using the Command Line

1. Extract the contents of the PS3Dec zip file to its own folder on the computer.
2. Open CMD or Terminal and drag PS3Dec.exe into the cmd window
3. Type d key [dkey here] (When you paste the dkey, you might get an error, just press the up arrow and carry on)
4. Drag the encrypted iso on to the Command Prompt and it will auto insert the location of the ISO
5. Make a copy of the iso in a different folder (e.g. Decrypted Roms), and name the copy something that will remind you it is a decrypted iso
6. Make a space after the speech mark for the input and then drag the copy onto Command Prompt, it will give you an error if you don't do this. Don't click 'Enter' yet
7. Verify that the info entered is structured like this: PS3Dec.exe d key (your dkey here) "(location of encrypted iso)" "(location of output iso)"
8. Once verified, press 'Enter'.
9. Wait for the iso to decrypt
10. Once decrypted, open the ISO in any zip extractor, and look for LICDIR in PS3_GAME, then extract LIC.DAT, if successfully decrypted then it should start with "PS3LICDA".
11. However, not all games have LICDIR (e.g Wall.E) which means you have to extract the eboot.bin. When you open the eboot.bin (recommended to open in Notepad++), the eboot should start with SCE if decrypted successfully. (If in folder format, you can use RPCS3 to see if it opens as well)
12. Once it is verified that it is decrypted, you are good to go.

Using the GUI Version

1. Extract the contents of the PS3Dec Simple GUI zip file to its own folder on the computer.
2. Run the PS3Dec Simple GUI.exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.

PS3 Disc Dumper Method

Materials Needed

• A Windows, Linux, or macOS computer
• PS3 Disc Dumper

Usage

1. Mount the desired ISO as a virtual disc.
   • On Linux you may need to confirm auto-mount or to mount the ISO manually (either through file manager or via console command $ mount)
   • To manually mount an ISO on Windows, right click the file and click Mount
2. Put the ps3-disc-dumper executable in any folder
   • On Linux, make the file executable (via Properties > Permissions or via console command $ chmod +x ./ps3-disc-dumper)
3. Start the dumper
4. Follow the on-screen instructions
   • By default, this program dump/convert the ISO into a folder. The folder format game can now be transferred to a PS3 inside the /GAMES folder.

3k3y Method

Materials Needed

• A Windows computer
• a matching IRD file
• PS3ISOPatcher (mirror)
• 3K3Y (mirror)
• Optional: Media:3k3y_iso_tools_user_manual_v1.0.pdf

Finding a matching IRD file

1. Find the TitleID of the ISO.
   • This is required as a single game can have multiple releases over multiple regions.
   • If the titleID of a game is unknown, it can be found using the following method:
   1. Drag and drop the ISO file into HxD or other similar hex editor program and find the titleID next to the "PlayStation3" text, OR
   2. Mount the ISO or open it in a file explorer such as 7-zip or Winrar.
   3. Locate either PS3_DISC.SFB or PARAM.SFO and open the file with a hex editor program.
   4. Inside the hex editor program, find the titleID, it will be in the form of ABCD12345 or ABCD-12345 e.g. "BCES00510".
2. Open a web browser and navigate to Aldo's PS3 IRD database or alternate database.
3. In the search bar, enter the titleID previously found, and download the corresponding IRD file.
   • If a matching IRD cannot be found, the ISO cannot be decrypted and will need to be dumped from a PS3 console instead of from a PC.

Patching the ISO

1. Extract "patcher.zip".
2. Open test_patcher.exe, select the matching ISO and IRD files, and press "Patch" once ready.

Decrypting the ISO

1. Extract "3k3y.zip".
2. Open IsoTools.exe, and select "ISO Crypto"
3. Navigate to and select the ISO and select "Open".
   • A file with the extension ".dec.iso" should be created in the same directory as the ISO.
   • This decrypted ISO can now be transferred to a PS3 inside /PS3ISO and played without any extra steps. If you wish to have the game in folder format, follow the fourth step.
4. Still in 3k3Y, select Tools > ISO > Extract ISO, open the ".dec.iso" file, and in the file explorer prompt, create a new directory for the extracted files to go into.
   • A new folder is created because that will be the folder transferred over to the PS3. The folder format game can now be transferred to a PS3 inside the /GAMES folder.