diff --git a/filesystem/filesystem.c b/filesystem/filesystem.c
index 39114992..4d42719b 100644
--- a/filesystem/filesystem.c
+++ b/filesystem/filesystem.c
@@ -2490,6 +2490,10 @@ static byte *FS_LoadFile_( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr, const qbo
 	return buf;
 }
 
+byte *FS_LoadFileMalloc( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr, qboolean gamedironly )
+{
+	return FS_LoadFile_( path, filesizeptr, gamedironly, false );
+}
 
 byte *FS_LoadFile( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr, qboolean gamedironly )
 {
@@ -3042,6 +3046,7 @@ fs_api_t g_api =
 	(void *)FS_MountArchive_Fullpath,
 
 	FS_GetFullDiskPath,
+	FS_LoadFileMalloc,
 };
 
 int EXPORT GetFSAPI( int version, fs_api_t *api, fs_globals_t **globals, fs_interface_t *engfuncs );
diff --git a/filesystem/filesystem.h b/filesystem/filesystem.h
index 9a312adc..716fb4d6 100644
--- a/filesystem/filesystem.h
+++ b/filesystem/filesystem.h
@@ -196,6 +196,9 @@ typedef struct fs_api_t
 	void *(*MountArchive_Fullpath)( const char *path, int flags );
 
 	qboolean (*GetFullDiskPath)( char *buffer, size_t size, const char *name, qboolean gamedironly );
+
+	// like LoadFile but returns pointer that can be free'd using standard library function
+	byte *(*LoadFileMalloc)( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr, qboolean gamedironly );
 } fs_api_t;
 
 typedef struct fs_interface_t
diff --git a/filesystem/filesystem_internal.h b/filesystem/filesystem_internal.h
index 266890e9..8ef42183 100644
--- a/filesystem/filesystem_internal.h
+++ b/filesystem/filesystem_internal.h
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ typedef struct searchpath_s
 	int     (*pfnFileTime)( struct searchpath_s *search, const char *filename );
 	int     (*pfnFindFile)( struct searchpath_s *search, const char *path, char *fixedname, size_t len );
 	void    (*pfnSearch)( struct searchpath_s *search, stringlist_t *list, const char *pattern, int caseinsensitive );
-	byte   *(*pfnLoadFile)( struct searchpath_s *search, const char *path, int pack_ind, fs_offset_t *filesize );
+	byte   *(*pfnLoadFile)( struct searchpath_s *search, const char *path, int pack_ind, fs_offset_t *filesize, void *( *pfnAlloc )( size_t ), void ( *pfnFree )( void * ));
 } searchpath_t;
 
 typedef searchpath_t *(*FS_ADDARCHIVE_FULLPATH)( const char *path, int flags );
@@ -181,6 +181,7 @@ qboolean FS_FileCopy( file_t *pOutput, file_t *pInput, int fileSize );
 
 // file buffer ops
 byte *FS_LoadFile( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr, qboolean gamedironly );
+byte *FS_LoadFileMalloc( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr, qboolean gamedironly );
 byte *FS_LoadDirectFile( const char *path, fs_offset_t *filesizeptr );
 qboolean FS_WriteFile( const char *filename, const void *data, fs_offset_t len );