Free on Steam
A free game screen translator for PC
Playto Lite reads the text on your game screen and shows the translation right over the running game. Because it translates the screen image, it works on any Windows PC game — no mods, no per-game patch, no Alt-Tab to a separate translator. Place one capture area over the dialogue or menu text and it reads while you play.
Lite is the free version: no account, no sign-up, no time limit. The full version adds cursor-follow reading and window capture when you want them.
- What it does
- Reads the text inside a capture area you place on the game screen and shows the translation as an overlay on top of the game.
- How it reads
- OCR on the rendered screen. No mods, no patches, no code injection, nothing installed into the game.
- Cost
- Free on Steam as Playto Lite, with no time limit and no cap on translation. No account, no sign-up. The full version is a one-time purchase, $9.99 USD on Steam (regional pricing).
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit (a Linux version is in testing and a Mac version is in development; see the Linux page). Translation runs locally on your PC; typically 2 to 4 GB of spare GPU memory. A dedicated GPU with 4 GB or more (GTX 1650 class and up) runs the default model comfortably; 6 to 8 GB leaves room for the larger models. Integrated graphics still run the default model, more slowly.
- Languages
- 23, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian and the major European languages, from any one into another.
- Best for
- Any game that keeps its text in one place: dialogue bands, subtitles, quest logs, visual novels.
See it translate a game screen — right here
The panel below is a mock game screen — not a video — that behaves the way the real overlay does. Hover the text, switch how it captures, and move the translation between "over the original" and a subtitle bar.
扉は開かれん
This demo is a simplified simulation — actual translation speed and results vary with your PC specs and the model you use.
How the screen translator works
Three steps, and the game never stops:
- Place a capture area — drag a rectangle over where the game's text appears: the dialogue band, a menu, a quest log.
- It reads the screen — OCR picks up the text from the screen image the moment it changes. Nothing is installed into the game.
- The translation appears in place — as an overlay on top of the game, over the original text or off to the side, so you read without leaving the game.
Capture, reading and translation run on a separate thread from the game, so they don't compete with it for frame time. For a typical dialogue screen the translation appears within about a second.
Because the input is the screen itself, the translator doesn't care what engine the game uses or whether anyone made a patch for it. That's the practical difference from mods and text hooks — a fuller comparison of the approaches is in how to translate text in PC games. The same logic extends past PC: an emulator window, or a console fed through a capture card, is just another window on the screen — the console guide covers both routes.
What's free, and what the full version adds
Lite is not a timed trial — the screen translation you get is yours to keep using. The split is by capability, not by days:
| Capability | Lite (free) | Full version |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed capture area — translate a chosen spot hands-free | Included | Included |
| Translation overlay over the running game | Included | Included |
| 23 languages, local AI on your PC | Included | Included |
| Dictionary popups and word book | Starter word book | Higher limits |
| Cursor-follow — translate whatever you hover | — | Included |
| Window capture — read the whole game window | — | Included |
| All AI engine tiers and all quiz modes | — | Included |
If you play menu-heavy games with a mouse, cursor-follow is the feature worth upgrading for — hover a tooltip, item or skill and it reads whatever is under the pointer. The game tooltip translator page shows how that works.
Where the free version stops
The table above is the feature list. This is the same split written as situations: when a fixed capture area stops being enough, and what the full version does about each one.
The text you need moves around the screen
Tooltips, item descriptions and menu labels appear wherever your mouse is. A fixed capture area can't follow them.
Full version: Cursor-follow reads whatever the mouse points at, with nothing to set up first.
Text turns up somewhere different every time
Some games put messages in the centre, the corner and the log in turn. Re-placing the box each time breaks the flow.
Full version: Window mode reads the whole game window in the background and lets you peek at the hints with a key.
You want to watch more than one area at once
A speaker name, the dialogue and a status panel often sit in three different places.
Full version: Multiple fixed regions watch several areas of the screen at the same time.
The font is stylized, handwritten or painted into the art
Plain OCR is built for printed text. Decorative lettering and text baked into the background are where it struggles.
Full version: Image mode hands the screen to a local vision model, which is how those screens get read.
You are saving words to study, not just to read
The free version keeps 100 words, 50 sentences and 5 album scenes, enough to see how it works, not enough for a long game.
Full version: The full version removes those limits and adds 8 quiz modes on top of the flashcards.
Where a fixed capture area shines
Lite's fixed capture area is the right tool whenever a game keeps its text in one place — which is more games than you'd think:
- Story games and RPGs — pin the area over the dialogue band and it reads every line hands-free, even on a controller.
- Visual novels — the dialogue box never moves, so one capture area covers the whole game. More in the visual novel translator guide.
- Subtitled action games — a band across the bottom of the screen catches cutscene and in-game subtitles.
Scattered text — tooltips, item descriptions, skill trees that appear wherever your mouse is — is what cursor-follow in the full version is for. And if you want the whole picture of how the overlay behaves over a live game, see the in-game translation overlay page.
Before you start
Translation runs on your own PC rather than in the cloud, so with the default local model the text on your screen stays on your PC (Playto Cloud is optional; if you turn it on, the text being translated is sent to Playto's servers). That has a cost worth knowing before you install: the AI needs GPU memory in addition to whatever the game is using, typically 2 to 4 GB spare. The default translation model ships inside the installer, so a fresh install translates right away; larger models download once at around 2 to 6 GB. Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
It is machine translation, and it reads pixels rather than the game's own text. Printed fonts in a fixed place are the reliable case. Stylized or handwritten lettering and text painted into the art are the hard case, and the full version's Image mode exists for exactly those screens. The numbers behind the model choice are in best local LLM for real-time translation and Hy-MT2 in practice.
Use it as a translator — the learning layer is there when you want it
Playto is built so the original text stays readable rather than being replaced — which happens to be what language learners need too. Words you look up while playing are saved to a word book, and can become review and quizzes later. Use Lite purely as a screen translator if that's what you came for; the learning side is covered in can you learn a language by playing games?
Common questions
Is the game screen translator really free?
Yes. Playto Lite is the free version on Steam — not a timed trial. It has no account, no sign-up and no time limit. The paid full version adds cursor-follow reading, window capture, every AI engine tier, all quiz modes and higher word-book limits, but the core screen translation in Lite stays free.
How does a screen translator differ from a translation mod or patch?
A mod or fan patch replaces the game's text files, so it only exists for specific games and engines. A screen translator reads the pixels on screen instead — nothing is installed into the game, so it works on any Windows PC game, Steam or not.
Which games does it work with?
Any Windows PC game whose text is drawn on screen — the translator captures the screen image, so it doesn't depend on the game's engine. Borderless or windowed mode gives the cleanest capture.
Does it work with games that have anti-cheat?
Playto only captures the screen and never reads or writes the game's memory, so it works the way screen-recording and streaming software does. That style of tool is usually unaffected by anti-cheat, but kernel-level policies differ by game, so trying Lite on your own game is the way to confirm.
Is the text on my screen sent anywhere?
Not with the default local model: translation runs on your own PC and the text stays there. Playto Cloud is optional; if you turn it on, the text being translated is sent to Playto's servers.
Which languages can it translate?
Playto supports 23 languages — including Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, German and French — and translates from one of them into another.
What do I need to run it?
A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC. A Linux version is in testing and a Mac version is in development. Translation runs on your own machine, so it needs GPU memory in addition to the game, typically 2 to 4 GB spare. The default translation model ships with the installer; larger models download once, about 2 to 6 GB.
What's in the free version and what's paid?
Lite translates from a fixed capture area you place over the game's text, with the dictionary and a starter word book included. The full version adds cursor-follow reading (translate whatever you hover), window capture, every AI engine tier, all quiz modes and higher word-book limits.
Try it on your own games
Playto Lite is free on Steam — the fastest way to see whether it reads the games you actually play. The full version adds cursor-follow reading and window capture.