Convert WOTREPLAY to AVI

A .wotreplay file must be rendered as video when a match needs to be edited, shared, archived, or opened by a player that does not support World of Tanks replays. Because it contains replay data rather than video frames, the conversion requires playing it in the game client and capturing the rendered screen.

What the WOTREPLAY format is

.wotreplay is the replay format used by the Windows version of World of Tanks. It stores battle data that the client uses to reconstruct the match, including vehicle and event information and playback state; it is not a video stream.

World of Tanks players use these files to review battles, analyze gameplay, and share match records with other players. Open a replay from the game's replay folder or associate the extension with the World of Tanks executable. Playback generally requires a client version compatible with the version that created the file; a game update can make older replays unavailable or alter their playback.

Standard video editors, media players, and online file converters normally cannot interpret this proprietary replay data. There is no reliable direct or batch conversion that bypasses the game client.

What the AVI format is

AVI is a video container supported by older editing software, media players, and some legacy hardware. It can contain different video and audio codecs, so two .avi files can have very different quality, size, and compatibility.

For legacy workflows, MPEG-4 Part 2 with MP3 audio or Motion JPEG with PCM audio are practical choices. AVI usually produces larger files and has fewer modern features than H.264 or H.265 in an MP4 container, so use it when the target application or device specifically requires AVI.

How to capture the replay

Use OBS Studio

1. Install OBS Studio from obsproject.com and launch World of Tanks.
2. Create an OBS scene and add Sources → Game Capture. Select the running game process. If Game Capture fails, try Window Capture or Display Capture.
3. Set the capture resolution and frame rate in Settings → Video. Use the game's native resolution where possible and choose 30 or 60 FPS according to the replay, system performance, and intended output.
4. Set the recording directory in Settings → Output → Recording. MKV is safer than direct MP4 if the game or OBS may crash; FFmpeg can read the resulting MKV file directly.
5. Open the .wotreplay file in World of Tanks, set the desired camera view and playback position, start recording in OBS, then start or resume the replay.
6. Stop OBS when playback ends. The capture includes everything rendered in the selected game window or display, including interface elements, camera movement, replay controls, and any visible notifications.

Encode the capture as AVI

FFmpeg is a suitable desktop converter for the captured video. Install it from ffmpeg.org, open a terminal in the recording folder, and run:

ffmpeg -i recording.mkv -c:v mpeg4 -q:v 3 -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k output.avi

Replace recording.mkv with the actual filename. This creates an AVI using MPEG-4 Part 2 video and MP3 audio, a combination supported by many older applications. With FFmpeg's quality scale, a lower -q:v value generally means higher quality and a larger file; values from 2 to 5 are common starting points.

For a capture without audio, use:

ffmpeg -i recording.mkv -c:v mpeg4 -q:v 3 -an output.avi

For easier frame-by-frame editing at the cost of much larger files, use Motion JPEG. This example keeps MP3 audio:

ffmpeg -i recording.mkv -c:v mjpeg -q:v 3 -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k output.avi

If the target software requires uncompressed PCM audio, replace the audio options with -c:a pcm_s16le; the resulting AVI will be substantially larger.

Quality and compatibility limits

Encoding cannot restore detail lost during capture. Capture at the game's native resolution, avoid unnecessary scaling, and use a frame rate that the computer can record consistently. The final video reflects the replay's rendered playback rather than an original video source, so graphics settings, camera choices, overlays, and client-version differences affect the result.

AVI does not guarantee compatibility by itself because the codec inside the container matters. MPEG-4 Part 2 is a reasonable legacy choice, while Motion JPEG is more editing-friendly but much larger. H.264 or HEVC inside AVI may fail in older software even when the extension is correct.

Reputable online converters generally cannot convert .wotreplay files because they do not run the required World of Tanks client and cannot reconstruct the battle. Use a local client and screen-capture workflow; upload the rendered recording only if an online service is needed for a later, ordinary video-format conversion.