Guide
How to play BRSTM files
.brstm file does not open with a double click: everyday players do not know the format. These are all the ways to listen to one, from the simplest to the most technical, and which one suits what you want to do.Updated October 18, 2026
Which option to choose
| You want to… | Best option |
|---|---|
| Listen to your collection with albums, playlists and infinite loops | BRSTM Player, in your browser |
| Listen on your phone, even with the screen off | BRSTM Player with Google Drive |
| Open a single file quickly, without an account | Nikku, in your browser |
| Use a classic desktop program (Windows) | foobar2000 with vgmstream |
| Take it to a player or car stereo that only reads MP3 | Convert it with vgmstream |
Online, in your browser, with BRSTM Player
The most convenient option if you have more than a couple of files: nothing to install, it organizes itself from your folders and it honors each theme's original loop.
Create your free account
With email or Google, on the sign-up page.
Organize your files
One main folder with one subfolder per game and the .brstm files inside. It is explained with a drawing in the help center.
Pick the folder or your Google Drive
On a computer, Chrome, Edge or Opera can open the folder directly; any browser can use Google Drive.
Decide how long each theme plays
Keep the global time, set a time for an album, a playlist or a single track, or press ∞ so a theme never ends.
Your files are not uploaded anywhere: the browser reads them straight from your disk or your Drive.
On your phone (Android and iPhone)
Mobile browsers cannot open folders on the phone, so the practical way is to upload your BRSTM files to Google Drive and play them with BRSTM Player:
Upload your folder to Google Drive
With the same structure: one subfolder per album.
Open brstmplayer.com on your phone
Sign in and connect Google Drive from the ☰ menu.
Add it to your home screen
On Android, browser ⋮ menu › "Install app"; on iPhone, Share › "Add to Home Screen". It opens full screen, like an app.
The music keeps playing with the screen off and you control it from the lock screen.
On a computer, with foobar2000 and vgmstream
foobar2000 is a free player for Windows. On its own it does not read BRSTM, but with the vgmstream component it understands hundreds of game formats:
Install foobar2000
From its official website.
Download the vgmstream component
It is the
foo_input_vgmstreamfile, on the foobar2000 components page.Install it
In foobar2000, open the preferences, go to "Components", click "Install…", choose the downloaded file and restart the program.
Open your BRSTM files
Drag them into a playlist. In vgmstream's options you can set how many times the loop repeats or keep it looping.
vgmstream also has plugins for Winamp and Audacious (Linux) and a command-line version for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Converting to WAV or MP3
If you need the theme in a regular format (for a player that only reads MP3, for editing or for a video), convert it. The key is deciding how many times the loop repeats, because an MP3 has to end at some point. With vgmstream's command-line version:
vgmstream-cli -l 3 -f 10 -o theme.wav theme.brstm
-l 3: the loop repeats three times.-f 10: a 10-second fade at the end so it does not stop abruptly.-o theme.wav: the output file. You can then turn it into an MP3 with Audacity or any converter.
If it does not play
- It is not really a BRSTM: some files have a .brstm extension but are another format (BCSTM, BFSTM, WAV…). Check it with the inspector.
- It is truncated: if the download did not finish, the header promises more audio than there is. The inspector detects that too.
- There is a click on every pass: the loop point is badly placed in the file itself. It needs to be rebuilt; see how to make a looping BRSTM.