The translation world has legends of its own, but not all legends involve greatness. Many provide pain, confusion, or comedy, as these examples of bad game translation prove.
Bad Game Translation Hall of Fame
Let's take a look at the best of the worst English game translations of all time!
Games with Famous Bad Translations INTO Japanese
English-speaking gamers have "All Your Base", but what do Japanese gamers have?
This Be Bad Translation #01, Zero Wing!
This infamous scene from the start of Zero Wing has become the face of bad translation worldwide.
This Be Bad Translation #02, Vroom in the night sky!
This notorious Nintendo Switch game is proof that bad translation is alive and well, even on the newest game consoles.
This Be Bad Translation #03, SLASH HERO!
This Japanese mobile game is a treasure trove of machine-translated nonsense.
This Be Bad Translation #04, Download!
This Japanese game has a surprising amount of interesting and colorful English.
This Be Bad Translation #05, Gunbarich!
This popular Japanese arcade game finally hit the Nintendo Switch, along with an awkward English translation.
This Be Bad Translation #06, Hana no Star Kaidō!
This weird old game was only released in Japan, yet it features lots of memorably bad English writing.
This Be Bad Translation #07, Battle Rangers!
This arcade classic features amazing examples of bad 1980s video game translation.
This Be Bad Translation #08, Tales of Berseria!
This big-name, modern translation is bursting with post-game problems.
This Be Bad Translation #09, Sloppy Mobile & PC Ports!
When classic games get ports or remakes, weird little mistakes sneak into their translations sometimes.
This Be Bad Translation #10, Kidō Senshi Gundam Part 1: Gundam Daichi ni Tatsu!
This obscure Japanese computer game is entirely in English - and it's charmingly bad.
This Be Bad Translation #11, Twinkle Star Sprites!
This Neo Geo classic is a great example of a lesser known, "slow burn" bad translation in action.
This Be Bad Translation #12, Breath of Fire II!
Breath of Fire II has a reputation for having a bad translation... but it's so bad it's almost miraculous.
This Be Bad Translation #13, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment!
Why is this infamous translation considered a modern "All Your Base"? Let's find out!
This Be Bad Translation #14, Kitty Love!
Nintendo's eShop is filling up with poorly translated Japanese games. Here's a look at another notorious one.
This Be Bad Translation #15, Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku!
Another poorly-translated otome game hit Nintendo Switch's eShop. Let's look at the best of the worst lines.
This Be Bad Translation #16, Iris School of Wizardry!
This poorly translated Nintendo Switch game was given a new translation. Here are some before-and-after comparisons!
This Be Bad Translation #17, Alice in the Heart ~Wonderful Wonder World~ !
This is one of THE best, unknown gems of bad video game translation. Let's see why!
This Be Bad Translation #18, Summer Sweetheart!
What happens when a Chinese game is localized into Japanese and then again into English?
This Be Bad Translation #19, Refreshing Sideways Puzzle Ghost Hammer!
Are you ready to drink the roast nail stains of a princess?
This Be Bad Translation #20, Selfy Collection: The dream fashion stylist!
Bizarre fashion meets bizarre translation in this Nintendo Switch game!