How to adapt a video game to the culture of each country

If I began a story with “Once on top of a time…” you’d probably look at me strangely.
That is roughly what a literal translation of “once upon a time” would sound like in Catalan.

But when someone begins with “once upon a time…” everyone knows exactly what is coming — a story or a fairy tale we all recognize. It’s the line our grandparents used, our parents used, and that we still use when we tell one. One fixed phrase is enough to signal the entire context of what follows.

Just as fairy tales in every language have their own natural way of starting and unfolding, the same is true of video games.

Video Game Translation

The first video games to be translated typically included subtitles and/or some edited graphics. Developers simply wanted players to understand the storyline and keep playing.

Later, as more people began playing, developers recognized the importance of localization: not just translating words literally, but adapting them to each local market. The goal of the game wasn’t to find a “treasure box”, but a “treasure chest”. Players weren’t helped by a “special drink” but “a magic potion” or an “elixir”.
And if a character exclaims “Holy cow!” in English, you would never translate it into other languages word for word — you’d adapt it to something like “Geez!” or “Whoa!”

Around 2010, the industry shifted again, this time toward cultural adaptation. That meant not only translating language, but also adapting the message, cultural context, humor, values, images, and references to make the game feel natural to each market.
For example, if a game is set during a “high school prom”, that concept doesn’t really exist in Catalan culture. In that case, it could be adapted to something like an “end-of-year party” or “school graduation dance”.

Cultural Adaptation

Video games contain expressions, idioms and set phrases that vary by country, target audience, genre, and purpose (entertainment, educational, informative, etc.). Preserving this layer is essential — otherwise the charm of the game breaks and the player, who is fully immersed in the screen, is suddenly pulled out of the experience by something that “sounds wrong.” Preserving expressions does not mean translating them literally; it means finding an equivalent that conveys the same meaning idiomatically, even if the wording is completely different.

Video games also often contain cultural references — either to add realism or because the purpose of the game is to showcase the culture of a specific region, such as Mallorca. A good example is Treasure Island, which teaches legends and geography of the island.
You couldn’t meaningfully translate a game about castells (Catalan human tower building) without first understanding that world — terms like pinya, folre, manilles, or fer llenya would be impossible to adapt correctly without cultural knowledge.

With children’s video games, the kinds of references will be different. Sometimes even the names of characters or the game itself must be adapted (EN Paw Patrol – ES Patrualla canina – CA Patrulla peluda)

Cultural adaptation is a business strategy, not just “political correctness”. The world is every company’s market, and the more a video game feels native to its end user, the easier it is to enter and grow in that market.

Here’s another example of cultural adaptation:
Original English: “Welcome to Maple Town! The annual pumpkin contest is about to start — grab your pie and join the fun!”

Literal translation: “Welcome to Vila Maple! The annual pumpkin contest is about to start — grab your pie and join the fun!”

Culturally adapted version: “Welcome to Vila Aurora! The annual panellets contest is about to start — get ready to have fun!”

Replacing “pumpkin” with “panellets” creates a culturally familiar experience for a Catalan player. Panellets are traditional Catalan sweets typically eaten in autumn.

Examples of Cultural Adaptation in Video Games

• Black Myth: Wukong – A Chinese AAA video game based on classic Chinese novel, it has been widely acclaimed and is regarded as a milestone in China’s cultural exports. Reuters
• Civilization 7 – Developers worked with the Shawnee Tribe to ensure an authentic portrayal of Tecumseh’s culture. AP News
• Making Beshbarmak – An interactive educational game designed to preserve and share Central Asian culture while fostering cultural identity and pride. arXiv
• Still Wakes the Deep – Includes translation into Scottish Gaelic and is set in an environment deeply rooted in local Scottish culture, with references to its language, dialects, history, and politics. Polygon
• Catacracks – A children’s video game from 3Cat created by Cubus Games for children 8-10 years available in four languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, and even Aranese.

Key Video Game Market Data

• Global market In 2024, the global video game market generated approximately $187.7 billion in revenue. Newzoo
• Growth of the localization services market The global video game localization services market was valued at approximately $1.3 billion in 2024 and is set to grow to $1.4 billion by 2025, reaching $2.59 billion by 2033 Business Research Insights
• Rising demand for linguistic testing: The video game linguistic testing market reached $1.32 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $3.14 billion by 2033, reflecting strong global demand for quality assurance in internationally localized releases. Dataintelo
• Paying players The number of paying players worldwide increased by 5% year-on-year, reaching about 1.50 billion in 2024. Newzoo
• Player trends According to Newzoo’s Global Gamer Study 2024, a very high percentage of consumers not only play video games, but also engage with related content such as live streams, videos and online communities. This cultural immersion influences how players perceive and critique cultural representations within games. Newzoo

With the integration of artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs), localization processes are becoming faster and more cost-efficient.
However, for video games, a final expert review by specialized linguists remains essential to safeguard quality, preserve cultural nuance, and ensure the player never feels they are experiencing a translation, but rather a game created with their language and culture in mind.

At LocalizationLab, we have extensive experience in the cultural adaptation of video games. Talk to us, and make sure you don’t leave your localization to chance.

Just as every story begins with “Once upon a time…”, every good one must also come to an end — and ours ends here.

Images: Sam Pak and Sigmund By on Unsplash