How to set yourself up for a successful game localization project

2025-04-30 | LocalizeDirect Team

How to set yourself up for a successful game localization project

Doing something for the first time is rarely easy, especially when that “something” is successfully launching a game into new markets. Over the years, we’ve helped more than 800 clients around the world localize their games. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that no one is born a localization guru. So, what should you keep in mind if you want to set yourself up for success?

To help answer that, we’ll walk you through some of the most common questions we hear (or ask) before starting a localization project.

What does a typical localization process look like?

Here’s a quick rundown of how we typically go about it:

  1. Kick things off We bring the same energy and excitement to your project as you had when you first started building your game. We’ll want to get to know your game inside out: its narratives, title, platform(s), source language, target audience, market(s), characters, genre, and whether any adaptation is needed. We’ll also collect all the context needed to localize your game, including but not limited to, reference materials, screenshots, videos, extra links, wiki and descriptions.
  2. Localization, not just translation
    Our linguists focus on creating player experiences that feel native and true to your game. Throughout the process, we keep open communication to clarify context, character nuances, and game-specific terminology.
  3. Quality check and feedback We run a multi-stage review process to ensure consistency and quality across all language versions. If any changes or feedback come up, we’ll align on next steps to keep things moving smoothly.
  4. The finish line At this stage, everything is approved and ready to go. But it’s not a goodbye. We’ll stay available to answer any follow-up questions about specific translations.

Think of localization as a road trip. We’ve got a map, but the journey is always unique.

Do I need to consider language variants for my target markets?

Some languages have regional variants, and choosing the right one makes your game feel natural and local to the players.

Languages with regional variants include:

  • Spanish: European Spanish (for Spain) differs from Latin American Spanish (for Mexico and other Latin American countries)
  • Chinese: Simplified Chinese (for mainland China) is different from Traditional Chinese (for Taiwan or Hong Kong)
  • Portuguese: European Portuguese (for Portugal) varies from Brazilian Portuguese

As a first-timer, what should I prepare before getting started?

The very first step: your files. The better organized your files are, the smoother (and more cost-effective) the localization process will be.

This means:

  • Keep everything well structured

    Well-organized content is far easier to work with than a dozen tiny .txt files or a spreadsheet with 75 tabs.

  • Flag character limits early

    If any lines have space constraints, especially in the UI, let us know upfront. That way, we can adjust translations accordingly.

  • Share what you can

    Raw materials, gameplay clips, character bios, screenshots, lore docs, existing glossaries or even legacy translations. Anything that gives us more context helps us deliver better results.

  • Clarify formatting and special characters

    Clearly defined rules for things like line breaks in strings (\\n), ellipses (...), content in [square brackets], or variable placement help maintain consistency throughout the localization process. Any patterns or limitations around spacing, punctuation, or character support are best documented from the start.

The next best things you can do early on is to create a Style Guide. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Think of it as a living doc we build together as the project progresses. Your Style Guide helps our linguists step into your game world before putting translation in gear.

The ultimate Style Guide should include:

  • What your game is about — genre, age rating, world, and story.
  • References, inspirations, images — if your game is inspired with any known universe, game, book, or movie.
  • Who the characters are — their personalities, relationships, and how they speak. Any information about tone of voice or dialogue style is crucial.
  • The language you feel might fit best to deliver your message within the game — tone (dark, funny, epic, etc.), slang, whether to use profanity or keep it PG-13, gender considerations, cultural sensitivities, and any specific rules that help us understand your vision.
  • What kind of content needs translating, and how you want it handled — UI, combat terms, journal entries, dialogue, etc.
  • Any technical constraints — character limits, tags/variables, non-translatable terms, placeholders, measurements.

What file formats can you work with?

We stay flexible to fit different pipelines, but these are the most common file formats we handle:

  • Spreadsheets (Excel .xlsx, Google Sheets)
  • CSV files
  • Standard document formats (.docx, .txt)
  • JSON, XML, and PO

How can I make my content easier and more cost-effective to localize?

A few small things on your end can make a big difference:

  • Keep your files clean and organized.
  • Make sure reference info is helpful and up to date.
  • When a content batch is sent for localization, the file version it’s based on should not be edited during the localization process. If you need to keep working on your content, use a separate file version for updates and clearly mark what’s new. This helps avoid confusion and missed content (hot tip: Gridly is great for this.)

Will my localized content need testing, and what does that involve?

In an ideal world — yes, always. Linguistic Quality Assurance (LQA) is the best way to catch issues that only show up in context. LQA helps ensure your localization reads naturally and fits the game context, reducing the risk of awkward surprises post-launch.

A typical LQA process looks like this:

  1. We scope the work based on your needs. We can focus on specific areas, like the main storyline, skip side quests or menus, or cover your whole game from start to finish.
  2. We run a game build with the localized files and play through all requested content to catch issues that appear in context, like a translation that is grammatically correct but feels off once you see it in the game.
  3. Each tester tracks issues and collects screenshots to support clear, actionable fixes. The LQA manager prepares a detailed report for you and oversees the entire process to keep it within the agreed timeline and budget.
  4. If there are UI or layout issues, our team will report them and attempt to fix them with text adjustments first. If that is not possible, we will flag them for you so they can be addressed on the code level. Once the fixes are in place, we usually recommend a quick implementation check.

More good reads on game localization

Feel free to reach out to our team for more personalized support or explore more practical answers in our FAQ section. Until then, see you in the next build!

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