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How to Enable Japanese Text and Subtitles in Steam Games

Use a game’s Steam Properties > Language menu for Japanese text, then confirm Japanese subtitles are supported and enable them in the game’s settings.
WorldSteam Games Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team

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To enable Japanese in a Steam game, open its Library entry, choose Properties > Language, and select Japanese if it is listed. Subtitles are controlled by the game itself, so check its in-game settings and Steam store page; Steam cannot add Japanese to a title that does not support it.

Set an individual game’s language to Japanese

  1. Open your Steam Library.
  2. Right-click the game and select Properties.
  3. Open the Language tab.
  4. Select Japanese from the menu, if it is available.
  5. If Steam prompts you to download language files, let the download finish, then launch the game.

Steam’s language settings guidance notes that some languages are not available for some games. If Japanese is missing from the menu, check the game’s Steam store page for its supported languages; a Steam setting cannot add a translation the game does not provide.

Check Japanese subtitles separately

A Japanese language option does not necessarily mean Japanese subtitles are included. On the game’s Steam store page, compare the language listing for interface text, full audio, and subtitles. Support for one does not establish support for the others.

If the store page lists Japanese subtitles, launch the game and look in its own settings for subtitles or captions. Steam does not provide one universal subtitle switch for every game, and the menu name and location vary by title.

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Keep the Steam client language separate

The Steam desktop client has its own language setting. On Windows and Linux, open Steam > Settings > Interface; on macOS, open Steam > Preferences > Interface. Choose a language and restart Steam when prompted. Steam says this setting also affects Valve games, while third-party games may have independent language controls.

For a single game, start with that game’s Properties > Language setting rather than changing Steam’s entire interface. Steam notes that supported language files for installed games may need to download. If language selection causes a problem, check the relevant settings in both Steam and the game.

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Advanced: custom captions in Source games

Steam documents a separate custom-caption procedure for compatible Source games and mods. It is not a general method for adding Japanese subtitles to other Steam titles.

  1. Obtain a compatible compiled caption file named closecaption_<language>.dat and copy it into the game or mod’s resource folder.
  2. Start the game and enable closed captioning under Options > Audio.
  3. To select the custom caption language, enter cc_lang <language> in the console, using the language value from the caption filename.

Text caption files must first be compiled with the Source SDK caption compiler. See Steam’s custom subtitles instructions for Source games for the procedure and compatibility details.

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