Game Localization · Glossary
What is a Locale?
A locale is a combination of a language and a regional variant that defines how content should be displayed for a specific audience — including text language, number formatting, date formats, currency symbols, and cultural conventions. In game development, locale codes (like en-US, de-DE, zh-CN) determine which language file is loaded and how system-generated content like numbers and dates is formatted.
Locale vs. Language
A language is a linguistic system (English, Spanish, Chinese). A locale is language-plus-region — a specific combination that accounts for regional variation. English has multiple locales: en-US (United States), en-GB (United Kingdom), en-AU (Australia). Spanish has en-ES (Spain), es-MX (Mexico), es-AR (Argentina), and many more. The distinction matters for game localization because players in different regions expect different vocabulary, spelling, and cultural references — even within the same language.
What Locale Controls in a Game
Locale settings typically control: which language resource file is loaded, number formatting (decimal and thousands separators: 1,000.00 in US English vs. 1.000,00 in German), date format (MM/DD/YYYY in US, DD/MM/YYYY in UK, YYYY/MM/DD in Japan), currency display, sorting order for text (alphabetical order differs by locale), and text directionality (LTR for Latin scripts, RTL for Arabic and Hebrew).
Single Language vs. Multiple Locales
A game localized into ‘Spanish’ faces a decision: use a single Spanish resource file (risking vocabulary and cultural mismatch for some markets) or create separate locale files for es-ES and es-MX (more work, more accurate). The right answer depends on budget, target market prioritization, and content type. Dialog-heavy games benefit from multiple locale files; UI-heavy casual games can often use a single neutral Spanish variant.
Locale Codes and Standards
Locales are typically expressed as BCP 47 language tags: a language subtag (ISO 639-1: en, de, zh) plus an optional region subtag (ISO 3166-1: US, DE, CN). Common game locales: en-US, en-GB, de-DE, fr-FR, es-ES, es-MX, pt-BR, ja-JP, ko-KR, zh-CN (Simplified), zh-TW (Traditional), ar-SA, ru-RU, it-IT, pl-PL, tr-TR, id-ID, th-TH.
SandVox and Locale
SandVox advises on locale strategy during project scoping — helping studios decide whether to create single or multiple locale variants for each language, and which regional differences require separate handling. We maintain locale-aware formatting conventions for all supported markets.
Related terms: Game Internationalization · String Externalization · Game Localization · Language Expansion
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I localize into Spanish (Spain) or Spanish (Latin America)?
If Latin America is your primary market, use es-MX (Mexican Spanish) or a neutral LATAM variant as your base. If Spain is a meaningful market, create a separate es-ES locale. The vocabulary differences (vosotros in Spain, ustedes in LATAM), spelling conventions, and cultural references are significant enough that a single file will feel slightly off to players in one market or the other.
What is the difference between zh-CN and zh-TW?
zh-CN uses Simplified Chinese characters (Mainland China); zh-TW uses Traditional Chinese characters (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau). These are separate writing systems — not just regional vocabulary differences. A game with a single Chinese localization file must choose one system, which excludes or inconveniences players of the other. Studios targeting both markets should maintain both locale variants.
How many locale variants should my game support?
Start with your primary markets and expand. Common starting sets: EFIGS (en, fr, it, de, es) for Western markets; EFIGS + JP/KR/ZH for global; add PT-BR for Latin America, RU for CIS, TR for Turkey as markets grow. The right answer depends on your analytics and distribution strategy.
Do game engines handle locale automatically?
Major game engines (Unity, Unreal) have built-in localization systems that use locale codes to load the correct resource files. However, developers must still externalize strings, provide translations, and handle locale-specific formatting rules. The engine provides the plumbing; localization requires the content and configuration.
Need Expert Game Localization?
SandVox provides end-to-end game localization including locale — for narrative games, mobile titles, webtoons, and interactive fiction.