China is now one of the largest PC gaming markets globally, with recent Steam data indicating that 33.7% of users set Simplified Chinese as their primary language (just behind English at 33.5%).
The opportunity is huge, but navigating such a large market can be intimidating for developers.
GamesIndustry.biz spoke with TinyBuild producer and Chinese marketing expert Jingtong Zhu to discover what game makers need to consider in order to appeal to China’s huge and diverse market, and how to ensure a game is localised to be respectful to Chinese culture.
TinyBuild has utilised these methods to market recent releases, including Hypnohead’s The King is Watching, Niceplay Games’ Potion Craft, and Not Games’ Not for Broadcast.
How can developers ensure a game is translated and localised in a way that’s respectful of Chinese culture?
Ideally, arrange playtests with Chinese players to gather direct feedback. For example, with The King Is Watching we ran both paid and community playtests in China prior to launch, which helped us spot localisation and cultural issues early.
If your game references Chinese culture or history, consult trusted partners (friends, your China publisher, or your localisation team) to ensure the content feels authentic and respectful.
We also highly recommend running localisation QA if possible, as this helps catch not only translation errors but also tone, cultural nuances, and in-game integration issues that might otherwise be overlooked.
How can a developer find reputable firms to work with on localisation?
Look for localisation firms that have worked on games similar to yours. Word-of-mouth recommendations from other developers are often reliable. Before committing, check Steam reviews of titles in their portfolio to see how players perceive the localisation quality in your target languages.
What do developers need to consider in order to succeed in the Chinese market?
To succeed in the Chinese market, developers need to approach marketing separately from their global campaigns.
This is because China uses different social media platforms from the rest of the world and the majority of players prefer viewing content in Chinese compared to English, which means the content released globally might not reach Chinese audiences at all.
On Steam specifically, the platform limits your game’s visibility to Chinese users if it isn’t localized into Chinese (as it does for other languages), making it essential to translate your public playables (playtests and demos) and marketing materials as early as possible.
Another important factor is the community. Chinese players don’t use Discord, so they often can’t find an effective way to communicate with devs from other countries, whether it’s to learn about the game’s updates or report issues.
At the same time, Chinese players appreciate frequent and transparent communication from dev teams. Steam Community can be a good platform to help bridge this gap. Translating major Steam announcements goes a long way in building trust and rapport.
China has strict censorship laws on games – what game elements can attract government criticism?
On Steam, the rules in general are pretty relaxed. The main risks are direct references to politics, history, or controversial current events. More often, pushback comes from the community rather than the government.
How does the overall demographic of players differ in China, and what should developers consider when localising their game to fit that mould?
China is a huge and diverse market, and there’s an audience for almost every genre.
While mobile and free-to-play titles still dominate the market, the number of PC and console players has grown rapidly in the past five years. Many of them came from free-to-play/mobile. This means players are more used to direct communication with the dev teams and frequent updates.
In addition to this free-to-play/mobile gaming background, because of the language barrier and the lack of direct communication channels with developers mentioned above, there is often a mismatch between player expectations and what a game delivers.
One byproduct is that Chinese players tend to leave more negative reviews on average compared to other regions. While this is a cultural thing, it could also be managed and improved through communication and localisation – not just the game, but also community posts, marketing assets, trailers, etc.
Having a partner – whether it’s a publisher with a strong presence in China, or a trustworthy marketing/PR agency – to help with marketing and community management can also be useful in this regard, especially for smaller dev teams.
What kind of games go over well in the Chinese market? Are there any specific genres or art styles that tend to succeed?
Chinese players show strong interest in genres like simulation, management, life sims, deckbuilders, and autobattlers. Features such as roguelike mechanics, co-op modes, anime-inspired art styles, and Asian cultural references also resonate well with players.
Compared to Western audiences, Chinese players are often more open to games that look ‘indie’ and don’t necessarily expect AAA-level polish, as long as the concept and gameplay feel fresh and engaging.
A good way to benchmark your game’s potential in China is to look at competitor titles on Steam. If their Simplified Chinese reviews account for over 20% of total reviews, or rank in the top two languages, that’s a reliable signal that your game may also have strong appeal in China.
Which Western games have been particularly successful at transitioning to the market?
Western games that invest in high-quality localisation and maintain active communication with their Chinese audience often see success in the region. AAA titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Split Fiction, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 received impressive sales and review scores.
In recent years, indie games have also performed very well as more studios recognise the potential of the Chinese market. At TinyBuild, some of our most successful releases in China have been The King Is Watching, Potion Craft, and Not For Broadcast.
Is it beneficial for indie devs to partner with a large Chinese publisher (such as Tencent or NetEase) or a smaller firm?
For indie developers, it often makes more sense to work with regional publishers that have experience with premium and indie titles. [This is because] the mainstream of the Chinese industry is still very focused on mobile and free-to-play, which follows a different business model.
These days, having a publishing or marketing partner in China is common practice for games of all sizes, and there are many reliable teams with strong track records that can provide tailored support for indie projects.
