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XCOM: Enemy Unknown won multiple game-of-the-year awards in 2012 for its turn-based tactical gameplay centered on a squad of combatants. The expansion, XCOM: Enemy Within, was similarly well received upon its release in 2013 and brought the franchise to the mobile market on both the iOS and Android platforms in 2014. The success of these XCOM games inspired many game developers to try their hand at the genre. In 2015 we got Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion, set in the Warhammer 40K universe, and one of my personal favorites Templar Battleforce. Last year brought us Pocket Tactic’s RPG game-of-the-year Demon’s Rise 2 and tactics game-of-the-year Invisible, Inc. All of these games feature tactical turn-based action that can be favorably compared to the XCOM games.
Below is collection of great games that evoke that tactical gameplay that XCOM fans know and love. Some we’ve reviewed, many we haven’t. We’ve put some emphasis on games released in the last couple of years, but also aimed for a good cross-section of options out there. Naturally I can’t include every title with gameplay similar to XCOM and would love to see other options called out in the comments below.
Developer: Grinning Lizard
Platforms: Android
Price: $1.99
Xenowar is a brilliant distillation of the razor-sharp tactical challenges of XCOM, though it does sacrifice some scale and endgame satisfaction in favor of presenting a clean-cut intense series of battles. In particular, the GEO mode is a smart compromise between a full-fledged life-consuming, planet-saving, alien-cleansing XCOM campaign and a single strategic arc that a dedicated gamer can accomplish in just a few sittings. It takes a lot of presence of mind to create games like this, which understand what’s great and reiterate it without becoming derivative or redundant in the process. Oh, and it’s open-source to boot.
Developer: Wave Light Games
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $7.99, $6.49
Hydra’s best point is how creative and wide its customization options are, both in terms of squad composition and difficulty level. The plotting and theme are boilerplate, but in terms of mechanics, stats and abilities, the game is brimming with possibilities. Psionics and physics add some flair and unusual effects to the classes, and the enemies are weird bio-machine hybrids. All this wouldn’t matter a whit if the game’s buffet of options was paired with anything but an equally rich campaign. Here, Strike Team Hydra delivers again, ratcheting up the scenarios, objectives and enemy types just as generously as it doled out strategic tools. It strikes a great balance between question and answer; risk and reward; problem and solution.
Developer: Mode 7
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $9.99, $4.31
Along with the top-down isometric perspective, Frozen Synapse made one other amazing change to the standard tactical shooter formula. Each side takes turns planning their actions in secrecy, mapping out the steps their units will take, the shots they will fire. Then the game will resolve everyone’s programmed actions creating a ‘simultaneous’ turn that was nonetheless meticulously choreographed by those tacticians. One good idea, perfectly rendered, is enough to make a good game. Frozen Synapse fulfills this crystal-clear ideal.
Developer: Trese Brothers
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $9.99
Space marines versus xenomorphs, loosely derived from the Ur-horrors of Alien. Templar Battleforce owes some thematic debts to Warhammer and others, but its rapid-fire pacing and generous respect system are wonderful tools for experimentation and strategy. There’s some light characterization and world-building, sure, but in lieu of story one has to respect Templar Battleforce’s varied scenarios and equally creative squads allow divergent thinking. To a man with a hammer, everything is a nail, but to a commander with endlessly variable squads, the mutating threat can be met with an equally sundry…battleforce.
Developer: Leisurerules Inc.
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $2.99
We’ll start with an option that predates Enemy Within on mobile. Aliens versus Humans is an old game. So old that if you buy it for iOS you’ll get the warning about it slowing down your device since the developer hasn’t updated the game to Apple’s standards. That warning is often meaningless and misleading and you should go ahead and ignore it in this case.
Aliens versus Humans is effectively a clone of the very first XCOM game from back in 1994.It features base management, research, manufacturing, and of course tactical combat against alien enemies. The graphics are retro and nothing to get excited about, but the gameplay is solid, combat is challenging, and there’s a whole lot of content for a couple bucks. You can bring a huge squad to battle which allows for more options to face threats than games that top out with a team of four or so. It also lets you play the attrition game to grind out victories. So while Aliens versus Humans is over three-years-old at this point, it is well worth considering if you’re looking for XCOM-like action.
Developer: Slitherine
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $9.99
The universe is under threat from the Empire of the Machines and an alliance between the League of Aliens and United Nations of Earth (U.N.E.) is all that stands in their way. Legions of Steel takes this war to the Machines’ underground production facilities. You direct squads of commandos through the machine’s dark metallic underworld.
As with XCOM games, there’s a lot of tactical decision making in Legions of Steel. You can make use of movement stances, strafing, covering fire to take things out on your opponent’s turn, firing options like auto-fire and suppressing fire, and ambush tactics. There are also a ton of different weapons with which to equip your squad to fit any strategy and I particularly like that you can shoot no matter how far you’ve moved, with modifiers of course. There are two different campaigns in Legions of Steel and the story is told through attractive comic-book panels between missions. There’s also a “Skirmish” mode for quick fights and asynchronous multiplayer if you prefer a human opponent.
Developer: The Animal Farm Creations
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: Free
The first of a couple free options in this article is a little game called Alien Star Menace. Aliens have attacked the starship Paladin and it’s up to you to save the day. Alien Star Menace is light-hearted and looks pretty basic at first glance but it actually packs a good tactical punch. You pick a five-person squad from a variety of special units with different pros and cons and take them into missions on different levels of the Paladin.
The mission objectives are things like “Kill Everything” and “Reach the Stairs” and the game rewards smart decisions like making good use of choke points and ranged attackers. Missions are very quick and perfect for bite-sized play sessions on your phone, which is often a big plus for gamers these days. Alien Star Menace is also free-to-play with no IAP. There are ads, which can be annoying, but the frequency is very low and I didn’t find them to be overly obtrusive. I’m happy to recommend this one as a free gaming option for XCOM fans.
Developer: Mind Candy Ltd.
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: Free
World of Warriors: Quest is a light turn-based tactical game where you play as a team of warriors from across the ages—Roman centurions, Viking berserkers, and stealthy ninjas for example. The characters fill your standard RPG roles. The Roman, Brutus, is a tank and taunts enemies with his attacks to keep their attention. Gunnar, the Viking warrior, is a decent balance of damage and survivability. The ninja is named Kuro and he’s the glass cannon—big area-of-effect damage but very low health. Those are the starting characters but you encounter more as the game goes on.
You choose three warriors to take on a number of quests that lead you across the Wildlands on a mission to discover what the local bad guys are up to. Each quest has several waves of fights and it can be a challenge to keep your team upright and alive so you don’t succumb to attrition. Each warrior has special attacks to make use of and there are also consumables֫ that recover health, enable big attacks, or provide extra movement speed. World of Warriors: Quest is not a particularly deep game, but good for those interested in light squad-based tactics. You also can’t beat the price—this one is free with no IAPs or ads.
Developer: Sonic Sloth
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $3.99
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The Last Warlock is a turn-based tactical game with a somewhat unique almost-anything-goes approach. You play as a warlock capable of summoning deadly creatures, casting magical spells, and crafting weapons, armour, and other equipment. You embark on a series of quests to find and defeat enemy warlocks, all vying to discover the secrets of the famed last warlock. To defeat these rivals you must first best their monsters, traps, and puzzles before taking them down.
The Last Warlock provides an extraordinary amount of freedom for a tactical game to decide exactly how to do so. You can go straight for your foe or explore a little and take the road less travelled. This provides a great deal of replay value because you can play the same quest multiple times and use a different strategy. Your squad in this game are the creatures you’ve summoned and you can end up with quite a crew as you grow in power and a quest wears on. The single-player campaign is quite extensive and will provide many hours of play for one premium price. There’s also an asynchronous online option for those looking for multiplayer action.
Developer: MAST Games
Platforms: iOS | Android
Price: $1.99
Star Chindy mixes in elements of both FTL and XCOM. You warp around the galaxy in your ship, the Star Chindy, in a hunt to take on and take out a big bad alien race that very nearly wiped out earth. You’ll maintain and upgrade your ship, and others you pick up along the way, and decide where to go and what risks are worth taking in your travels.
You’ll take a squad on various away missions and engage the enemy in turn-based tactical warfare. The missions are a good challenge and get better and better as you train up your squad. The space-based combat is less interesting, however. It plays out in real time, rather than being turn based, and your weapons auto-fire on enemy ships in range. Your job is to frantically maneuver your ships to avoid enemy fire. Luckily the fun of the squad combat more than makes up for this and despite this odd dichotomy, Star Chindy is definitely worth a go for fans of XCOM.
Do you know of any more games that would fit the topic of today’s guide? Let us know about them in the comments below!
It’s time to get off the couch and get moving! In the Fitness Boxing game, a Nintendo Switch exclusive launching on Jan. 4, you can participate in boxing-based workouts while bopping along to instrumental versions of some popular music hits.
While gripping the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers, you will be punching, weaving and squatting using the built-in motion controls to get your whole body moving – no need for additional gym equipment! It’s a great way to burn off some calories after holiday gatherings or work on those fitness New Year’s resolutions you make every year.
Daily training in Fitness Boxing offers both low- and high-intensity options. After selecting from a diverse group of trainers, you can customize their looks with unlockable trainer outfits. The game estimates your approximate body mass index (BMI) and daily calories burned so you can track your progress. As you move toward reaching your goals, you can earn more songs and will also have the opportunity to engage with more challenging training circuits.
With two-player mode, you can team up with a friend or family member to play in tandem or face off in a virtual boxing ring.
Because of the portable power of the Nintendo Switch system, Fitness Boxing can be played at home in TV Mode or on the go using Tabletop mode. For busy moms that might not have time to head to the gym, this game is a great way to get in a quick workout no matter where you are.
For more information about Fitness Boxing, visit https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/fitness-boxing-switch.
Mild Violence
Suggestive Themes
We wanted to give you a heads up about some exciting language options coming to Steam.
Starting today, we are adding two new languages (Vietnamese and Latin American Spanish) to the list of 26 languages officially supported by Steam. This means the Steam desktop client, the Steam store, and the Steam Community, are all translated to make it easier for Vietnamese or Latin American Spanish speakers to interact with Steam, find games, and chat with friends. It also means that game developers can now provide translations of their game in those languages through Steam.
Why Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is the sole national language of the country Vietnam, but is also widely used in other countries, including the United States, Australia, and France. There are over 75 million Vietnamese speakers worldwide. In November of 2017, we added Steam support for the national currency of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Dong, along with a number of payment methods that make it easier for players in Vietnam to make purchases on Steam. While supporting payments methods and currencies is important for making Steam accessible to global audiences, we realized our mistake in not also supporting the national language too so that players can more easily find their way around Steam and be able to get games in their native language, when available.
Why Latin American Spanish?
In the past, Steam has only supported a single definition of Spanish-language. But our customers and game developers have been reminding us of the stylistic differences among Spanish spoken in different locales, and requested that Steam support that difference. As a result, we now have a definition of both Castilian (European) Spanish and Latin American (LatAm) Spanish, translating the Steam desktop client, store, and community into both variants of Spanish.
As a practical example, this is how we already treat Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, where customers can choose one, the other, or both for their language preferences, and game developers can indicate whichever variants their game supports.
Changing Your Language Preferences in Steam
Whether your native language is Vietnamese, Castilian Spanish, or any of the 26 other languages supported by Steam, you can specify your language preferences in the Steam desktop client by clicking “Steam>settings>interface”.
Additionally, you can specify more than one language within the Steam store to help you find more games available in languages you may speak. For example, you may want to run Steam in Vietnamese, but you also speak English and want to make sure you can find games that are available with English language audio. You can visit your store preferences to select multiple languages for games that you wish to discover in the Steam store.
FAQ for Game Developers
Language support can be pretty important for the enjoyment of games. If you are making a game on Steam, here are some questions we thought you might have and some answers. Of course if you have additional question, please let us know through the Steamworks contact form.
Q: What do I need to do if my game already supports Spanish?
A: If you want to add another language support option, you can provide Spanish support in both Castilian and Latin American varieties. If you don’t plan to add additional support, that’s OK: Steam will assume that your existing Spanish language content is Castilian and automatically provide that content to customers that have indicated either Castilian or Latin American Spanish. If your existing translation is actually Latin American Spanish, you can update your definition within Steamworks by visiting your app landing page and clicking “Edit Steamworks Settings” and selecting “Depots” from the “SteamPipe” drop-down.
For more information on translating your game into different languages, and a list of supported languages, please see https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization
Q: What if my game doesn’t support Spanish at all?
A: That’s okay, and you don’t need to make any changes. But just so you know: nearly 2 million of our 45 million daily active users view the store in Spanish, and platform revenue in Latin America increased 35% over the previous year… so now might be a good time to consider adding support!
Q: What’s the difference, anyway? Why does this matter?
A: There are some substantial differences in vocabulary and colloquial choices between these two varieties of Spanish. By supporting the difference on the Steam store and UI, we can make it more welcoming and easy to use. By supporting the difference in your game, you can provide the best possible experience to any customers who want to play your game in Spanish. Historically, customer improvements to localization and regional support have helped grow the overall pie of platform opportunity for developers, and we think this will be one more improvement for people who play and make PC games.
Q: Do I get any benefit if my game supports additional languages on Steam?
A: Definitely! In addition to making your game more accessible to more customers, language preference is one of the things the store takes into account when making recommendations. That means a customer is more likely to see your game in the store if it supports the language preferences the customer selected. For example, Vietnamese is the fifth most spoken language in the United States, at around 1.5 million speakers.
Q: Where can I learn more about adding language support?
A: We’re so glad you asked! The documentation here provides a rundown on localization, and some best practices and advice. https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization
We wanted to give you a heads up about some exciting language options coming to Steam.
Starting today, we are adding two new languages (Vietnamese and Latin American Spanish) to the list of 26 languages officially supported by Steam. This means the Steam desktop client, the Steam store, and the Steam Community, are all translated to make it easier for Vietnamese or Latin American Spanish speakers to interact with Steam, find games, and chat with friends. It also means that game developers can now provide translations of their game in those languages through Steam.
Why Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is the sole national language of the country Vietnam, but is also widely used in other countries, including the United States, Australia, and France. There are over 75 million Vietnamese speakers worldwide. In November of 2017, we added Steam support for the national currency of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Dong, along with a number of payment methods that make it easier for players in Vietnam to make purchases on Steam. While supporting payments methods and currencies is important for making Steam accessible to global audiences, we realized our mistake in not also supporting the national language too so that players can more easily find their way around Steam and be able to get games in their native language, when available.
Why Latin American Spanish?
In the past, Steam has only supported a single definition of Spanish-language. But our customers and game developers have been reminding us of the stylistic differences among Spanish spoken in different locales, and requested that Steam support that difference. As a result, we now have a definition of both Castilian (European) Spanish and Latin American (LatAm) Spanish, translating the Steam desktop client, store, and community into both variants of Spanish.
As a practical example, this is how we already treat Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, where customers can choose one, the other, or both for their language preferences, and game developers can indicate whichever variants their game supports.
Changing Your Language Preferences in Steam
Whether your native language is Vietnamese, Castilian Spanish, or any of the 26 other languages supported by Steam, you can specify your language preferences in the Steam desktop client by clicking “Steam>settings>interface”.
Additionally, you can specify more than one language within the Steam store to help you find more games available in languages you may speak. For example, you may want to run Steam in Vietnamese, but you also speak English and want to make sure you can find games that are available with English language audio. You can visit your store preferences to select multiple languages for games that you wish to discover in the Steam store.
FAQ for Game Developers
Language support can be pretty important for the enjoyment of games. If you are making a game on Steam, here are some questions we thought you might have and some answers. Of course if you have additional question, please let us know through the Steamworks contact form.
Q: What do I need to do if my game already supports Spanish?
A: If you want to add another language support option, you can provide Spanish support in both Castilian and Latin American varieties. If you don’t plan to add additional support, that’s OK: Steam will assume that your existing Spanish language content is Castilian and automatically provide that content to customers that have indicated either Castilian or Latin American Spanish. If your existing translation is actually Latin American Spanish, you can update your definition within Steamworks by visiting your app landing page and clicking “Edit Steamworks Settings” and selecting “Depots” from the “SteamPipe” drop-down.
For more information on translating your game into different languages, and a list of supported languages, please see https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization
Q: What if my game doesn’t support Spanish at all?
A: That’s okay, and you don’t need to make any changes. But just so you know: nearly 2 million of our 45 million daily active users view the store in Spanish, and platform revenue in Latin America increased 35% over the previous year… so now might be a good time to consider adding support!
Q: What’s the difference, anyway? Why does this matter?
A: There are some substantial differences in vocabulary and colloquial choices between these two varieties of Spanish. By supporting the difference on the Steam store and UI, we can make it more welcoming and easy to use. By supporting the difference in your game, you can provide the best possible experience to any customers who want to play your game in Spanish. Historically, customer improvements to localization and regional support have helped grow the overall pie of platform opportunity for developers, and we think this will be one more improvement for people who play and make PC games.
Q: Do I get any benefit if my game supports additional languages on Steam?
A: Definitely! In addition to making your game more accessible to more customers, language preference is one of the things the store takes into account when making recommendations. That means a customer is more likely to see your game in the store if it supports the language preferences the customer selected. For example, Vietnamese is the fifth most spoken language in the United States, at around 1.5 million speakers.
Q: Where can I learn more about adding language support?
A: We’re so glad you asked! The documentation here provides a rundown on localization, and some best practices and advice. https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization
Assault Spy / is Now Available on Steam!
Dash, evade, and smash your way to the truth as the corporate spy, Asaru; or the reckless CIA agent, Amelia! Uncover the dark secrets of the Negabot mega corporation as you save the company from a hostile takeover. Assault Spy is a stylish, fast paced, pure-action game with a dash of comedy.
Welcome to the Weekender, your weekly look at the best new games, sales, and updates. We’ve got a couple new games, a couple updates to great games, and a whole bunch of sales for you.
In case you missed it on the site this week, we also reviewed Where Shadows Slumber, Stockpile and One Hour One Life.
Yes, iOS Universal. Now you can play the latest installment of the turn-based classic franchise not only on your iPad but your iPhone. The game has been completely reworked to work well on a much smaller screen. The result is surprisingly good. The menus are well-optimized for a smaller screen and it’s easy to see what’s going on in your empire, albeit with a bit more panning around. In celebration of going universal, Civilization VI is also 60% right now, making it a great time to pick it up if you haven’t yet, or if you don’t have an iPad on which to play it. Be aware, however, Aspyr says the game requires a more recent iPhone, 7 or newer. I did install it and poke around on my 6S Plus, however, and it seemed OK.
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The interactive-fiction genre is a popular one on mobile. Phones are the perfect platform to deliver these modern Choose-Your-Own-Adventure like content. Chroniric XIX is the latest title in the genre and features real-time conversations with an entity from an alternative past. The game imagines “what if” scenarios—like what if a scientist discovered an inexhaustible supply of energy way back in 1889—and drops you into the story. I didn’t get a chance to play Chroniric XIX, but if you’re a fan of interactive fiction it seems to have plenty of promise.
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The pastoral-based franchise Harvest Moon is celebrating 20 years and now Light of Hope is out on iOS and Android. After a monsoon and ship wreck, the game’s protagonist recovers from injury in an all-but-abandoned town. Your job is to grow crops, herd animals, gather materials and rebuild the town. Light of Hope appears to be a direct port of the PC and Switch version and might scratch that farm-simulation itch.
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One of my favorite games of the year is the action hack-and-slash fest Barbearian. At launch the game was universal, but without iCloud support there was no way to share game saves, effectively forcing you to choose your device. That hole has been closed with a recent update and Barbearian now includes iCloud support. If you haven’t tried the game and enjoy explosive combat games I highly recommend grabbing it. You can read my 5-star review for much more on why.
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Minimalist, text-based RPG A Dark Room was a viral hit in 2014 and is on sale for just a buck. It’s entertaining and well worth the price if you enjoy text adventures.
The prequel to A Dark Room, Ensign, brings more of the same great RPG feel. Also just a buck.
Adventure your way through the history of video games in Evoland 2. It came out earlier this year and is at its lowest price ever.
You can also get the original Evoland for just a buck.
Classic post-apocalyptic RPG Planescape Torment‘s special enhanced edition—with remastered music, updated graphics, and a new user interface—is at its lowest price ever, down from $10.
Skyscraper simulator Project Highrise puts you in charge of the growth and management of a building. You decide how to grow—office space, shops and restaurants, hotels, and more—and work to attract visitors and keep your tenants happy by offering the right mix of amenities. It came out earlier this year and is at its cheapest price ever.
Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!
A new Nintendo Switch bundle is now available in stores, and it offers the best value for fans of Fortnite. It’s the perfect way for newcomers (and super fans) to skydive into the world of Fortnite and play the console version of the global phenomenon anytime and anywhere.
Available at a suggested retail price of $299.99, the Nintendo Switch: Fortnite – Double Helix Bundle includes the Nintendo Switch system, the Fortnite game (which is free to download) and $45 worth of unique Fortnite goodies, including:
The 1,000 V-Bucks can be used to purchase other in-game items, and are enough to trade in for a newly released Season 6 Battle Pass, which will grant you access to even more cool in-game stuff like new outfits, new challenges and pets.
Nintendo Switch is the only platform that allows you to take the full console experience of Fortnite anywhere you go. The system is great for playing Fortnite with friends at parties, while commuting or even when at home on the TV. And with rewards that are unique to this bundle, there’s no better deal for the Fortnite and Nintendo fans in your life.
Violence
Users Interact
In-Game Purchases
Throw a party anytime, anywhere with the Super Mario Party™ game! Gather your friends and family and compete in the fan-favorite board game mode. There are over 80 brand-new minigames to test your skills in: from flipping steak to striking a pose, a variety of clever challenges are always just around the corner.
The fun doesn’t stop there though! Keep the party going with a 2 vs. 2 team mode* called Partner Party, pair up two Nintendo Switch™ systems to play games in Toad’s Rec Room**, and experience the series’ first online minigame mode, Online Mariothon***.
Features:
If you would like to purchase the game, please visit https://supermarioparty.nintendo.com/.
Games, systems and some accessories sold separately.
*Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode.
**Additional games and systems required.
***Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and Nintendo Account required for online play. Not available in all countries. Internet access required for online features. Terms apply. Learn more at https://www.nintendo.com/switch-online
Mild Cartoon Violence
We wanted to give you a heads up about some exciting language options coming to Steam.
Starting today, we are adding two new languages (Vietnamese and Latin American Spanish) to the list of 26 languages officially supported by Steam. This means the Steam desktop client, the Steam store, and the Steam Community, are all translated to make it easier for Vietnamese or Latin American Spanish speakers to interact with Steam, find games, and chat with friends. It also means that game developers can now provide translations of their game in those languages through Steam.
Why Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is the sole national language of the country Vietnam, but is also widely used in other countries, including the United States, Australia, and France. There are over 75 million Vietnamese speakers worldwide. In November of 2017, we added Steam support for the national currency of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Dong, along with a number of payment methods that make it easier for players in Vietnam to make purchases on Steam. While supporting payments methods and currencies is important for making Steam accessible to global audiences, we realized our mistake in not also supporting the national language too so that players can more easily find their way around Steam and be able to get games in their native language, when available.
Why Latin American Spanish?
In the past, Steam has only supported a single definition of Spanish-language. But our customers and game developers have been reminding us of the stylistic differences among Spanish spoken in different locales, and requested that Steam support that difference. As a result, we now have a definition of both Castilian (European) Spanish and Latin American (LatAm) Spanish, translating the Steam desktop client, store, and community into both variants of Spanish.
As a practical example, this is how we already treat Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, where customers can choose one, the other, or both for their language preferences, and game developers can indicate whichever variants their game supports.
Changing Your Language Preferences in Steam
Whether your native language is Vietnamese, Castilian Spanish, or any of the 26 other languages supported by Steam, you can specify your language preferences in the Steam desktop client by clicking “Steam>settings>interface”.
Additionally, you can specify more than one language within the Steam store to help you find more games available in languages you may speak. For example, you may want to run Steam in Vietnamese, but you also speak English and want to make sure you can find games that are available with English language audio. You can visit your store preferences to select multiple languages for games that you wish to discover in the Steam store.
FAQ for Game Developers
Language support can be pretty important for the enjoyment of games. If you are making a game on Steam, here are some questions we thought you might have and some answers. Of course if you have additional question, please let us know through the Steamworks contact form.
Q: What do I need to do if my game already supports Spanish?
A: If you want to add another language support option, you can provide Spanish support in both Castilian and Latin American varieties. If you don’t plan to add additional support, that’s OK: Steam will assume that your existing Spanish language content is Castilian and automatically provide that content to customers that have indicated either Castilian or Latin American Spanish. If your existing translation is actually Latin American Spanish, you can update your definition within Steamworks by visiting your app landing page and clicking “Edit Steamworks Settings” and selecting “Depots” from the “SteamPipe” drop-down.
For more information on translating your game into different languages, and a list of supported languages, please see https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization
Q: What if my game doesn’t support Spanish at all?
A: That’s okay, and you don’t need to make any changes. But just so you know: nearly 2 million of our 45 million daily active users view the store in Spanish, and platform revenue in Latin America increased 35% over the previous year… so now might be a good time to consider adding support!
Q: What’s the difference, anyway? Why does this matter?
A: There are some substantial differences in vocabulary and colloquial choices between these two varieties of Spanish. By supporting the difference on the Steam store and UI, we can make it more welcoming and easy to use. By supporting the difference in your game, you can provide the best possible experience to any customers who want to play your game in Spanish. Historically, customer improvements to localization and regional support have helped grow the overall pie of platform opportunity for developers, and we think this will be one more improvement for people who play and make PC games.
Q: Do I get any benefit if my game supports additional languages on Steam?
A: Definitely! In addition to making your game more accessible to more customers, language preference is one of the things the store takes into account when making recommendations. That means a customer is more likely to see your game in the store if it supports the language preferences the customer selected. For example, Vietnamese is the fifth most spoken language in the United States, at around 1.5 million speakers.
Q: Where can I learn more about adding language support?
A: We’re so glad you asked! The documentation here provides a rundown on localization, and some best practices and advice. https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/localization
