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PlayStation Localization — PS5, PS4, and Certification Requirements
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PlayStation localization requires meeting Sony’s Technical Requirements Checklist (TRC) for each region — SIEA (Americas), SIEE (Europe), and SIEJA (Japan) each maintain separate TRC requirements with localization-specific items. PS5 and PS4 certification includes checks for trophy text byte limits, PSN metadata quality, system message implementation, and regional content compliance. SandVox provides PlayStation localization from string audit through TRC-ready LocQA.
Common Localization Challenges
- TRC localization requirements — PlayStation TRC includes localization-specific items: trophy descriptions must be within byte limits, system notifications must implement Sony’s localization API correctly, error messages must be localized, and content must comply with regional rating requirements (CERO, USK, PEGI, ESRB, CLASSIND)
- Trophy text byte limits — PS5 and PS4 trophy names are limited to 128 bytes (UTF-8 encoded, not character count) and descriptions to 255 bytes; CJK characters encode as 3 bytes each, making the effective character limit for Japanese and Chinese trophy names approximately 42 characters — compared to 128 in English
- PSN Store metadata — PlayStation Store requires localized title (30 characters), short description (100 characters), and long description (up to 4,096 characters) per regional storefront; PlayStation Store editors review metadata quality and can request revisions
- SIEJA requirements — Japan certification is the strictest: Japanese text quality is reviewed, CERO compliance is required, and there are specific UI requirements for Japanese string display including correct punctuation, honorifics, and prohibited characters under CERO guidelines
- European regional variants — SIEE certification covers Europe but European storefronts include multiple separate languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese) each with separate metadata; specific TRC items define which languages are required for EU certification
- System message localization — PlayStation system messages (save dialogs, network notifications, error codes) have prescribed text that must be correctly implemented in the target language; custom error messages approximating system messaging are a TRC failure
- PS5 Activities — PS5 adds Activities (in-game objectives shown on the PS5 home screen) which have their own localized title, description, and metadata requirements not present in PS4 TRC
What We Deliver
- PlayStation TRC localization item audit — verifying all TRC localization requirements against the current build for each target region
- Trophy text translation within PS5 and PS4 byte-count limits for all locales including CJK
- PSN Store metadata localization — title, short description, long description per regional storefront
- PS5 Activities text localization within PlayStation character limits
- In-game text translation using memoQ with per-project Translation Memory and PlayStation-specific terminology glossary
- SIEJA Japanese localization — text quality, CERO compliance, Japanese UI correctness review
- Regional content compliance review for CERO, USK, PEGI, ESRB, and CLASSIND
- LocQA in running PS5 and PS4 builds — trophy display, font rendering, text overflow, locale switching, TRC item verification
How a Project Works
- Scoping: target regions (SIEA/SIEE/SIEJA), platform (PS5/PS4/both), string count via export, TRC version for target submission
- TRC localization item audit — mapping all TRC localization requirements to current build state, flagging items requiring remediation
- Trophy text extraction, byte-count audit per locale, and translation within byte limits
- PSN Store metadata and PS5 Activities localization per regional storefront
- In-game text translation with PlayStation-specific context and character limit metadata
- SIEJA review pass — Japanese quality, CERO compliance, Japanese UI correctness
- LocQA in running PlayStation build — TRC item verification, font rendering, text overflow, trophy display, Activities metadata
Languages Available
Japanese · Simplified Chinese · Traditional Chinese · Korean · German · French · Spanish (EU) · Spanish (LATAM) · Brazilian Portuguese · Italian · Russian · Dutch · Polish · Arabic
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common TRC localization failures?
Common TRC localization failures: (1) Trophy byte limit violations — CJK trophy names exceeding 128 bytes when UTF-8 encoded. (2) Missing system message localization — error dialogs with placeholder or English text in a non-English locale. (3) PSN metadata quality — machine-translated or grammatically incorrect store descriptions flagged by PlayStation Store editorial. (4) CERO compliance gaps — content requiring modification for the Japanese market not reviewed before SIEJA submission. (5) Regional language coverage gaps — required European languages missing or using a translation inappropriate for a specific storefront.
Does PlayStation require Japanese as a mandatory language?
Japanese is required for SIEJA certification and Japanese PlayStation Store distribution. If you are not targeting Japan, SIEJA certification isn’t needed. However, Japan is the second-largest console gaming market globally — most commercially significant titles localize for Japan. SIEJA certification has the most rigorous localization requirements of the three PlayStation regions, particularly for text quality review and CERO compliance.
What is the trophy byte limit and why does it matter for CJK?
PS5 trophy names are limited to 128 bytes and descriptions to 255 bytes — these are byte limits, not character limits. Latin characters encode as 1 byte each in UTF-8; Japanese, Chinese, and Korean characters encode as 3 bytes each. The effective character limit for CJK trophy names is approximately 42 characters (128 ÷ 3), compared to 128 characters in English. We audit trophy text byte counts across all CJK locales before delivery and write descriptions that communicate the achievement clearly within the byte constraint.
How does PS5 localization differ from PS4?
The core localization process is the same — same languages, same TRC localization items, same PSN metadata requirements. Key practical differences: PS5 TRC is the current version and stricter in some localization items than older PS4 TRC. PS5 adds Activities — a new UI element with its own localized text requirements. For titles targeting both platforms, we handle both TRC versions in the same localization pass and flag any items that differ between them.
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