diff --git a/src/openrct2/core/Endianness.h b/src/openrct2/core/Endianness.h
index 16d024cfbc..e0d065f512 100644
--- a/src/openrct2/core/Endianness.h
+++ b/src/openrct2/core/Endianness.h
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ template<size_t size> struct ByteSwapT
 
 template<> struct ByteSwapT<1>
 {
+    typedef uint8_t UIntType;
     static uint8_t SwapBE(uint8_t value)
     {
         return value;
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ template<> struct ByteSwapT<1>
 
 template<> struct ByteSwapT<2>
 {
+    typedef uint16_t UIntType;
     static uint16_t SwapBE(uint16_t value)
     {
         return (uint16_t)((value << 8) | (value >> 8));
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ template<> struct ByteSwapT<2>
 
 template<> struct ByteSwapT<4>
 {
+    typedef uint32_t UIntType;
     static uint32_t SwapBE(uint32_t value)
     {
         return (uint32_t)(((value << 24) | ((value << 8) & 0x00FF0000) | ((value >> 8) & 0x0000FF00) | (value >> 24)));
@@ -41,6 +44,7 @@ template<> struct ByteSwapT<4>
 
 template<> struct ByteSwapT<8>
 {
+    typedef uint64_t UIntType;
     static uint64_t SwapBE(uint64_t value)
     {
         value = (value & 0x00000000FFFFFFFF) << 32 | (value & 0xFFFFFFFF00000000) >> 32;
@@ -52,5 +56,7 @@ template<> struct ByteSwapT<8>
 
 template<typename T> static T ByteSwapBE(const T& value)
 {
-    return ByteSwapT<sizeof(T)>::SwapBE(value);
+    typedef ByteSwapT<sizeof(T)> ByteSwap;
+    typename ByteSwap::UIntType result = ByteSwap::SwapBE(reinterpret_cast<const typename ByteSwap::UIntType&>(value));
+    return *reinterpret_cast<T*>(&result);
 }
diff --git a/test/tests/Endianness.cpp b/test/tests/Endianness.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b673360797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/tests/Endianness.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#include "openrct2/core/Endianness.h"
+
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+
+TEST(SwapBETest, ForUInt8_DoesNothing)
+{
+    uint8_t before = 0x12;
+    uint8_t after = ByteSwapBE(before);
+    ASSERT_EQ(before, after);
+}
+
+TEST(SwapBETest, ForUInt16_SwapsBytes)
+{
+    uint16_t before = 0x1234;
+    uint16_t after = ByteSwapBE(before);
+    ASSERT_EQ(0x3412u, after);
+}
+
+TEST(SwapBETest, ForUInt32_SwapsBytes)
+{
+    uint32_t before = 0x12345678;
+    uint32_t after = ByteSwapBE(before);
+    ASSERT_EQ(0x78563412u, after);
+}
+
+TEST(SwapBETest, ForUInt64_SwapsBytes)
+{
+    uint64_t before = 0x1234567887654321;
+    uint64_t after = ByteSwapBE(before);
+    ASSERT_EQ(0x2143658778563412u, after);
+}
+
+TEST(SwapBETest, ForCustomBlittableType_SwapsBytes)
+{
+    struct MyStruct
+    {
+        uint16_t value;
+    };
+
+    MyStruct before = { 0x1234 };
+    MyStruct after = ByteSwapBE(before);
+    ASSERT_EQ(0x3412, after.value);
+}
diff --git a/test/tests/tests.vcxproj b/test/tests/tests.vcxproj
index f4d448af46..cc19c85c7f 100644
--- a/test/tests/tests.vcxproj
+++ b/test/tests/tests.vcxproj
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
   <ItemGroup>
     <ClCompile Include="CircularBuffer.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="CryptTests.cpp" />
+    <ClCompile Include="Endianness.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="LanguagePackTest.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="ImageImporterTests.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="IniReaderTest.cpp" />