Game Localization · Services Overview
Game Localization Cost & Pricing — What to Budget
Transparent per-word rates. Fixed-price quotes. No surprises at invoice. Get a free quote →
Game localization pricing has three main variables: language pair, word count, and content type. Here’s how each one affects your quote — and how to build a budget that doesn’t surprise you at invoice.
What Affects Game Localization Cost
Language Pair
European languages (German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch) are generally priced lower than CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) due to translator availability and the added complexity of double-byte character sets, font rendering, and input methods. Arabic falls between the two tiers due to RTL technical requirements. Brazilian Portuguese and European Spanish are typically the most cost-effective entry points for non-English releases.
Word Count
Larger projects get lower per-word rates. A 5,000-word mobile title costs more per word than a 200,000-word narrative RPG — because project management overhead, TM setup, and style guide creation are largely fixed costs that dilute across a larger word count. We quote fixed prices, not hourly rates, so you know your total before work begins.
Content Type
UI strings and menus are straightforward. Narrative content — branching dialogue, character monologues, lore entries — requires more senior linguists who understand storytelling in the target language, not just grammar. The difference in quality between a competent translator and a skilled game narrative translator becomes obvious in a 60-hour story RPG. Voice-over is quoted per source minute, separately from text translation.
LocQA
In-game linguistic quality assurance adds 20–30% to translation cost and roughly the same to timeline. It is not optional for a polished release. LocQA catches layout breaks, truncated strings, out-of-context translations, and RTL rendering failures that never appear in a spreadsheet review. SandVox includes LocQA in every project — we won’t deliver a translation we haven’t tested in-engine.
Timeline
Rush projects with compressed timelines require parallel translator teams and additional project management overhead — which increases cost. Standard turnaround for a 20,000-word project across two languages is typically 2–3 weeks including LocQA. If you have a fixed launch date, tell us early — we plan translator capacity in advance.
Typical Per-Word Rate Ranges
Ranges reflect standard translation + LocQA. Rates vary based on content type, word count, and timeline. Request a fixed-price quote for your specific project.
German / French / Italian / Spanish
$0.05–0.10 per word
Brazilian Portuguese / European Portuguese
$0.05–0.09 per word
Russian / Polish / Dutch / Swedish
$0.06–0.10 per word
Arabic
$0.08–0.15 per word
Simplified or Traditional Chinese
$0.07–0.14 per word
Japanese
$0.09–0.18 per word
Korean
$0.09–0.17 per word
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s included in a SandVox quote?
Every quote includes translation, project management, Translation Memory setup, style guide creation, and in-game LocQA. Voice-over recording, marketing copy, and app store listings are quoted separately on request. No hidden fees — the number we quote is the number you pay.
Do you charge per word or per hour?
Per word for text translation. Per source minute for voice-over. LocQA is priced as a percentage of translation cost (typically 20–30%). All project pricing is fixed-price — you’ll have a total project cost in writing before any work begins.
How can I reduce my game localization costs?
Three proven approaches: (1) Externalize all strings before sending to localization — clear context strings reduce translator queries and revision cycles. (2) Use Translation Memory — any overlap with previous projects is discounted automatically. (3) Consolidate all languages into a single release rather than phased rollout — project setup overhead is nearly identical whether we’re running one language or five.
Is there a minimum project size?
No hard minimum. We’ve handled 2,000-word mobile store listings and 600,000-word narrative RPGs. Very small projects (under 5,000 words) may carry a flat setup fee to cover TM and style guide overhead.
How do I get a quote?
Send us your exportable string count (or an estimate), the language pairs you need, and your target launch date. We’ll return a fixed-price quote with timeline within one business day.
Get a Fixed-Price Quote
Tell us your word count, target languages, and timeline. We’ll send a quote within one business day — no RFP, no retainer, no minimum spend.