You have finally decided to follow your heart and develop your first ever PC game, to finally pursue the career you have always dreamed about! You have heard about game localization, did a little bit of research and read about the many benefits it can bring your way, but you still feel a little lost and intimidated. You’ve come to the right place! This guide will help you get a general idea on the best languages to localize your PC Game into and the best markets to dive in. Plus some tips to help you make a more informed decision.
Make yourself comfortable and without further ado let’s get started.
Key factors to consider in game localization
First thing first, you need to know that there are a lot of factors to take into consideration in addition to language. Each language will target a specific market, but each market has its own preferences, habits, size etc. As they say, it takes all sorts to make the world. Here are a couple of factors worth considering.
Market Preferences
Player preferences and expectations vary depending on the region. A gameplay style or storyline that resonates with players in one part of the world might not have the same appeal elsewhere. Understanding regional gaming preferences and popular genres is a key step to create an experience that appeals to the intended audience.
Overcrowding
Competition can be ruthless, and sometimes certain markets can be overcrowded with competitors. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make success in an overcrowded market, however it can make things a lot more difficult, and your game can even go unnoticed if it doesn’t bring anything new.
Market Demographics
Market demographics also is an important aspect to look into. Having a general idea of age, gender, spending habits etc. should be an important aspect to take into consideration in addition to languages, as all these factors play an important role in determining a player’s preferred genre, gameplay style and spending habits. In the field of marketing this is called a buyer persona.
The Best Languages and Markets for PC Game Localization
Now that we got that out of the way, we can finally talk about languages. And here comes the crucial question you’ve all been waiting us to answer:
What are the best languages to localize your PC into?
English
Yes, English. English remains one of the best languages to localize your PC game into, as it is a dominating language in the global gaming market. English is also the perfect starting point if you are operating on a budget and are not ready to tackle game localization on a larger scale. Plus, localizing your PC game into English first can serve as the “launching platform” for a wider localization strategy. By localizing your PC game in English, you will be able to target two of the largest markets worldwide, Canada and the US.
Chinese – Simplified Chinese
China is a huge market when it comes to PC gaming. As a matter of fact, Simplified Chinese is tied with English for the most popular languages on Steam, at around 30/35%. Simplified Chinese is projected to have around 730 million speaking players worldwide. Additionally, around one third of the global PC gaming revenue is generated just by China domestically, making China the biggest market worldwide and one of the best languages to localize your PC game into.
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazil has become a sper-star in the South American scene, counting 103 million gamers. Even though PC gamers account for only around 25% of the whole gaming population, localizing your PC game for the Brazilian market could still be a beneficial move. Growing bigger day after day, Brazil is a very promising market.
Russian
While gaming consoles are not as popular in Russia as they might be in other markets, PC gaming is on a whole other level. As a matter of fact, the most profitable and popular gaming platform is PC, taking up almost 50% of the market share, followed by mobile gaming. As a bonus, Russia also boasts a very high number of streamers, which might be something to consider from a marketing point of view. Think about how much more visibility your game will get from a partnership with a streamer. Never say never.
Japanese
We could all see Japan making this list from miles away. What country comes to mind when you hear Super Mario, Sony, Nintendo, Pokémon? Exactly, Japan! While Japan has always been more console oriented, PC gaming has seen a steady increase in popularity, thanks to many factors, such as Esports for example. With PC gaming establishing itself as a strong niche in Japan, localizing your PC game for Japanese players could be a very smart business move.
Korean
Who could have thought that a relatively small country like South Korea could make up one of the largest gaming markets of the world? The total gaming population in South Korea is approximately 33 million, with 37% of that percentage being PC gamers. Largely supported by the country’s unique PC bangs (Internet cafes), PC gaming remains a core part of the gaming culture in South Korea.
FIGS (French, Italian, German, Spanish)
In Europe, the most prominent markets are Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, all showing a steady growth. Germany, the largest gaming market in Europe, generates approximately €9.8 billion in total gaming revenue, with about €2 billion coming from PC games. France, with an annual gaming revenue of over €5.5 billion, also maintains a significant PC gaming segment, driven by a growing esports scene and a strong community of competitive gamers. In Italy, the gaming market was valued at €2.2 billion in 2023, with PC gaming gradually increasing in popularity, particularly through multiplayer games. Meanwhile, Spain’s gaming market, worth €2.7 billion, has also seen steady growth in PC gaming. French, Italian, German and Spanish are not called the big 4 when it comes to translation for no reason, and as of today they are some of the best languages to localize your PC game into.
Conclusion
With this blog, we hope we helped you get a general understanding of what the best languages to localize your PC game into might be. Though the factors we discussed are not the only factors you should keep into consideration when localizing your PC game, they can be a solid starting point to start market research and analysis to develop the localization strategy that works the best for you.
Till next time!