A TIC file contains a TIC-80 game, which is an 8-bit retro-style game that can be played with the TIC-80 virtual fantasy gaming console. It stores assets for a game, which includes compiled TIC-80 source code, sprites, tiles, sprite flag data, sound effects, maps, and audio data featured in the game.

TIC-80 is a free program used to create tiny 2D games that can be shared with and played by other gamers. After creating a game in TIC-80, the program creates a TIC file to store all the required information to run the game. TIC files are typically saved in cart.tic by default. TIC-80 games can be run in TIC-80 in Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. TIC-80 games may also be uploaded to the TIC-80 site and played through a web browser.