Fair use does not apply to downloading compressed copies for convenience; only personal backups from your own disc are arguable (and even then, circumvention is illegal under DMCA Section 1201).
The story exposes a hard technical reality:
Since you cannot play a ".rar" file, follow these steps for success. Ps3 Iso Games Highly Compressed
Before you fill a hard drive with compressed ISOs, understand the golden rule of PS3 backups:
"Highly compressed for storage" is not the same as "Highly compressed for playing." Fair use does not apply to downloading compressed
| Format | Storage Size | Playable on PS3? | Playable on Emulator? | Extraction Time | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Original ISO | Large (25GB) | Yes (via WebMan) | Yes | None | | Folder Format (JB) | Medium (20GB) | Yes | Yes | None | | Highly Compressed .7z/.rar | Small (6GB) | No | No (must extract) | 10–30 minutes | | CSO (Compressed ISO) | Small (8GB) | Yes (via Mod) | Yes | Instant |
Crucial Note: Most files labeled "Highly Compressed PS3 ISO" are actually archive files (.7z, .rar, .zip). You cannot play them directly. You must extract them back to an ISO or folder format before loading them into RPCS3 or your PS3. "Highly compressed for storage" is not the same
If you search for a game like Grand Theft Auto V (which is roughly 18GB on the PS3) and find a link claiming to be "Highly Compressed to 100MB," it is almost certainly a fake.
This is the most important section. Abandonware is not legal.
Pro tip: You can create your own highly compressed PS3 ISOs from your own discs using tools like "PS3 ISO Tool" or "3k3y Iso Maker" without downloading anything illegally.
| Claim | Reality | |-------|---------| | “God of War III (35 GB) compressed to 1.5 GB” | Impossible – would require removing 95% of data. Such downloads are either fake, password-protected malware, or link farms. | | “Works on any CFW/HEN” | Usually false. Modified ISOs often require specific loaders or fail to boot. | | “No quality loss” | Mathematically impossible for lossless compression >15% on already compressed game data. | | “Extract and play” | If it’s a standard ISO, extraction yields original size – no net saving. |
