diff --git a/src/engine/movie.cc b/src/engine/movie.cc
index c042f36..0766a36 100644
--- a/src/engine/movie.cc
+++ b/src/engine/movie.cc
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include <cassert>
 
 #include <sauerlib/stream.hh>
+#include <sauerlib/endian.hh>
 
 #include <shared/command.hh>
 
@@ -615,7 +616,7 @@ struct aviwriter
                 break;
             case AUDIO_U16MSB:
                 for(ushort *dst = (ushort *)data, *end = (ushort *)&data[framesize]; dst < end; dst++)
-#if SDL_BYTEORDER == SDL_BIG_ENDIAN
+#ifdef SAUERLIB_BIG_ENDIAN
                     *dst = endianswap(*dst) ^ 0x0080;
 #else
                     *dst = endianswap(*dst) ^ 0x8000;
diff --git a/src/engine/octaedit.cc b/src/engine/octaedit.cc
index 0a0f59f..1bd99d1 100644
--- a/src/engine/octaedit.cc
+++ b/src/engine/octaedit.cc
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 #include <zlib.h>
 
+#include <sauerlib/endian.hh>
+
 #include <shared/command.hh>
 #include <shared/glemu.hh>
 #include <shared/igame.hh>
diff --git a/src/engine/rendermodel.cc b/src/engine/rendermodel.cc
index 15bc77f..b65780d 100644
--- a/src/engine/rendermodel.cc
+++ b/src/engine/rendermodel.cc
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <new>
 #include <algorithm>
 
+#include <sauerlib/endian.hh>
 #include <sauerlib/encoding.hh>
 #include <sauerlib/stream.hh>
 
diff --git a/src/engine/texture.cc b/src/engine/texture.cc
index 6ba0823..3caee97 100644
--- a/src/engine/texture.cc
+++ b/src/engine/texture.cc
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <zlib.h>
 
 #include <sauerlib/encoding.hh>
+#include <sauerlib/endian.hh>
 
 #include <shared/command.hh>
 #include <shared/igame.hh>
@@ -1255,7 +1256,7 @@ static Texture *newtexture(Texture *t, const char *rname, ImageData &s, int clam
     return t;
 }
 
-#if SDL_BYTEORDER == SDL_BIG_ENDIAN
+#ifdef SAUERLIB_BIG_ENDIAN
 #define RGBAMASKS 0xff000000, 0x00ff0000, 0x0000ff00, 0x000000ff
 #define RGBMASKS  0xff0000, 0x00ff00, 0x0000ff, 0
 #else
diff --git a/src/engine/worldio.cc b/src/engine/worldio.cc
index f0acd5b..faafa99 100644
--- a/src/engine/worldio.cc
+++ b/src/engine/worldio.cc
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 #include <algorithm>
 
+#include <sauerlib/endian.hh>
 #include <sauerlib/encoding.hh>
 
 #include <shared/command.hh>
diff --git a/src/sauerlib/endian.hh b/src/sauerlib/endian.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ada9afc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/sauerlib/endian.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+#ifndef SAUERLIB_ENDIAN_HH
+#define SAUERLIB_ENDIAN_HH
+
+#include <cstdint>
+
+/* we only support modern toolchains, this should be enough */
+#if (defined(__BYTE_ORDER__) && (__BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_BIG_ENDIAN__)) || \
+    defined(__BIG_ENDIAN__)
+#define SAUERLIB_BIG_ENDIAN 1
+#else
+#define SAUERLIB_LITTLE_ENDIAN 1
+#endif
+
+#if defined(__GNUC__)
+inline uint16_t endianswap16(uint16_t n) { return __builtin_bswap16(n); }
+inline uint32_t endianswap32(uint32_t n) { return __builtin_bswap32(n); }
+inline uint32_t endianswap64(uint64_t n) { return __builtin_bswap64(n); }
+#elif defined(_MSC_VER)
+inline uint16_t endianswap16(uint16_t n) { return _byteswap_ushort(n); }
+inline uint32_t endianswap32(uint32_t n) { return _byteswap_ulong(n); }
+inline uint32_t endianswap64(uint64_t n) { return _byteswap_uint64(n); }
+#else
+inline uint16_t endianswap16(uint16_t n) { return (n<<8) | (n>>8); }
+inline uint32_t endianswap32(uint32_t n) {
+    return (n << 24) | (n >> 24) | ((n >> 8) & 0xFF00) | ((n << 8) & 0xFF0000);
+}
+inline uint64_t endianswap64(uint64_t n) {
+    return endianswap32(uint32_t(n >> 32)) | (
+        uint64_t(endianswap32(uint32_t(n))) << 32
+    );
+}
+#endif
+
+template<typename T> inline T endianswap(T n) {
+    union { T t; uint32_t i; } conv;
+    conv.t = n;
+    conv.i = endianswap32(conv.i);
+    return conv.t;
+}
+template<> inline uint16_t endianswap<uint16_t>(uint16_t n) {
+    return endianswap16(n);
+}
+template<> inline int16_t endianswap<int16_t>(int16_t n) {
+    return endianswap16(n);
+}
+template<> inline uint32_t endianswap<uint32_t>(uint32_t n) {
+    return endianswap32(n);
+}
+template<> inline int32_t endianswap<int32_t>(int32_t n) {
+    return endianswap32(n);
+}
+template<> inline uint64_t endianswap<uint64_t>(uint64_t n) {
+    return endianswap64(n);
+}
+template<> inline int64_t endianswap<int64_t>(int64_t n) {
+    return endianswap64(n);
+}
+template<> inline double endianswap<double>(double n) {
+    union { double t; uint i; } conv;
+    conv.t = n;
+    conv.i = endianswap64(conv.i);
+    return conv.t;
+}
+template<typename T> inline void endianswap(T *buf, size_t len) {
+    for (T *end = &buf[len]; buf < end; buf++) {
+        *buf = endianswap(*buf);
+    }
+}
+
+#ifdef SAUERLIB_BIG_ENDIAN
+template<typename T> inline T lilswap(T n) { return endianswap(n); }
+template<typename T> inline T bigswap(T n) { return n; }
+template<typename T> inline void lilswap(T *buf, size_t len) {
+    endianswap(buf, len);
+}
+template<typename T> inline void bigswap(T *buf, size_t len) {}
+#else
+template<typename T> inline T lilswap(T n) { return n; }
+template<typename T> inline T bigswap(T n) { return endianswap(n); }
+template<typename T> inline void lilswap(T *buf, size_t len) {}
+template<typename T> inline void bigswap(T *buf, size_t len) {
+    endianswap(buf, len);
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/sauerlib/stream.hh b/src/sauerlib/stream.hh
index f816b22..6b38bc9 100644
--- a/src/sauerlib/stream.hh
+++ b/src/sauerlib/stream.hh
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define SAUERLIB_STREAM_HH
 
 #include "tools.hh"
+#include "endian.hh"
 
 /* workaround for some C platforms that have these two functions as macros - not used anywhere */
 #ifdef getchar
diff --git a/src/sauerlib/tools.cc b/src/sauerlib/tools.cc
index b51092a..125577f 100644
--- a/src/sauerlib/tools.cc
+++ b/src/sauerlib/tools.cc
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "tools.hh"
 
 #include "encoding.hh"
+#include "endian.hh"
 
 #include <ctime>
 
diff --git a/src/sauerlib/tools.hh b/src/sauerlib/tools.hh
index e8ca511..c550ee9 100644
--- a/src/sauerlib/tools.hh
+++ b/src/sauerlib/tools.hh
@@ -1046,50 +1046,6 @@ template <class T, int SIZE> struct reversequeue : queue<T, SIZE>
     const T &operator[](int offset) const { return queue<T, SIZE>::added(offset); }
 };
 
-static inline bool islittleendian() { union { int i; uchar b[sizeof(int)]; } conv; conv.i = 1; return conv.b[0] != 0; }
-#ifdef SDL_BYTEORDER
-#define endianswap16 SDL_Swap16
-#define endianswap32 SDL_Swap32
-#define endianswap64 SDL_Swap64
-#else
-inline ushort endianswap16(ushort n) { return (n<<8) | (n>>8); }
-inline uint endianswap32(uint n) { return (n<<24) | (n>>24) | ((n>>8)&0xFF00) | ((n<<8)&0xFF0000); }
-inline ullong endianswap64(ullong n) { return endianswap32(uint(n >> 32)) | ((ullong)endianswap32(uint(n)) << 32); }
-#endif
-template<class T> inline T endianswap(T n) { union { T t; uint i; } conv; conv.t = n; conv.i = endianswap32(conv.i); return conv.t; }
-template<> inline ushort endianswap<ushort>(ushort n) { return endianswap16(n); }
-template<> inline short endianswap<short>(short n) { return endianswap16(n); }
-template<> inline uint endianswap<uint>(uint n) { return endianswap32(n); }
-template<> inline int endianswap<int>(int n) { return endianswap32(n); }
-template<> inline ullong endianswap<ullong>(ullong n) { return endianswap64(n); }
-template<> inline llong endianswap<llong>(llong n) { return endianswap64(n); }
-template<> inline double endianswap<double>(double n) { union { double t; uint i; } conv; conv.t = n; conv.i = endianswap64(conv.i); return conv.t; }
-template<class T> inline void endianswap(T *buf, size_t len) { for(T *end = &buf[len]; buf < end; buf++) *buf = endianswap(*buf); }
-template<class T> inline T endiansame(T n) { return n; }
-template<class T> inline void endiansame(T *buf, size_t len) {}
-#ifdef SDL_BYTEORDER
-#if SDL_BYTEORDER == SDL_LIL_ENDIAN
-#define lilswap endiansame
-#define bigswap endianswap
-#else
-#define lilswap endianswap
-#define bigswap endiansame
-#endif
-#elif defined(__BYTE_ORDER__)
-#if __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_LITTLE_ENDIAN__
-#define lilswap endiansame
-#define bigswap endianswap
-#else
-#define lilswap endianswap
-#define bigswap endiansame 
-#endif
-#else
-template<class T> inline T lilswap(T n) { return islittleendian() ? n : endianswap(n); }
-template<class T> inline void lilswap(T *buf, size_t len) { if(!islittleendian()) endianswap(buf, len); }
-template<class T> inline T bigswap(T n) { return islittleendian() ? endianswap(n) : n; }
-template<class T> inline void bigswap(T *buf, size_t len) { if(islittleendian()) endianswap(buf, len); }
-#endif
-
 extern string homedir;
 
 extern char *makerelpath(const char *dir, const char *file, const char *prefix = nullptr, const char *cmd = nullptr);
diff --git a/src/shared/zip.cc b/src/shared/zip.cc
index aff461a..73bcf24 100644
--- a/src/shared/zip.cc
+++ b/src/shared/zip.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 #include <algorithm>
 
+#include <sauerlib/endian.hh>
+
 #include "command.hh"
 
 #include <engine/console.hh> /* conoutf */