If you currently have a working installation of WWE 2K19 on PC, stop what you’re doing and back up these specific folders immediately. Store them on an external drive or cloud storage.
| File/Folder Path (relative to install directory) | Purpose | Vanilla State Description |
|---------------------------------------------------|---------|----------------------------|
| \pac\ch\ | Character models | Contains .pac files for every wrestler (e.g., ch102.pac = The Rock). |
| \pac\root\ | Global assets | Referees, announce tables, ladders, and generic props. |
| \movies\ | Video files | All entrance videos, TitanTrons, and menu BIKs. |
| \sound\ | Audio commentary & music | Commentator lines (Cole, Graves, Saxton) and menu music. |
| \mods\ (folder) | Custom mod storage | In vanilla state, this folder does not exist. |
| \WWE2K19_x64.exe | Game launcher | The original un-cracked executable (size ~180MB). |
Note: Your save file is not stored in the install directory. On Windows, vanilla save data lives in
%localappdata%\WWE 2K19\. A true vanilla save has never won a championship, changed a move-set, or unlocked John Cena’s “Word Life” attire.
On PC modding forums (PWM, SmackTalks, 2KModz), “vanilla files” refers to original, unmodified game archives (.pac, .pck, .bk2, .dat). Users need them to:
So if you’re seeing this phrase in a download context, it’s likely a backup of untouched game files – not a cracked game, but a restoration tool. These are legal to share if the user owns the game.
Not every vanilla file is equal. Some are notoriously fragile. Prioritize backing up these specific items:
| File/Folder Name | Purpose | Why Vanilla Matters |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| pac/ | Contains all character, arena, and prop models. | Modded characters often break referees or commentary. Vanilla restores order. |
| chunk0.arc & chunk1.arc | The master index files that tell the game where to find data. | Corrupted chunks are the #1 cause of game crashes. Keep a vanilla pair. |
| string/win/string_win.pac | All in-game text and names. | A faulty string file will display "NULL" or garbled text everywhere. |
| sound/ | Entrance music and ring announcer files. | Replaced themes can cause silence; vanilla restores all original music. |
| menu/ | Startup screens, loading screens, and UI elements. | If a menu mod fails, you may be locked out of the game entirely. |
Vanilla includes 180+ unique wrestlers (including DLC if you have the Deluxe version). Standouts:
The downside:
Many current stars (LA Knight, Gunther, Cody Rhodes) are absent. The vanilla files freeze the roster in late 2017–early 2018. Also, create-a-wrestler parts are plentiful but limited – no custom music importing without modding the sound.pck files.
