Which languages actually drive ROI on Steam in 2026?

Localization isn’t just about helping players understand your game. Translating into specific languages signals respect and appreciation for a given community. This can result in higher likelihood of local media coverage, a spike in regional wishlists, player loyalty, and support – which, in the end, means one thing: more sales. 

However, localization isn’t a magic wand; it’s a lever. But like any lever, it only works when you have the right leverage.

Where should you focus? 

A quick "compass" for this decision is the Steam Hardware & Software Survey, updated monthly. It provides plenty of interesting statistics, but most importantly, it shows what percentage of users have specific language settings active in their Steam client. 

As of January 2026, the leaders are:

• English: 37.01% (unsurprisingly)

• Simplified Chinese: 23.86%

• Russian: 10.12%

 Following closely behind are:

• European Spanish: 4.22%

• Brazilian Portuguese: 3.92%

• German: 2.99%

• Japanese: 2.86%

• French: 2.42%

• Korean: 2.40%

• Polish: 1.68%

• Traditional Chinese: 1.33%

• Turkish: 1.29% 

Other languages fall below the 1% mark. You can see the full list and percentages in the image below.

The essential minimum for global reach

It always starts with English (37.01%). This isn’t just for players – it’s for media, marketing, influencers, support, and patch notes. Most importantly, games (at least those from Europe and USA) are simply developed in English as the primary language. 

Your second language choice should be your biggest lever:

1. Simplified Chinese (23.86%): If your genre has a real chance of breaking through, and you’re prepared to handle font rendering and UI adjustments.

2. European Spanish (4.22%): A reliable, steady performer.

3. Brazilian Portuguese (3.92%): A great bet if you’re counting on community growth, streaming, and long-term retention.

4. Smart ROI choices: Polish (1.68%) offers a strong community and a great price-to-performance ratio, while German (2.99%) is a must, especially for premium titles.

The Russian question

While Russian has a massive presence on Steam (10.12%), it currently comes with question marks. In 2026, its inclusion depends on several factors – notably payment blocks in Russia (which can be worked around on Steam) and continued high rates of piracy.

However, it’s important to remember that Russian remains a "lingua franca" in the CIS region (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia), which significantly boosts its reach. From a strictly business perspective, Russian is still recommended and is rarely omitted. 

Is "FIGS" dead?

Is the old gold standard of FIGS (French, Italian, German, Spanish) obsolete? Yes and no. Italian has certainly lost its once-unshakeable position, being overtaken by Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese. We’ll dive deeper into the factors behind this shift in our upcoming article.

The fully international product

If your game’s ambitions and budget allow for more territories, consider this strategy. A typical "Core" setup for 2026 includes:

English, simplified Chinese, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese. 

To this, add the following:

1. German and French: the European pillars.

2. Spanish: Don’t forget Spanish, but be mindful of the variants. Steam tracks Spanish – Spain (4.22%) and Spanish – Latin America (0.68%) separately. For many games, one variant (usually European) is enough to get by, but for titles with a long lifecycle and heavy community involvement, it pays off to support both.

Going maximum (without falling for the traps)

This category isn’t about adding as many languages as possible. It’s a commitment to ensuring the UI doesn’t break, text remains readable, and the localization doesn’t feel like a "Google Translate" sticker. This requires preparation on the developer side – something Context Heroes is happy to help with. 

Beyond the basics, it often makes sense to add:

1. Japanese (2.86%) and Korean (2.40%): If the genre fits and you’ve prepared for the typographic impact (text length, line breaks, font rendering).

2. Traditional Chinese (1.33%): A smart companion to simplified Chinese.

3. Turkish (1.29%): Often the "dark horse" of localization.

4. Regional aces with potential: Czech (0.58%), Ukrainian (0.71%), or the classic Italian (0.64%). Strong communities and their gratitude for every localization mean vital local support. Including these boosts sentiment, reviews, and organic recommendations within specific communities.

Why Brazilian Portuguese is crucial

Brazilian Portuguese isn’t just "extra Portuguese" – it’s a massive demographic force. It is the 5th most-spoken native language in the world, with Brazil accounting for roughly 80% of those speakers. Crucially, because a vast majority of the Brazilian population does not speak English, localization isn’t just a courtesy; it’s the only way to actually enter the market.

Steam data reflects this reality, showing that Portuguese – Portugal (0.36%) has a significantly smaller footprint than its South American counterpart. More importantly, Brazilian players can immediately tell when you’re using the European variant – it sounds "foreign" and culturally disconnected to them. For games that live on community interaction (guides, Discord, streams, Live Ops), the investment in Brazilian Portuguese (3.92%) pays off not just in sales, but in the organic passion with which this massive audience shares and recommends your title.

The same logic applies to the distinction between European and LatAm Spanish.

What about the rest of the languages on Steam?

Even though the distribution of languages on Steam clearly indicates where the primary focus lies, it doesn’t mean that languages with smaller representation should be ignored. It simply means you need to think about them more strategically. 

To maximize reach, smaller languages can be added for smaller titles where a return on investment is more likely. They are also ideal for free-to-play titles, where monetization depends on building the largest (and most active!) community possible and where it’s necessary to remove as many purchase barriers as possible. 

It’s also advisable to localize your Steam product page into as many languages as possible to maximize reach and drive international wishlisting, even if you ultimately localize the game itself into fewer languages. 

Furthermore, if you are releasing on consoles in addition to Steam, a platform holder like Sony may typically require you to localize at least your game’s product descriptions into mandatory languages on the PlayStation Store – even those the game itself will not be localized into.

Arabic also deserves a special mention. It is not officially featured in Steam’s language selection, meaning its statistics are not tracked. If you are prepared to handle font support and the usual UI adjustments required for Right-to-Left (RTL) optimization, Arabic can be a worthwhile investment. Be warned, however, that proper Arabic localization is never just about the translation; it demands significant technical intervention and a complete overhaul of your user interface.

Data is a compass, not an autopilot

Steam Hardware & Software Survey measures client language settings, not necessarily "language demand for your specific game." Use these percentages as a starting point, but base your final choice on:

1. Wishlist regions

2. Genre fit

3. Monetization model

4. Support plan

And don’t forget to budget for LQA (Localization Quality Assurance, a.k.a. localization testing). Only in-game can you see if the text actually fits the box, matches the context, and maintains consistent terminology.

Reach vs. revenue: the spending power nuance

It’s vital to remember that language share does not always equal spending power. While the Steam Hardware & Software Survey provides an excellent compass for reach, it doesn’t account for the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). For example, while simplified Chinese (23.86%) offers massive volume, it often necessitates aggressive regional pricing and deep discounts to see high conversion. In contrast, the Japanese market (2.86%) consistently shows significantly higher price tolerance and spending power per player. For "core" or premium titles, the ROI on a Japanese localization can often rival or even exceed markets with larger footprints because you are capturing high-value users who pay closer to the global base price.

When calculating your leverage, remember: a smaller, high-spending audience can be just as impactful as a massive, price-sensitive one.

A note on methodology

The survey reflects what language people want to shop in and read about games in. However, these numbers fluctuate monthly. Always combine this survey with your own data (product page traffic, community feedback) and factor in implementation costs. 

What’s next?

Localization isn’t just a line item in a budget – it’s an investment in your community’s growth. Steam’s numbers offer a reliable compass, but for a truly successful expansion, you need an expert at the helm.

Are you planning to conquer new markets in 2026? We’ll be happy to take a look at your game, your genre, and your goals. We can design a tailored localization strategy that makes sense both technically and financially. Let us know!