Steam Localization Planner

Steam's discovery algorithm has been progressively weighting local signals since 2023. When a player in country X searches for games or browses Discovery Queue or "For You" recommendations, Steam now factors in whether the game has localization for that user's chosen language. Games translated into a player's native language consistently rank higher in their personal feeds than identical games that aren't, even at lower review counts. For markets like China, Russia, Brazil, and increasingly Japan, localization is closer to a prerequisite than a multiplier.

It can, but you're betting on luck. Some genres (narrative-heavy English-language games, very specific aesthetic niches, games riding a viral creator moment) have launched in English only and done well. But across the broader indie field, single-language English launches consistently underperform their localized siblings by 2-4x in lifetime sales. The reason is partly Steam's algorithm pushing localized games more in non-English markets, and partly that Russian, Chinese, Brazilian, German, and increasingly Japanese players just won't take a chance on an untranslated game when there are localized alternatives.

That's exactly what this tool is for. The right "first language to translate" depends entirely on your genre and audience. For most indies the highest-value first language is Simplified Chinese or Russian, but a cozy farming sim might find Korean or Brazilian Portuguese more valuable, while a hardcore strategy game might lean German. Run the planner with your closest competitors to see which language carries the most underserved audience for your specific case.

Full translation means translating the in-game text, UI, and sometimes voice acting. Store-page localization means translating only the Steam store description, screenshots, and capsule text. For markets like the Nordics, the Netherlands, and parts of Eastern Europe, players have high English fluency and often prefer playing in English, but appreciate seeing the marketing in their language. Store-page-only is a much cheaper way to reach those buyers without funding a full localization pass.

Yes, and that's part of why we treat store-page-only as a distinct tier instead of a soft "skip." After launch your Steam page tells you which language pages are actually converting, your wishlist additions tell you where demand is growing, and your reviews tell you when players are explicitly asking for an in-game translation. Any of those signals, strong wishlist tilt from a region, repeated "please add [language]" reviews, store-page conversion above your global average, is a defensible reason to commission a full pass for that language post-launch.

The store-page tier is a low-cost foothold that keeps the upgrade path open. It buys you data to decide with, instead of having to commit to full translation cost on a guess at launch.

For every language we look at three signals: demand share (median percentage of competitor reviews written in this language), translation lift (when there's enough data, the ratio of language share between competitors that translated versus didn't), and cost (your word count multiplied by industry-standard per-word translation rates). All three combine into a single 🟢/🟡/🔴 verdict. The math runs entirely in your browser, so you can audit it in DevTools.

Per-word rates are mid-range USD figures for professional Translation + Editing + Proofreading tier service, compiled from public rate cards published by Allcorrect Games, LocalizeDirect, Transphere, Artlangs, and aggregate translation industry data 2025-2026. Real agency quotes vary roughly ±30% depending on volume, quality tier, and timing. The numbers we show are indicative, not a quote.

No. We genuinely flag languages where the cost doesn't recover. Most audits return between 2 and 5 green-light languages and a handful of yellow ones. Translating into 15 languages on day one is rarely worth it. Translating into 3-4 is often transformative.

Yes. The planner is free, with no signup. We're considering an optional paid tier later for tracking how your localization decisions perform over time and for running larger competitor cohorts. The core language planner will stay free for indie devs.