10 Game Localization Examples That Boosted Sales Worldwide

Hi there and welcome! This is the right place for you if you are a game developer, a marketer, or just a fan of games. In this article, we'll look at how careful localization helped some of the biggest games in the world sell more copies around the world.

Read this article to the end to get useful information that you can use for your next release or localization strategy.

Why "Game Localization Examples" Are Important

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When people hear the word "localization," they often think of just translating languages, like changing English text into Spanish or Japanese. But in the gaming world, localization is a lot more than that. It includes changing the content to meet players' expectations in each market, as well as cultural adaptation, voice-overs, UI/UX changes, regional monetization models, platform differences, and even rethinking the content.

Strong game localization examples help us see how it affects business in real ways, like reaching more people, keeping them longer, making more money, and, in the end, making more sales. Let's look at ten great games and see how localization helped them become popular all over the world.

1. Stardew Valley

Platform / genre: indie farming simulation (PC, consoles, mobile).

Sales & localization insights: This game has sold over 41 million copies across all platforms as of December 2024. Though developed by a small team (originally by a solo developer), Stardew Valley has had localization efforts including translation into multiple languages and region-specific updates.

Why this counts as a ‘game localization example’: The game’s continuous updates and platform expansions (PC → consoles → mobile) together with language support helped keep it alive in diverse markets. Its long-tail success shows that even indie games benefit from quality localization.

Key takeaway: Even for smaller titles, investing in proper localization can extend the lifespan and reach to tens of millions of players worldwide.

2. Assassin’s Creed series

Platform / genre: AAA action-adventure franchise by Ubisoft

Sales & localization insights: According to Statista, the franchise has achieved around 230 million lifetime unit sales worldwide as of 2025. While not every region performance is publicly broken down by localization effort, Ubisoft’s global reach demands serious localization: local voice-overs, subtitles, culturally adapted story hooks (particularly when titles are set in local historical/cultural settings).

Why this counts: High-budget AAA titles cannot afford to treat localization as an afterthought if they want global success. The sheer scale of Assassin’s Creed shows how localization must be baked into the development pipeline.

Key takeaway: For blockbuster games, localization is essential to maximize the ROI of massive budgets and to ensure appeal across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and beyond.

3. Arena of Valor (International version of Honor of Kings)

Platform / genre: Mobile MOBA game from Tencent.

Sales & localization insights: The international version has surpassed 100 million installs outside China and grossed over US$100 million in non-China markets in a given year. Additionally, localization research suggests mobile MOBAs that adapt deeply to local culture generate 2-3× higher retention in new regions.

Why this counts: Arena of Valor demonstrates how mobile games, which often rely on international user acquisition, can benefit dramatically from region-specific localization in Asia (Vietnam, Thailand especially), with tailored heroes, events, and monetization.

Key takeaway: For mobile titles targeting emerging markets (Southeast Asia, Latin America, etc.), localization that goes beyond text—such as in-game cultural events, local voices, UI tweaks—makes a major difference.

4. Genshin Impact

Platform / genre: Open-world action RPG from HoYoverse (China).

Sales & localization insights: Genshin Impact earned around US$60 million in its first week globally. Global revenue from overseas markets forms a large majority of its earnings. One article states: “In Indonesia, the team didn’t just translate; they localized with laser focus… UI sized for thumb play, slang integration, localized voice acting, events tied to regional festivals.”

Why this counts: This is a prime example of a game created in one major region (China) taking on the world through smart localization. It proves that localization isn’t just about translation. It’s about crafting a version of your game that feels native in each major territory.

Key takeaway: If you’re aiming for global scale, treat localization as a major strategic pillar, not a small post-launch add-on.

5. Final Fantasy Series

Platform / genre: Long-running Japanese RPG franchise from Square Enix.

Sales & localization insights: By 2024 the series had sold over 195 million units globally. The series explicitly credits bringing titles to Western markets through robust localization (six+ languages, in-house localization teams).

Why this counts: For decades, Final Fantasy has been a classic case of Japanese games being made global. The improvements in localization quality (names, jokes, cultural references, story context) have helped the franchise maintain relevance outside Japan.

Key takeaway: Long-running franchises must evolve their localization practices as global gamer demographics shift and as regional tastes become more sophisticated.

6. Angry Birds

Platform / genre: Casual puzzle/arcade mobile game by Rovio Entertainment (Finland).

Sales & localization insights: The game became a global phenomenon with billions of downloads. A localization overview notes that Angry Birds was translated into numerous languages, enabling global reach early on.

Why this counts: While simpler in concept, Angry Birds shows that even casual games that “travel well” still benefit from localization.

Key takeaway: Accessible games with broad appeal still need localization to unlock full global potential.

7. FarmVille

Platform / genre: Social network / casual farming game from Zynga.

Sales & localization insights: While specific global sales numbers are less well documented in this context, FarmVille’s global success was enabled by its worldwide Facebook and mobile presence and adjacency to different cultures. It’s frequently cited in business studies about digital games going global.

Why this counts: As a social/free-to-play game with a global audience, FarmVille shows how localization and cultural adaptation (event calendars, social behaviours, language variants) matter even in casual game formats.

Key takeaway: Social games reaching mass audiences worldwide still require localized content and social-cultural adaptation.

8. Uncharted series

Platform / genre: Narrative-driven action-adventure franchise from Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Sales & localization insights: While we don’t have a deep breakdown here for localization, Uncharted titles typically launch globally with full voice-overs in major languages, subtitles, and region-specific marketing. Such efforts form part of its global reach.

Why this counts: Narrative-rich games depend on localization to preserve story nuance. Mis-localization can damage immersion and hurt sales in foreign markets.

Key takeaway: Story-rich AAA titles must allocate proper resources to voice-over, cultural adaptation and QA for localization.

9. Dragon Quest XI

Platform / genre: Japanese RPG by Square Enix.

Sales & localization insights: The broader Dragon Quest series has sold over 91 million units worldwide as of 2024. Strong localization (text, voice, culturally aware marketing) has helped Dragon Quest break into Western markets beyond its Japanese base.

Why this counts: For a franchise rooted in Japan, Dragon Quest XI shows how modernization of localization efforts (for example more Western-friendly UI, voice-overs in Western languages) can expand geographic reach.

Key takeaway: Franchises that have a strong home-market can still grow significantly abroad through robust localization upgrades.

10. FIFA series

Platform / genre: Football-soccer simulation franchise by Electronic Arts.

Sales & localization insights: While specific attribution to localization is less documented in public data, the FIFA franchise releases globally every year in dozens of countries, with commentary in multiple languages, region-specific marketing deals, and culturally tuned versioning (local leagues, local stars, localized store pages).

Why this counts: Sports titles are inherently global. The success of FIFA in many languages and markets underscores how localization is baked into globally-released annual franchises.

Key takeaway: Games with built-in global appeal still need solid localization (voice commentary, language options, regional leagues) to reach all corners of the market.

Also read:How Stardew Valley Became a Global Hit: The Untold Story of Its Localization Success

What common localization patterns emerge from these game localization examples?

From the ten case studies above, several strong patterns stand out:

1. Early integration of localization

The most successful titles do not treat localization as a last-minute add-on. They plan languages, regional voice-overs, UI/UX differences, cultural adaptation from the early design phase (for example Genshin Impact and Arena of Valor).

2. More than translation. It’s adaptation

Localization is not just “convert English text to Spanish”. It includes cultural adaptation (festivals, mythology, voice tone, slang), UI changes (text direction, readability, mobile vs console), monetization tweaks.

3. Multi-regional support

Top franchises release with multiple languages from day one or very soon after, enabling simultaneous global launches rather than staggered releases that hurt momentum.

4. Region-specific marketing and community localization

Games target different markets with localized marketing campaigns, local community managers, region-specific events. This builds regional trust and relevance.

5. Evident business impact

The localization efforts above correlate with large scale global sales, strong retention in foreign markets, and extended lifespan of games. For example, Genshin Impact’s major revenue comes from international markets.

6. Long-tail value

Games like Stardew Valley prove localization and updates help sustain sales over many years, not just during launch.

7. Localization as competitive advantage

In crowded markets, games that localize well stand out in regions where language/cultural barriers would otherwise restrict reach. In other words, localization becomes a market entry strategy.

Also read: Exploring the 7 Hottest Video Games in the Philippines in 2025

Why Localization Still Fails Sometimes

Even with knowledge of these game localization examples, many developers still stumble. Some common pitfalls:

• Poor quality translation or voice-over: Unnatural language or mistranslations damage immersion.

• Cultural mismatches: Using generic English-centric content without adapting to local sensitivities can offend or alienate.

• Delayed localization: If a game launches late in a major region, momentum is lost, and pirated versions may dominate.

• Under-investment: Treating localization as low priority means limited languages, no voice-over, fewer region-specific features → reduced global potential.

• Ignoring UI/UX and platform differences: e.g., mobile markets in emerging regions often use different devices, network conditions, payment methods. Not adapting for those leads to lost users.

• Insufficient regional marketing/community support: Localization ends at language, but to really win a region you need to build local brand trust and community engagement.

How to Apply Lessons From These Game Localization Examples to Your Project

If you are planning a game (or have one already) and you want to globalize it, here’s a practical checklist derived from the above examples:

1. Define your target markets early: e.g., Southeast Asia, Latin America, Germany, Japan.

2. Plan your languages: At minimum English + one major non-English region; ideally more languages.

3. Budget for localization: Include translation, voice-over, QA, cultural adaptation, UI/UX tweaks.

4. Design UI and content with localization in mind: Use layout that accommodates longer text, variable directions, easy audio track swapping.

5. Adapt culturally relevant features: Regional events, hero/character skins tied to local festivals, local payment methods.

6. Launch globally or near-simultaneously if possible: Minimize region gap to preserve global viral momentum.

7. Engage localized communities: Native-language social channels, local influencers, localized in-game support.

8. Monitor metrics region-by-region: Retention, ARPU (average revenue per user), app store ratings. Compare localization efforts to impact.

9. Optimize and update: Use feedback from regional players to refine localization, fix bugs, and add region-specific content.

10. Treat localization as strategic, not optional: It’s not just cost but investment into revenue growth, market expansion, and brand longevity.

Also read: From Web Novel to Manhwa: How Does Localization Help Korean Works Go Global?

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored ten inspiring game localization examples, from indie passion projects to massive AAA blockbusters and global mobile hits. Each story shows that localization is more than a technical step; it is a powerful factor behind international success. Even the most creative or visually stunning games can struggle in foreign markets without proper localization.

In the end, great translation and localization require more than just language skills. They call for cultural understanding, a consistent tone of voice, seamless voice-over work, refined UI and UX adjustments, quality assurance, and smart regional marketing.

If you are ready to introduce your game or business to players around the world, our expert team is here to help. We specialize in translation, voice-over, cross-platform adaptation, and regional growth strategy. Let’s work together to make your story connect with audiences everywhere. Contact us now!

Ready to boost your game's global sales with proven localization? Partner with Digital-Trans Asia for expert strategies inspired by top successes like Genshin Impact. From cultural adaptations to UI tweaks, we drive revenue. Explore careers to join our team or contact us today to launch worldwide! Visit Digital-Trans Asia for more.