About
Free Guide
Game Localization Guide : From Planning to Launch
A practical guide covering every stage of localization — from preparing your files and choosing quality levels to managing timelines, budgets, and vendors.
- Internationalization checklist for your game files
- Quality levels matched to content type
- Timeline, budget, and vendor selection frameworks
- Case studies: Vizor Games, Illfonic
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9 chapters
What's inside the guide
01
Checklist: How to Prepare Your Game for Localization
A step-by-step checklist for externalizing strings, supporting Unicode, and structuring your project files for smooth handoff.
02
Translation Quality Levels Matched to Your Content
Learn when to use raw MT, post-edited MT, human translation, or transcreation — and how to match each to your content type.
03
Translating Humor in Games
Why jokes, puns, and cultural references need special treatment — and how transcreation keeps your tone of voice alive.
04
Localization Timeline: From Kickoff to Launch
A realistic breakdown of phases, dependencies, and milestones so you can plan your release schedule with confidence.
05
How to Check Localization Quality
QA frameworks for linguistic review, in-context testing, and functional checks across platforms.
06
The Localization Team
Roles and responsibilities — from translators and reviewers to localization engineers and project managers.
07
Budget and Delivery Time
How to estimate costs per language, plan for text expansion, and avoid common budget pitfalls.
08
How to Choose the Right Localization Vendor
An evaluation framework covering specialization, quality guarantees, technology stack, and cultural expertise.
09
Common Concerns About Starting Localization
Answers to the most frequent questions and worries from developers approaching localization for the first time.
Built on 20+ years of game localization expertise
This guide was created by the localization team at Alconost — a company that has helped hundreds of game studios bring their titles to global audiences.
3,000+ clients
100+ languages
20+ years of experience
Industry certifications & recognition
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Translation & Localization
360° Localization Full-stack localization Software & Product Localization Marketing & Content Translation SEO, ads, SMM Game Localization Website Localization 24/7 On-Demand Human TranslationMedia & DTP
Audio & Video Localization Transcribing, subtitling Desktop PublishingQuality & Process
Service Levels & Pricing Languages, project planning, workflows Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) Human and AI Localization Testing & QA Functional, linguistic, cultural Localization QA Proofreading & Editing Cultural Analysis Vendor Management Outstaffing, full-stack teams, mixed Asset Management Glossaries, TM, style guidesOur Work
By Platform
Mobile iOS & Android Web Apps Desktop Software PC Gaming Steam, Epic, GOG Game Consoles PlayStation, Xbox, NintendoBy Content Type
UI/Software Strings Game Content Dialogue, quests, items Video & Audio Subtitles, voiceover E-commerce Product listings, catalogs Technical Documentation Manuals, API docs Marketing & Web Ads, SEO, websites Support Help center, KB, FAQ Training E-learning, explainer videos Legal Terms of service, privacy Finance Reports, banking HR Internal communicationsBy Industry
Gaming Technology & SaaS Mobile Apps E-Learning & Education Media & Entertainment Automotive Customer Support Healthcare Travel & Hospitality Sports & Fitness Logistics Finance & Banking Telecommunications E-Commerce Food & Beverage IoT & Hardware Marketing & Advertising Real Estate Energy & Sustainability Legal ManufacturingTechnology