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Which games teach Chinese?

Updated

This page lists six games on Steam that teach Mandarin Chinese. One of them is Very Chinese Time in My Life, which we make. For each game, this page says what it is, how you learn, whether you speak, what level it covers and who it suits. The facts come from each game’s Steam page at the time of writing.

Wishlist on Steam See the games

Which one for what

Pick by what you want. Each game is good at one part of the language.

At a glance

Speaking, level and platforms for each game, from its Steam page at the time of writing.

Games for learning Chinese at a glance
SpeakingLevelRuns on
Very Chinese Time in My Life Speaking is the main activity: you say each word, then the whole sentence. You can click your answer instead.Complete beginners and early learners. Spoken Chinese for one week of everyday situations. It does not follow the HSK (the official Chinese language test).Windows PC.
WonderLang Mandarin Chinese Includes speech recognition challenges for pronunciation and tones.Beginners, with modes for complete beginners, HSK 1 and HSK 2. The Steam page describes it as a supplement to a course.Windows and macOS. Playable on Steam Deck.
Noun Town Language Learning Speaking with the microphone is optional. The developer says the speech recognition checks tones.Beginners. Mostly vocabulary and nouns, with some basic phrases.Windows and macOS. A separate VR version is sold for Meta Quest and SteamVR.
Hua Mulan: A Chinese Learning Adventure Uses voice recognition, so you can speak your answers in Chinese.HSK 1 (the first level of the official Chinese language test).Windows.
Influent Listening only. You hear each word but are not asked to say it.Beginners. Several hundred everyday words.Windows, macOS and Linux.
Ragnar’s Chinese Memory Game Listening only. Every word has audio, in a mainland and a Taiwanese recording.5,000 words and characters, from HSK 1 to HSK 6. Simplified or traditional characters.Windows, macOS and Linux.

The games, one by one

Ours comes first because we know it best. The others are in no particular order.

  • Made by us

    Very Chinese Time in My Life

    Bauta Studio. Coming to Steam, release date not announced yet.

    A first-person game in which you spend one week in a present-day Chinese city and speak Mandarin in everyday situations.

    How you learn
    Scenes play out in order: the airport, a hotel desk, a breakfast stall, the metro, a night market, a pharmacy, dinner with a family. When you need to say something, the words appear as cards with pinyin and English. People react to what you say, and a different answer leads to a different result. A panda gives you a short review after each part of the day, and a friend quizzes you every night.
    Speaking
    Speaking is the main activity: you say each word, then the whole sentence. You can click your answer instead.
    Level
    Complete beginners and early learners. Spoken Chinese for one week of everyday situations. It does not follow the HSK (the official Chinese language test).
    Runs on
    Windows PC.
    Good for
    People going to China soon who want to speak in everyday situations, and learners who freeze when they have to talk.
    Steam page

  • WonderLang Mandarin Chinese

    bair games. Released on Steam in February 2026.

    A role-playing game in which a young hero learns Chinese to break a curse on their brother.

    How you learn
    Quests and dialogues with more than 60 characters. Puzzles where you build sentences. Battles that bring words back just before you would forget them (spaced repetition). A dictionary, tone hints, and mini games such as crosswords and tone challenges. You can read in pinyin only, with a few characters, or with full characters, and practise drawing characters on screen.
    Speaking
    Includes speech recognition challenges for pronunciation and tones.
    Level
    Beginners, with modes for complete beginners, HSK 1 and HSK 2. The Steam page describes it as a supplement to a course.
    Runs on
    Windows and macOS. Playable on Steam Deck.
    Good for
    People who like classic role-playing games and want structured vocabulary, tones and characters at HSK 1 and 2 level.
    Steam page

  • Noun Town Language Learning

    SUPER HYPER MEGA. Early Access from November 2023, full release in May 2026.

    A game in which you explore a town and learn the words for the things around you. It teaches twelve languages, Mandarin Chinese among them.

    How you learn
    Words belong to places, such as a café, a farm or a food store. Each mini game practises one kind of word: numbers, colours, directions. Quizzes bring words back just before you would forget them. You can talk with 16 characters, and your friendship with each of them grows over time.
    Speaking
    Speaking with the microphone is optional. The developer says the speech recognition checks tones.
    Level
    Beginners. Mostly vocabulary and nouns, with some basic phrases.
    Runs on
    Windows and macOS. A separate VR version is sold for Meta Quest and SteamVR.
    Good for
    Beginners who want to build vocabulary by exploring, and people learning more than one language.
    Steam page

  • Hua Mulan: A Chinese Learning Adventure

    ODEUM. In Early Access on Steam since February 2024.

    A story-driven role-playing game set in ancient China, in which you help the legendary heroine Hua Mulan against time-travelling villains.

    How you learn
    You learn Chinese through quests and by talking to villagers. At the time of writing, the Early Access version has chapter 1: greetings and simple introductions. The developer plans 14 chapters at HSK 1 level.
    Speaking
    Uses voice recognition, so you can speak your answers in Chinese.
    Level
    HSK 1 (the first level of the official Chinese language test).
    Runs on
    Windows.
    Good for
    People who enjoy an adventure set in Chinese history and want to start with greetings and introductions.
    Steam page

  • Influent

    Three Flip Studios (developer Rob Howland). Released on Steam in 2014. Mandarin is a separate language pack.

    A small 3D game set in an apartment, in which you learn the words for everyday things.

    How you learn
    You walk around the apartment and click on objects to hear their names, recorded by native speakers. The words include nouns, adjectives and verbs. There are no drills and no time limits.
    Speaking
    Listening only. You hear each word but are not asked to say it.
    Level
    Beginners. Several hundred everyday words.
    Runs on
    Windows, macOS and Linux.
    Good for
    People who want a calm way to pick up household vocabulary, and people learning several languages.
    Steam page

  • Ragnar’s Chinese Memory Game

    Ragnar Brynjúlfsson. Released on Steam in 2020.

    A card-matching memory game for Chinese vocabulary.

    How you learn
    You turn over cards to find pairs: a character and its meaning. You can also use it like flash cards, with the English shown only when you point at a character. You choose the HSK level and the size of the board.
    Speaking
    Listening only. Every word has audio, in a mainland and a Taiwanese recording.
    Level
    5,000 words and characters, from HSK 1 to HSK 6. Simplified or traditional characters.
    Runs on
    Windows, macOS and Linux.
    Good for
    Learners who are studying characters and want a relaxed way to review a large vocabulary.
    Steam page

The facts about the other games come from their Steam pages, checked on 5 November 2026. For Noun Town we also used the developer’s website. The links are under Sources at the end of this page. We leave out prices because they change. For the latest details, check each game’s Steam page.

Apps with game elements

Some language apps work like games, with levels, points and streaks. Many people use Duolingo and HelloChinese for Chinese. They are courses on your phone, so each has its own page: Duolingo and HelloChinese. For an audio course that puts speaking first, see Pimsleur.

Questions

What games can I play to learn Chinese?

Games on Steam that teach Mandarin Chinese include Very Chinese Time in My Life (everyday spoken situations in a present-day Chinese city), WonderLang Mandarin Chinese (a role-playing game for HSK 1 and 2), Noun Town (vocabulary while exploring a town), Hua Mulan: A Chinese Learning Adventure (an adventure in ancient China), Influent (household words in a 3D apartment) and Ragnar’s Chinese Memory Game (a card-matching game with 5,000 words).

Which game is best for speaking Chinese?

Very Chinese Time in My Life is built around speaking. In every scene you say the words and the sentence out loud to someone who reacts. WonderLang Mandarin Chinese, Noun Town and Hua Mulan also have speech recognition.

Can you learn Chinese just by playing games?

Games alone usually are not enough. Most cover one part of the language, such as vocabulary, characters or everyday speaking. They are good for practice and for keeping you going. Many learners use a game together with an app, a course or a teacher.

Is there a game for learning Chinese before a trip to China?

Very Chinese Time in My Life is made for that. You spend one week in a present-day Chinese city. You practise the Chinese for each situation a visitor meets: taxis, hotels, food stalls, paying by phone, the metro and pharmacies.

Are there games for learning Chinese characters?

Two games on this list train characters. Ragnar’s Chinese Memory Game reviews 5,000 words and characters from HSK 1 to 6. WonderLang Mandarin Chinese lets you practise drawing characters on screen. Very Chinese Time in My Life shows characters on every word but does not teach reading or writing.

Do these games run on Mac?

Four of them run on Mac, according to their Steam pages: WonderLang Mandarin Chinese, Noun Town, Influent and Ragnar’s Chinese Memory Game. Very Chinese Time in My Life and Hua Mulan are for Windows only.

Sources

The Steam pages of the other games, checked on 5 November 2026, and the developer’s website for Noun Town.