Convert ISO to GOD for RGH and JTAG: The End-to-End Workflow
To convert ISO to GOD for RGH or JTAG use, you dump your own disc to an ISO, convert it on a PC with Iso2God or iso2god-rs, transfer the header file and its .data folder to the console, and let the dashboard scan it. Every step is simple; the failures almost always come from skipping the requirement check or splitting the package during transfer, so this guide runs the whole chain in order.
Read this first, because everything else depends on it: playing these GOD packages requires a modded console — JTAG, RGH, or a BadUpdate-class soft exploit — or the Xenia emulator on PC. Iso2God writes packages with an unlocked licence, and a stock retail Xbox 360 only runs Games On Demand content it downloaded itself under its own licences. Converting your own dumps on a PC is fine; expecting an unmodified console to play the result is the one plan that will never work.
Step 0: Confirm your console and dashboard
Know which setup you are targeting before converting, because it decides your transfer route and scan behaviour:
- Aurora — the current default custom dashboard. It scans GOD and extracted games anywhere on the drive, fetches covers and title updates, and runs an FTP server, which makes it the easiest target.
- Freestyle Dash (FSD) — Aurora’s predecessor, still installed on many consoles. Same scanning and FTP ideas, older interface.
- Stock dashboard plus XeXMenu — workable, but GODs must sit in the exact Content path for the stock dash to see them, and multi-disc swapping needs DashLaunch help (see the multi-disc notes below).
Step 1: Dump your disc to an ISO
Start from a disc you own. The conversion tools accept Xbox 360 images in XGD2 and XGD3 formats (and XGD1 for original Xbox), so any faithful dump of your retail disc is suitable input. Keep the ISO on a drive with generous free space: a padded retail image is roughly the full disc size — think in the region of 7 GB for XGD2-era titles and more for XGD3 — and the converter needs room for input and output at the same time. If your dump tool offers to shrink or scrub the image, decline for now; padding decisions belong to the converter, where they are reversible per attempt.
Step 2: Choose your converter
| Situation | Recommended tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC, visual queue, per-game padding control | r4dius Iso2God GUI v1.6.0 | Add ISO, xextool metadata check, None/Partial/Full padding, built-in FTP upload. |
| Linux or macOS, or you prefer scripts | iso2god-rs v1.8.1 | Native binaries for all three desktop platforms, –dry-run checks, end-trim, multithreading. |
| Extracted game folder instead of an ISO | Neither classic tool | Folder input (default.xex / default.xbe) is a feature of the new iso2god-next, not of the GUI fork or upstream rs. |
Both main tools are linked from the download page. The GUI workflow is taught step by step in How to Use Iso2God; the CLI workflow is in the iso2god-rs guide.
Step 3: Convert, with the padding decision made deliberately
In the GUI: Add ISO, confirm Name, Title ID and Media ID from the xextool panel, choose Partial padding as the default, and Convert. In iso2god-rs: run --dry-run first to read the Title ID, then convert with default –trim, or --trim=none for padding-sensitive titles.
Padding is not a detail. Full removal saves the most space and breaks real games; the documented counter-examples are Tetris – The Grand Master Ace (use Partial) and Wolfenstein: The New Order Disc 1 (keep padding for the first conversion). If you are converting a multi-disc release, read Multi-Disc Games with Iso2God before converting disc 1 — several two-disc games want disc 1 as extracted install content and only disc 2 as a GOD. The full padding briefing is Padding Explained.
Step 4: Transfer the package — header and .data together
Conversion produces a header file and a .data folder of Data0000… part files. They are one package. For the stock-dashboard layout, copy both into Content\0000000000000000\<TitleID>\00070000\ using the Title ID you confirmed at conversion time. In Aurora or FSD you can place the pair anywhere and add the location to the dashboard’s content scan paths. The three practical routes — USB drive, direct hard-drive copy, and network FTP — are compared in the GOD transfer guide, and the GUI’s built-in uploader is covered in the FTP upload guide.
The classic transfer mistake is copying only the file you can see in a quick folder listing and leaving the .data folder behind, or letting a file manager rename one piece. The console then shows the game as corrupted content, which sends people debugging a conversion that was never broken.
Step 5: Scan, launch and verify on the console
In Aurora or FSD, run a content scan (or restart the dashboard) and the game should appear with its header title and artwork. Launch it and play past the first loading screens and a save point before you consider the conversion proven. For stock-dash setups, the game appears in the games library only when the Title ID folder and 00070000 subfolder are exactly right — a game that converted perfectly but sits one folder too deep is invisible, not broken.
Where DLC and title updates fit
Downloadable content and title updates are separate STFS packages, not part of your GOD conversion. Even in Aurora and FSD setups where games can live anywhere, DLC still belongs under the Content folder structure for the console to associate it with the title. Convert and prove the base game first; add extras afterwards, one variable at a time.
End-to-end checklist
- Console is JTAG, RGH or BadUpdate-class modded (or the target is Xenia) — stock consoles cannot play these packages.
- ISO dumped from your own disc, unshrunk, with input plus output space available.
- Converter chosen: GUI v1.6.0 on Windows, iso2god-rs on any platform.
- Title ID checked before converting (–dry-run or the xextool panel).
- Padding chosen deliberately — Partial by default, game-specific notes obeyed.
- Header file and .data folder transferred together to the right path.
- Dashboard scan run; game launched and played past a save point before the source ISO is archived.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do the whole thing on a stock Xbox 360 with no PC?
No. Conversion happens on a PC, and the resulting unlocked GOD packages need a modded console to run. The closest console-side relative is NXE2GOD, homebrew that turns disc installs made on a modded console into GOD packages — it still requires the modded console first.
My game shows as corrupted content. What went wrong?
In order of likelihood: the header file and .data folder were separated or renamed during transfer; the package sits in a folder named with the wrong Title ID; or the conversion itself was interrupted. Re-copy the pair together first — it fixes most cases without reconverting.
Does Xenia change any of this?
Only the last step. Current Xenia builds can open GOD packages directly, so the same converted package you would copy to a console can be tested in the emulator on PC. Conversion, padding and package layout are identical.
Is one converter better for RGH use?
Both produce standard GOD containers that Aurora and FSD scan the same way. Choose by platform and workflow: the GUI for visual queueing, padding modes and built-in FTP; iso2god-rs for Linux/Mac, scripting and –dry-run checks. More workflows are in the Tutorials hub.