Game Localization

Best Game Localization Services In the Industry: Your Choice for 2023

People who search for the best game localization services are usually developers or other interested parties. They are excited to share their creations internationally, but they feel worried about conveying everything in the right way. For foreign audiences to feel the same level of interest as original players, they need to see a text within a game that is equally catchy, funny, and powerful. You don’t need a simple translation here, you require top quality localization that only professional localizers could ensure. The question is, where can you find them?

IsAccurate team has evaluated numerous companies that offer localization video games require and selected the best five. We offer our reviews of them below. Check them out if you need help with making a decision. Not every agency is going to work for you, but you can be certain that these options are reliable and verified. They have their pros and cons, so if you are interested in any of them, visit their websites or read the whole review for learning more info.

 

Five Best Game Localization Companies Reviews

When people want their games to go global and start looking for the best translation services, they often begin with reading reviews. IsAccurate has been focused on providing objective and relevant information about different firms for a long time. Here are five top options we’ve settled on in 2023.

TheWordPoint.com

Certified Translation

By Customer Satisfaction

By Translation Accuracy

By Delivery Speed

Prices start at

$29.0

This top firm has been working for several years now, servicing international clients in more than 100 languages and providing them with the best video games localization. Its team isn’t very big yet, but it consists of true experts who employ a personalized approach to every task they get. Quick online assistance, timely delivery, great quality, and acceptable prices are among the top features you could count on getting with TheWordPoint.

DayTranslations.com

Certified Translation

By Customer Satisfaction

By Translation Accuracy

By Delivery Speed

Prices start at

$60.0

This localization company takes second place in our review. It provides help with only 51 languages, but its top experts are always ready to tackle the most challenging tasks. Customers can expect to get their project on time, though the costs for this are on a higher side of a scale. Still, the results are worth it.

Stepes.com

Certified Translation

By Customer Satisfaction

By Translation Accuracy

By Delivery Speed

Prices start at

$45.0

This is a young company with a huge number of translators. There are more than 100K of them, and lots of them are ready to help clients with video game translation. Prices are very high, but in most cases, quality of service is close to being the best. With its real-time apps, Stepes allows people to keep close track of how their order is being processed, so you have every chance to realize whether you’ll be getting it on time.

Ulatus.com

Certified Translation

By Customer Satisfaction

By Translation Accuracy

By Delivery Speed

Prices start at

$50.0

From all the best video game localization companies, this one has some of the lengthiest experience. It employs more than 3000 translators, and it already worked on games like Minecraft and Legend of Zelda. It is not the most responsible service since some orders arrive late, but affordable prices are a nice advantage.

Gengo.com

Certified Translation

By Customer Satisfaction

By Translation Accuracy

By Delivery Speed

Prices start at

$30.0

Reviews on this firm’s game localization are limited, but we found its work impressive enough. It’s quick and relatively efficient, with only minor quality issues. Prices are closer to high, yet they are still affordable. You could get the best assistance in a language you need here. Keep in mind that it is better to make a deadline shorter than your real one: you’ll want to check the game properly before deeming its adaptation successfully complete.

How IsAccurate Evaluates Top Firms

Many of our visitors wonder how we write our reviews. It’s a logical question, and we’re happy to share our evaluation criteria.

 

  1. First of all, when it comes to video game localization services, we check whether a company provides them.
  2. Then we look into its background, reading reviews from other customers and determining how many other options along with languages are offered.
  3. After that, we start chatting with operators while studying the prices. No matter how expensive they are, we place a sample order for experiencing the whole client process.
  4. Best linguistic experts in our team assess the results, and then we make our final judgment.

Only top firms make it into our list. The criteria for marketing and advertising translation services or USCIS certified translation services are pretty much the same. We check factors that people are most concerned with and that matter most in the long run. Those factors include:

 

  • Accuracy - the quality of translation must be high, as documents must not have errors. Even a tiny mistake may cause huge problems.
  • Delivery - many people seek urgent help so good agencies have fast turnaround times.
  • Prices - rates should be affordable and match the quality provided. Very cheap services may be suspicious, so let us check them first.
  • Communication - game localization companies should not disappear after you make the payment. They must stay in touch throughout the whole process and answer any questions that may appear.
  • Confidentiality - data security and protection of your information are vital. We ensure your info is protected and is not shared online or displayed on the company’s site.
  • Money-back guarantee - the firm must bare responsibility for its mistakes and have a clear refund policy.
  • Extra features - these could be various discounts, loyalty programs, free formatting, or other perks offered.
  • Online reputation - respected firms have at least one social media account where they share their mission, news, thoughts, and information about their experience, background, and their team.
     

 

Why Are Most Video Game Translators Outsourced?

Another common question concerns the nature of translators. Most firms that provide localization, as well as business document translation services or contract translation services, prefer to work with outsourced employees. This makes their work model more cost-effective: if a client asks for game adaptation, they’ll assign a specific expert on it, but if no one is interested in this service, they’ll contact other specialists instead. There is no consistency in what people order, so it’s better not to pay in-house employees to wait days for an order to come. Since managers save up with outsourcing, they can allow making prices lower for their clients, and in the end, everyone benefits from it.

Many professional translation services hire freelancers as it is a quick and easy way to find native speakers for many languages. If a language firm cares about its quality, the translations are completed by native speakers only as they know all language peculiarities, dialects, slang words, etc. It is very easy to find and connect with professionals from different countries online. In addition, it’s more convenient in terms of logistics. Having a large team of translators in one office requires more resources spent on facilities and other things necessary for their comfort. It is always better to increase employees’ wages and let them work from home.

 

Game Localization Process: 9 Top Steps

The best video game localization process usually involves nine specific steps. When we’re composing our reviews, we pay attention to them all because each is extremely important. Here’s what they include.

Step 1: Language peculiarities assessment. Once you’ve placed your order, managers decide on a localizer who understands all linguistic and cultural nuances of a target language. So, if you needed Korean translation services or translation from Hebrew to English, the best firms find top translators. They convey information in an exact tone an original has so that Korean audience would understand every small aspect of it.
Step 2: Develop lockit. Lockit is a localization kit that serves as a guide to your game and it presented to a translator. It entails game content, context, specific game terms, names of characters, locations, and items. Ask game developers to prepare it for the translators before hiring them.
Step 3: Manuals and guides. Every average game has manuals for players that come with it. Best translators work on them separately.
Step 4: User interface. How personal profiles, multimedia elements, and other graphic images look is a big part of player experience. Every top video game translator spends a lot of time making them as quirky and comprehensive as possible.
Step 5: Voice-over services. Dubbing scripts and giving your character a voice is a relevant review aspect. Best companies have cutting-edge technology for this, and we always check this feature before deciding whether a firm belongs on our list.
Step 6: Integration. At this stage, the translated texted that was checked, revised, proofread, edited, and approved gets integrated back into the localized version of a video game.
Step 7: Game testing. Another service that best localization agencies ensure concerns testing. It’s their job to try out their work on the target audience and correct any mistakes that might be present.
Step 8: Localization of official website. This feature is up to a client, so it doesn’t play a big role in our review. If you asked for video game localization, you should consider localizing your game’s website, too. Best organizations are going to offer this option.
Step 9: Localization of marketing materials, apps, or other documentation. If you plan to launch your game in another country, think about additional materials that will require localization.

 

Game Genres That Often Translated to Another Language

If you are not sure whether your game needs translation, check this list for the most translated game genres that professional language firms deal with on a daily basis:

 

  • Actions
  • Adventures
  • Alternate reality games
  • Escape 
  • Flash games
  • First-person or third-person shooters 
  • Massive multiplayer online 
  • Platformers
  • Real-time strategies
  • Role-playing games
  • Simulations
  • Solitaires
  • Sports games
  • Virtual reality

Consult with a customer service representative about your game, ask additional questions. An expert company will deal with localization of a game from any category in the highest quality.
 

Game Platforms That the Best Firms Support

Experienced companies support all popular platforms in addition to less common ones. From the firms we wrote reviews on, we can say that most of them cover Sony PlayStation, Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox, PC, Linux, Mac, VR, online, and handheld platforms. Console and Android platforms are also included. So, whatever agency you pick, make sure it has the required coding and supports the platform you need.

Also, consider localization services for mobile and desktop devices. Top-rated companies are suited for translating video games created specifically for the next generation and 4K online streaming. Cloud gaming platforms like Google Stadia and Apple Arcade are predicted to grow as they reach a wide range of multilanguage players with lower costs.

 

Get as Much Info as You Can & Make the Right Choice

For finding the best game translator, you need to learn every major thing about a company you’re considering. IsAccurate covers most top options that people wanting game localization would be interested in. Read our reviews, look at their full versions, and decide what organization suits your needs most. We have many other evaluations of language services: whatever you’re looking for, we’ll provide you with a list of greatest options.

Consider contributing to our review base and leave your feedback if you have hired any video game localization service. Write a comment and describe your experience and all pros and cons of the firm that you have noticed. Help others to make the right decision!