Steam: You Won’t Believe Which Language Now Dominates
With April just around the corner, there’s some interesting news from the Steam Hardware & Software Survey for February, which for the first time sees Chinese dominating the rankings. Let’s find out more about this.
Check out the announcement of the localization for The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon!
Steam is a gaming platform created by Valve Corporation, launched back in 2003. It quickly reshaped how we play on PC, introducing numerous features and building a true community thanks to powerful tools available to users. Valve continues to be the face of PC gaming with its user-centric approach.
In fact, Valve managed to establish a localized version of Steam for the Chinese market in 2019, in collaboration with Perfect World. With the launch of Steam China in 2021, many high-quality Chinese titles have been featured, including Black Myth: Wukong. Buy the CD Key for Black Myth: Wukong and see what this reimagining of a Chinese literary classic offers!
Steam: Results of the Latest Hardware & Software Survey
Just 4 years after the launch of Steam China, we finally have a new top language in the latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey for February 2025. It’s none other than Chinese, which has reached a new milestone. A massive increase, which as Automaton noticed, coincides with Chinese New Year.
Reaching 50.06%, confirming that over half of Steam users are using Simplified Chinese for their system. A remarkable milestone considering a gigantic increase of +20.88% compared to January, followed distantly by:
- English 23.79% (-10.18%)
- Russian 6.76%( -2.86%)
- Spanish (Spain) 2.89% (-1.10%)
- Portuguese-Brazil: 2.61% (-1.16%)
- German: 2.04% (-0.84%)
Steam Hardware Survey: February 2025
Steam saw Chinese users spike and exceed 50% of worldwide playerbase in February 2025https://t.co/lqCTau0VYe
— AUTOMATON WEST (@AUTOMATON_ENG) March 7, 2025
China and the Impact on the Global Gaming Market
The numbers are clear, after January, with English still in the lead, Chinese is now the most used language on Steam. This means that among participants in the Steam Hardware Survey, a voluntary poll, more than half of users are using a PC with Simplified Chinese as their operating system language. This increase is due to the rising adoption of Steam and other global platforms in China.
But it’s certainly also a true boom for the gaming market, with both indie and larger developers bringing interesting games and projects to the global market. Examples like Black Myth Wukong and the continuing success of Marvel Rivals, as well as new arrivals such as Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Lost Soul Aside, and many indie games.
In Conclusion
In the future, development studios and publishers will have to keep in mind the importance of Chinese localization. Otherwise, they risk falling behind in a market and interest from China that doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
This situation will, for better or worse, bring new games, whether AAA, AA, or indie experiences. In the end, it means more and more options for players, who often feel alienated by big “Western” publishers and studios.
A video game enthusiast ever since I first got my hands on a Game Boy. Over the years, I've played many different games across various genres, discovering hidden gems and niche titles along the way. I'm also passionate about technology, always up-to-date with the latest news and insight in the PC and Console market. Ready to share and bring you the latest news !
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