Voice-overs enhance the immersive experience of games, and an increasing number of mobile games are released with high-quality voice acting from renowned voice actors.
In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of high-quality mobile games originating from China, with the majority, if not all, incorporating a complete cast of voice actors in multiple languages. All fully voiced acted from main story scenes to side stories to events. The mobile gaming experience have never been so immersive.
Let me share all the globally released mobile games I know with high-quality Mandarin Chinese voice acting.
All the games listed on this page are released globally and can be downloaded from the Google or Apple app store. A Chinese telephone number or citizen ID is not required to access these games. Most feature social logins via Facebook or Google. Games with gacha elements may be restricted in some countries.
Note: If you wish to play the Chinese version, Chinese telephone number or citizen ID is required and you’ll need to download a copy of the game from a Chinese app store.
RPGS
Genshin Impact 《原神》
Tags: Fantasy, Action, Exploration, Open World, Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin Chinese. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Genshin Impact is an action role-playing game developed and published by the Chinese company miHoYo. Set in the fantasy realm of Teyvat, players control the “Traveler,” exploring and battling with characters possessing distinct elemental powers.
The language can be set on the launch screen, with the default being set to the system language. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. Unfortunately, there is no option to replay any cut scenes and character interactions.
My Thoughts: I haven’t played this game in a very long time now, but it is much loved by many! The story side of Genshin Impact is quite challenging for a Chinese learner. The language is quite difficult, with lots of uncommon fantasy termologies. Without the ability to replay the cutscenes it will be problematic for those that are after the storyline.
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Honkai: Star Rail 《崩坏：星穹铁道》
Tags: Fantasy, Turn-Based, Exploration, Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin Chinese. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Honkai: Star Rail, developed by miHoYo, is a turn-based tactical role-playing game set in the Honkai Impact universe. Combining strategy and storytelling, players embark on a space-faring adventure, travelling to various planets while assembling a team of Valkyries with unique skills and abilities.
The language can be set on the launch screen, with the default being set to the system language. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. Unfortunately, there is no option to replay any cut scenes and character interactions.
My Thoughts: For a Chinese learner, the story is much more difficult in Honkai: Star Rail than Genshin Impact. Some of the diagloues are also extremely long and wordy. Sadly, without the ability to replay the cutscenes it will be problematic for those that are after the storyline.
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Wuthering Waves 《鸣潮》
Tags: Fantasy, Turn-Based, Exploration, Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin Chinese. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Wuthering Waves is an action, open world game developed and published by the Chinese company Kuro Games. You wake from your slumber as Rover, joined by a vibrant cast of Resonators on a journey to reclaim your lost memories and surmount the Lament.
The language can be set on the launch screen, with the default being set to the system language. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. This could be a bug but the language may need to be reselected via the in-game settings menu.
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Reverse: 1999 《重返未来：1999》
Tags: Fantasy, Time Travel, Turn-Based, Free with paid addons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Reverse: 1999 is a 20th-century, time-travel, strategic, turn-based game developed by Bluepoch. A the “Storm” fell upon the world on the last day of 1999, and turned all the eras upside down. Players play as Vertin, the Timekeeper, observer of eras, who is free to travel through these eras after each “Storm.” With the aid of Sonetto, a powerful Arcanist and ally from the Foundation, the main mission is to travel through eras to where the “Storm” is most active, find other Arcanists who can sense the coming “Storm,” and save them from being “sifted out” of the timeline.
The language can be set on the launch screen. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. All main story scenes can be revisited and replayed anytime.
My Thoughts: The gameplay and UI of Reverse: 1999 is very smooth, fresh and modern. The voice acting, in both Mandarin Chinese and English is excellant. Despite being a Chinese made game, Reverse: 1999’s script and diagloue were originally created and recorded in English first, than translated to other languages. The English voice overs incorporated diverse accents that reflect their respective countries, enhancing the overall immersive experience. Sadly, the Chinese voice-overs are exclusively in standard Mandarin only.
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The Tale of Food 《食物语》
Tags: Fantasy, Turn-Based, Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin (main story, character stories and events). Simplified Chinese only.
The Tale of Food is a mobile turn-based strategy game set in a fantasy food-inspired world where culinary delicacies manifest as “Food Souls.” An enemy of the Food Souls is plotting to carry out their grudges from the past, and the player must adventure along with her Food Souls to save their world and keep traditional culinary practices from dying out.
The language can be set on the launch screen, with the default set to the system language. Only simplified Chinese is available for Chinese text display. All main story and character story scenes can be revisited and replayed anytime.
There are regular events with lots of rewards, mini games and a set of narrative stages. These narrative stages are fully voiced and can be replayed during the duration of the event.
My Thoughts: The Tale of Food has some amazing story scenes and many of the characters are voiced by famous Chinese voice actors. This game features many elements that are common in more traditional unit collection gacha game such as exclusive time limited units, power creeps, daily resource grind, and unforunately strong units are required to progress in the main story line.
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Arknights 《明日方舟》
Tags: Fantasy, Mecha, Turn-Based (Tower defence style), Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Arknights is a turn-based tactical role-playing mobile game developed by Hypergryph. The battle encapsulates elements of tower defence. The game is set in a dystopian world plagued by a mysterious substance called “Originium.” Players assume the role of a doctor leading a team of operators, each possessing unique abilities, to combat infected creatures.
The language can be set on the launch screen. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. All main story scenes can be revisited and replayed anytime.
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Sword of Convallaria《铃兰之剑》
Tags: Fantasy, Tactical Turn-Based, Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Cutscenes are voiced in Mandarin. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Sword of Convallaria is a tactical turn-based pixel game developed and published by XD. It is set in the fantasy mineral-rich country of Iria, whose magical resources have drawn unwanted attention from dangerous external factions. Players assume the role of a mercenary leader who will deploy units to navigate complex situations and save Iria.
The voice pack and UI language option can be set upon initial installation and changed in settings after the tutorial. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display.
My Thoughts: I’ve only played this for a few hours, as tactical turn-based isn’t a playstyle that I enjoy. From what I’ve seen, the quality is very high, with a lovely Chinese voice-over, beautiful aesthetics and a smooth, modern UI.
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Visual Novels & Dating Sims
Lovebrush Chronicles 《时空中的绘旅人》
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Turn-Based, Free with paid add-ons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin Chinese (main story, character stories and events). Traditional Chinese only.
Lovebrush Chronicles is a fantasy narrative romance visual novel game set in a multiverse developed by NetEase. With lots of beautiful original artwork and intricate background music, Lovebrush Chronicles will immerse players in tales of romance and adventure. Players play as a fine arts university student with special abilities and travel through many other worlds to find their love.
The language can be changed on the launch screen, with the Chinese voice-over and English display as the default. Traditional Chinese is the only Chinese display option. All main story and character story scenes can be revisited and replayed anytime.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this game, particularly the story. I often return to this game to play the events and any new story content. I don’t feel that having 5* cards and strong cards are required to complete the story, and the story is all I’m after. The art and music gives me Code: Realize vibes which I absolutely love. There are currently two arc in the global release.
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Tears of Themis 《未定事件簿》
Tags: Romance, Detective, Turn-Based, Free with paid addons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin and Taiwanese Chinese (main story, character stories and events). Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Tears of Themis is a mobile narrative visual novel, romance and detective game developed by miHoYo. The game follows the player as a young attorney in the city of Stellis. Set in a fictional world where technology and magic coexist, players investigate various cases, gather evidence, and make decisions that impact the story’s outcome.
The language can be set on the launch screen, with the default being set to the system language. There are two Chinese voice packs, Mainland Mandarin and Taiwanese Mandarin. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. All main story and character story scenes can be revisited and replayed anytime. The regular events are all fully voiced but once the event is over, the scenes can not be replayed.
My Thoughts: Out of all the games listed on this page, Tears of Themis is the easiest for a Chinese learner due to it’s close-to-present day non-fantasy setting and the ability to replay any of the story and character stages. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the main story as I prefer stories with fantasy elements but I know there is a huge fanbase for this game.
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Love and Deepspace 《恋与深空》
Tags: Sci-fiction, Romance, Action, Free with paid addons including gacha
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin Chinese (main story and character stories). Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Love and Deepspace is a narrative, 3D visual novel, sci-fiction game with elements of romance. In Love and Deepspace, players will be immersed in a dangerous adventure exploring unknown territories and protecting humanity in the role of a formidable new Deepspace Hunter while finding companionship and love.
The language can not be changed until after the initial tutorial, which is approximately 20 minutes long. It’s defaulted to the system language. There is a voice-over for all main and side characters. The main character is also voiced in cutscenes. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. All story scenes can be replayed.
Some scenes will autoplay with no option to pause, but fortunately, there is an option to view all the dialogues of the current stage and replay any of the voiced dialogues.
My Thoughts: The 3D graphic blew my mind, it’s absolutely gorgeous. I’m a little disappointed that there’s only three male characters and I feel their personality and appearance aren’t different enough to provide enough variety. The quality of the voice over is amazing, and the main character even has a voice during cutscenes which I haven’t seen in any dating sim/otome games. I hope this will become the new standard, and we’ll start to see otome games featuring a voiced main character.
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Others
My Time at Portia 《波西亚时光》
Tags: Slice of Life, Crafting, Exploration, Open World, Romance, Paid
Chinese Language Options: Fully voiced in Mandarin. Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
My time at Portia is a slice of life, crafting simulation game developed by Pathea Games. Set in the post-apocalyptic world of Portia, players inherit a workshop and strive to restore it to its former glory. The game combines crafting, farming, and exploration as players interact with the vibrant community, complete quests, and delve into ruins for resources and relics.
The language can be set on the launch screen, with the default being set to the system language. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are available for Chinese text display. Unfortunately, there is no option to replay any cut scenes and character interactions.
Conclusion
Have you played any of these games? What are your thoughts on them?
I am always on the lookout for mobile games with Mandarin Chinese voice over, so if you are aware of any that isn’t one this list, please leave a comment below and let me know.
Sword of Convallaria Global just dropped chinese UI option!
Thank you for letting me, I’ll check it out 🙂