China is a market defined by fierce competition, rapid technological progress, and a set of cultural and regulatory nuances that make it stand out from anything in the West. Join us in this article from Inlingo and Futura Digital as we break down the key stats and insights shaping China's gaming industry today.
Key Facts About China's Game Market
Home to 1.408 billion people, China is second only to India in terms of population.
Online gaming in China is among the biggest and most rapidly-growing sectors of online business in the world. As of 2022, China was the second-largest online gaming market after the United States. By 2024, the country counted 722 million players, with the industry valued at around $45 billion (USD).
Mobile games dominate the landscape, accounting for over 70% of the total market—thanks to widespread smartphone adoption and a mature mobile payments infrastructure.
In 2024, the sharpest increase in personal spending was seen in PC gaming. Some 62% of gamers said they spent more this year than last, and 19% reported spending at least 30% more than the previous year.
Steam has retained its position as China's number one platform of choice for PC game distribution. As per Niko Partners, 79.5% of Chinese gamers who play premium titles use Steam—and most prefer the international version of the platform.
The mini-game segment has also become a major growth driver in mobile gaming, attracting around 650 million players. Niko's survey found that two-thirds of mobile gamers play mini-games daily or several times a week.
Player Profile
The core audience of China's gaming market is people aged 18 to 35 living in major cities. Men make up 53.8% of gamers, while women account for 46.2%—and the share of female players keeps growing. The average age of Chinese gamers is 35.
China is home to over 660 million active players. On average, Chinese gamers play for around 12.4 hours per week. Over 95% of gamers play mobile games, around 45% play PC games, and approximately 30% use consoles.
Chinese players' preferences can differ from Western tastes:
- MMORPGs and MOBA games are hugely popular, likely because of the social and teamwork aspects they provide.
- Battle Royale and shooters account for a significant portion of the market. They combine teamwork with a competitive element and are also suitable for mobile devices.
- Casual and hypercasual games dominate the mobile segment. Such games are available for all ages and don't require a lot of time.
Chinese Game Developers
Not only do Chinese companies dominate the domestic market, they're also expanding on the international scene—you've probably heard of Tencent and NetEase. But we're not here only to talk about these companies.
- Tencent (owner of WeChat and the world's largest game publisher)
The world's largest company in terms of revenue from video games, Tencent holds shares in numerous big-name studios, such as: Riot Games (100%), Epic Games (40%), Ubisoft (5%), and Activision Blizzard (5%).
The publisher of PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor), as well as the development company behind WeChat and QQ—China's biggest social platforms, which are also integrated with games.
- NetEase (China's second-biggest publisher)
A famous developer of mobile games and MMOs, this company collaborates with Blizzard to publish their games in China (World of Warcraft, Hearthstone). NetEase also develops its own successful titles: Identity V, Knives Out, Rules of Survival.
- miHoYo (creators of Genshin Impact)
Founded in 2012, this relatively young company is the creator of the incredibly successful Genshin Impact, which has earned over $4 billion. This studio also developed Honkai Impact 3rd and Tears of Themis, Honkai: Star Rails and Zenless Zone Zero.
- Beijing Perfect World
Specializing in MMORPGs, this is the company behind Perfect World, Jade Dynasty, and Neverwinter Online. It's a strong player on the domestic market as well as the international stage.
Esports in China
China leads the world in the esports industry. The country has a highly developed system of professional leagues, tournaments, and training facilities. Popular disciplines include League of Legends, Dota 2, and Honor of Kings. Esports enjoy state recognition as an official type of sport, and many universities offer related educational programs.
Among China's most renowned and successful players are Fly100%, Ferrari_430, Burning, InFi, Xiaohai, Ame, Jibo, Like, and Liooon.
In 2024, revenue from China's esports industry grew by 4.6%, reaching 27.6 billion yuan (approximately $3.8 billion).
Restrictions on Minors Playing Video Games
China maintains a strict regulatory system governing minors' access to video games, which is part of the country's broader efforts to prevent gaming addiction among young people. Key measures include:
- Limited playtime: Players under 18 are allowed to play only one hour per day—on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time.
- Real-name verification: Registration for games requires users to verify their identity using official personal documentation.
- Spending limits: Publishers are required to completely block in-game purchases for children under 8 years old.
- For players aged 8 to 16, spending is capped at 50 yuan per transaction and 200 yuan per month.
- For those aged 16 to 18, the limits increase to 100 yuan per transaction and 400 yuan per month.
- All games being subject to mandatory censorship (more details below): Titles with online features must display an age rating of 8+, 12+, or 16+, depending on the content. These age ratings must be clearly visible on official websites, login or start screens, and promotional materials, along with appropriate content warnings (i.e. game descriptions).
- Streaming restrictions: Children under 16 are not permitted to participate in streams, and all minors are forbidden from viewing livestreaming platforms after 10:00 p.m.
In addition, smartphone manufacturers, app stores, and game developers have introduced special "minor protection" modes. Recent devices from Xiaomi, Honor, and vivo come pre-installed with a "minors mode," which helps set time limits, filter age-appropriate content, and activate regular break reminders—all in line with official Chinese guidelines for the protection of minors.
Licensing and Content Regulation
All video games are subject to state censorship. Publishers must obtain an ISBN license from the NRTA (National Radio and Television Administration) before a game can be released. The Ministry of Culture oversees the entire process, from application submission to the game's official launch.
To secure a license, developers must ensure that their content complies with government guidelines. Below are just a few examples of content types that will not get past the censor:
Violation of laws or cultural values: Crime scenes, gambling, LGBTQ+ themes, Nazi symbols
Drugs: Any depiction of drugs or smoking
Horror elements: Skeletons, skulls, blood, internal organs, or corpses
Sexualized imagery: Characters without clothes, in swimsuits, or with visible cleavage
Extreme violence: Unpunished killing, large-scale destruction of buildings
The industry has seen numerous cases where games were banned or modified to comply with local regulations.
Examples of bans:
- Hearts of Iron was blocked in China for "distorting historical facts." The game portrayed Tibet, Manchukuo, and Western Xinjiang as independent states, while Taiwan was shown under Japanese control.
- Battlefield 4 was banned due to concerns that its China Rising expansion posed a threat to national security and depicted China and its military in a negative light, as the expansion's missions took place on Chinese soil.
Despite these restrictions, developers have learned to adapt creatively to local requirements, tweaking their games just enough to evade the censors. For example:
- In the mobile game AFK Arena, a character's skull was covered with a mask, and skeletal hands were replaced with gloves. See the example here.
- In Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, many images were altered, including a vampire character being dressed up, and depictions of blood and claws being removed. Example.
- Hand of Fate was also reworked for the Chinese market: skeletons (as can be seen here) were given skin, and a wounded hand was transformed into a bird.
Publishing a game without prior government approval can result in heavy fines, often exceeding the game's revenue by five to ten times.
Partners in China
Foreign companies are not allowed to publish games directly in the Chinese market. Because of this, they typically work with local publishers or partner companies that handle regulatory communication and product distribution.
Chinese publishers are deeply familiar with the local market and can take on a full range of responsibilities—from obtaining licenses to ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.
However, it's essential to remember that even when working with a trusted partner, every detail of the contract must be carefully negotiated, as the publisher will control all game revenues. Finalizing a publishing agreement can take time, since it's crucial to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each party.
When negotiating, you should not only protect your own interests but also be mindful of cultural nuances on the other side. Not all participants may be fluent in English, so translation into Chinese may be necessary. And of course, don't forget about the time zone difference.
How Do I Adapt My Project for China?
When localizing a game for China, you must account for legal, cultural, and technical specifics. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of what needs to be done:
- Step 1 — Language
The game must use Simplified Chinese only. The language selection option should be removed; only a single language option is allowed.
In mainland China, Simplified Chinese (简体中文) is used, as opposed to Traditional—which is widespread in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Pay attention to regional terminology differences even within mainland China. Gaming slang in China differs substantially from that in other Chinese-speaking regions.
Translate every UI element, even down to words like "loading."
- Step 2 — Technical Translation Requirements
Chinese characters require Unicode support, and it's also necessary to account for vertical text in certain interface elements.
Typefaces must properly display all of the required characters. Games must support pinyin (romanized Chinese characters) as well as handwritten text input.
- Step 3 — Cultural Nuances in Translation
The names of characters often require cultural adaptation instead of direct translation. Idioms and sayings are best replaced with Chinese equivalents (成语).
Humor must be adapted to fit the Chinese cultural context. Cultural significance is placed on numbers (for example, 4 is considered unlucky whereas 8 is lucky).
- Step 4 — Localization of Specific Elements
Dialogs: It's important to preserve the correct levels of formality and maintain the social hierarchy.
Be sure to consider the time required to read characters when implementing subtitles. It's also crucial to cast actors with the correct accent in Mandarin Chinese.
All of this requires providing the localization team with the full context and reference materials, explaining the cultural references, and describing the characters' personalities in order to pick the right tone.
Native speakers are often brought in for localization, since they can help check whether texts sound natural. Testing is also often carried out by Chinese players.
During the translation process, it's recommended to use glossaries and translation databases to ensure uniformity, carry out reverse translation for quality control, consult with native experts on specific cultural concerns, and bear in mind possible censorship restrictions.
- Step 5 — Labeling Requirements
Comply with labeling rules. The game must include the following elements:
(1) Copyright information and ISBN number
(2) A link to the user agreement (also in Simplified Chinese)
(3) A health-risk warning
(4) An age-rating icon
- Step 6 — Content Compliance Requirements
There are many requirements, and a full analysis is only possible once a specific game is reviewed, but here are a few illustrative examples:
- If your game allows users to upload custom avatars, this feature must be removed—only developer-provided avatars are allowed.
- Any images of foreign flags must be removed.
- If the game contains blood or other red elements that might resemble blood, they must be recolored. This can also include red indicators, such as when a character is under attack—they too must be changed to a different color.
- If a character defeats an enemy, images of dead bodies must be removed. Instead, the defeated character could, for example, simply disappear.
- All images of skulls and skeletons, including any in-game icons, must be replaced.
- Any nudity in the game must be covered up.
The Bottom Line
The Chinese market does have its fair share of restrictions, which can seem strict at first glance. Yet, by carefully navigating regulatory requirements and partnering with trusted local allies, these challenges can be successfully managed. Despite the hurdles, China remains one of the largest and most promising markets for game developers.
