The global video game industry is on a record-breaking winning streak, projected to reach a staggering $363.2 billion market volume by 2027. To capture a share of this booming market, developers need effective game localization services—a powerful strategy for transforming a domestic hit into a worldwide sensation.
Game localization involves adapting a video game’s content, including text, audio, and specific references, to suit different languages and cultures. It goes beyond simple translation, ensuring every aspect of the game feels authentic and engaging to players all around the world.
This guide highlights 11 of the best game localization services for 2025, helping you choose the right partner to bring your game to a global audience.
Top 11 game localization services
While many providers offer game localization, not all bring the same level of cultural expertise and technical skill. Here's our curated list of standout services that excel in transforming gameplay experiences for international markets.
1. Smartling
Smartling stands out as a front-runner in game localization services, offering an AI-powered translation platform that transforms how developers manage multilingual content. By combining advanced AI technology with a network of first-language translators, Smartling ensures both efficiency and cultural authenticity.
The platform features a top-rated CAT tool for real-time visual context when translating, streamlined project management and collaboration capabilities, and easy access to linguistic resources, like glossaries and style guides that help keep game terminology consistent and on-brand across translations.
Smartling users report impressive results: a 33% increase in translation accuracy, a 25% reduction in cost per word, and an 83% faster time to market. These benefits—coupled with services like subtitling and QA testing—make Smartling a powerful ally for any studio looking to localize games for a worldwide audience.
2. Localsoft Games
With 33 years of experience and a portfolio of over 3,500 localized games, Localsoft Games is a seasoned leader among video game localization companies. Their end-to-end services cover translation in more than 50 languages, audio localization and dubbing, and extensive post-production support.
Localsoft’s network of over 3,000 professional game translators provides the scale and expertise required for complex, large-scale projects. Committed to excellence, the company holds ISO 9001 and EN15038 certifications, ensuring high-quality standards. Localsoft also stays aligned with the latest localization guidelines from industry leaders like Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony.
3. GameScribes
Another key player in video game localization, GameScribes has translated over 2,050 games and 67 million words across more than 50 languages. Their translation workflow is rigorous, starting with thorough asset compilation and team assignment. Native translators handle the translation and proofreading, ensuring linguistic and cultural accuracy. The process concludes with meticulous editing to guarantee grammatical precision and alignment with the game’s genre standards.
4. Level Up Translation
Level Up Translation provides translation services for over 20 languages across all gaming platforms. Their expertise spans indie and AAA games, making them a versatile choice for video game projects of any size.
This game translation company’s team of native language translators with dedicated gaming expertise produces more than just accurate translations; their cultural adaptation makes local gamers feel right at home. Their portfolio includes popular titles like The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe and Vampire Survivors, proving their ability to localize complex, narrative-driven games.
5. Terra Localizations
Terra Localizations brings a fresh perspective to the world of video game translation. Founded in 2008, this women- and minority-owned company has spent over 15 years helping video games speak to global audiences.
Terra offers comprehensive solutions for localizing video games, including linguistic quality control and culturalization. With a team of specialized project managers and subject matter experts, Terra ensures that every aspect of your video game—from dialogue to user interfaces—is expertly translated and localized. Their team of skilled translators works diligently to recreate the gaming experience for each target culture, ensuring that the video games they localize strike a cultural chord with players worldwide.
6. Glyph Language Services
Glyph Language Services provides a comprehensive suite of localization services, including expertise in video game localization. In addition to games, they translate marketing materials, e-learning platforms, websites, and software. This diverse skill set enables them to tackle multilingual projects across all types of digital media and take a holistic view of the localization process.
Glyph’s team of native language translators brings both linguistic precision and cultural insight to every video game they localize. They carefully adapt content to speak to local audiences, ensuring localized video games and other media maintain their intended impact across cultures. Whether translating complex game dialogue or localizing user interfaces, Glyph’s experts strive to create translations that feel authentic and engaging in every target language.
7. Localize Direct
Localize Direct has a track record of more than 1,000 games localized for more than 800 clients worldwide. The company’s impressive portfolio includes hit video games like Lego Harry Potter and Terraria. Localize Direct’s comprehensive services include dubbing, subtitling, localization quality control (LQA), and even desktop publishing (DTP), providing a seamless solution for every facet of your video game’s localization.
8. Alconost
Alconost specializes in tech, with a strong background in app, software, and video game localization. The core feature is a cloud-based, quality-focused approach to localization that leverages professional translation platforms and translation memory technology to enforce accuracy and consistency across projects. The platform also supports custom integrations and APIs, simplifying implementation for game developers.
With support for over 120 languages, Alconost is well-equipped to handle multilingual projects at any scale.
9. Day Translations
Day Translation’s team of first-language experts thoroughly adapts the gaming experience to new cultural contexts, localizing everything from interfaces and graphics to icons and color schemes. Their comprehensive process ensures broad compatibility and consistency across multiple platforms, whether for console, mobile, or desktop.
Day Translations also offers dubbing services to maintain immersion in dialogue-rich games. Quality control is a key focus, with rigorous testing for coding accuracy, user experience, visual design, and cultural appropriateness.
10. Andovar
Andovar stands out in the video game localization industry for their impressive scale. The company has translated over 1 billion words across more than 80 languages, localizing mobile, PC, and massively multiplayer online (MMO) games as well as virtual reality experiences.
Andovar employs hundreds of expert game translators—all gamers themselves—and uses sophisticated AI translation technology for speedy translation and localization.
Andovar’s stated focus is optimizing return on investment for developers, leveraging international expertise to help games succeed worldwide. They also use a strict quality control process, including multiple checkpoints and a comprehensive testing suite.
11. Lionbridge
Lionbridge utilizes proprietary AI systems, Lionbridge Aurora AI™ and Smart MT™, to deliver efficient and precise translations. Covering all aspects of video game localization, their services include audio localization—such as dubbing and subtitling—to ensure voice acting and on-screen text are optimized for target audiences. Lionbridge also conducts player experience testing and rigorous functional and localization quality control to uphold high standards for playability and translation accuracy. Additionally, they prioritize robust data security, safeguarding sensitive content for unreleased games.
How to choose a game localization company
Finding the right game localization agency starts with a thorough comparison of their translation services. But with so many options available, how do you choose? The decision ultimately depends on your unique needs and project specifications. Here are some key factors to guide you:
- Budget: Compare pricing structures—and don’t forget to check the fine print for any hidden costs.
- Project scope: Assess the size and complexity of your game, along with your target languages and demographics. What works for an indie game might not work for a AAA title.
- Technical aspects: Evaluate the translation company’s platform compatibility and level of technical support they offer.
- Quality and timeline: Investigate the company’s quality control measures and ability to meet deadlines. Request case studies or references from developers who have localized games similar to yours.
- Cultural expertise: Gauge the company’s ability to authentically adapt your game’s content to various cultures.
Conquer new markets with Smartling’s game localization solutions
The global market for video games is booming, making localization more important than ever. But how can you ensure your carefully crafted narratives and immersive experiences won’t be lost in translation?
Smartling’s comprehensive localization services bridge the gap, combining cutting-edge AI technology with expert translators so your game connects with players in a culturally authentic way.
Want to learn more about how translation services can amplify your project’s global impact? Our free eBook, “The Complete Guide to Translation Services,” demystifies the translation industry’s evolving game map, helping you develop a localization strategy that resonates with players worldwide.
Embark on your quest for gaming dominance on a global scale by downloading our guide today.
