To publish a game in China smoothly, you must follow strict guidelines and partner with local publishers with experience in the field. The list of criteria is long (ICP licenses, ISBN, several review steps, etc.), and the potential partners you can select are just as long (from publishers to distributors).
This article will equip you with the necessary knowledge to thrive in this complex yet rewarding market. However, in doubt, you can always reach out to our professionals.
Now, let’s assess the market.
Why should you publish your games in China?
China remains one of the largest and most commercially important video game markets in the world. In 2025, China’s domestic game market generated more than 350 billion yuan in actual sales revenue (while Niko Partners assess the market at $50 billion), while the country’s game user base reached roughly 683 million people. That makes China too large for many global studios to ignore, especially if their game fits mobile, PC/client, mini-game, or cross-platform distribution models.
However, China is not simply a “large population” opportunity. It is a mature, highly competitive, and heavily regulated market. User growth is now modest, approvals are still required, and foreign developers generally need qualified local partners to publish, operate, monetize, and distribute a game legally in mainland China.
The opportunity is therefore significant, but conditional. China can dramatically expand a game’s commercial reach, but only if the developer is prepared for localization, content review, real-name verification, anti-addiction compliance, ISBN approval, and the practical realities of working with licensed Chinese publishing and operating partners.
The Chinese video game market
China remains one of the top two national game markets globally, alongside the United States. Depending on the methodology used, China is either the world’s largest game market or very close to it.
Official Chinese industry data reported more than 350 billion yuan in domestic game sales revenue in 2025, with roughly 683 million gamers. International market estimates are often even higher because they may use different definitions of revenue and player coverage. For example, Newzoo’s 2025 country ranking placed China first globally, with estimated game revenues of $54.6 billion and 723 million players, ahead of the United States at $50.8 billion and 224.8 million players.
For foreign developers, the takeaway is not just that China is large. It is that China combines enormous player scale with a distinct commercial ecosystem. Mobile games dominate revenue, PC/client games remain strategically important, mini-games have become a major growth channel, and console games are growing from a smaller base. This makes China attractive, but it also means market entry strategy must be platform-specific rather than generic.
The growth of the Chinese gaming market
China’s gaming market is still expanding, but the growth story has changed. The market is no longer best understood as an early-stage boom driven mainly by smartphone adoption and first-time gamers. It is now a mature market where revenue growth comes from stronger monetization, higher-quality games, cross-platform releases, mini-games, live operations, and renewed confidence after the regulatory slowdown of 2021–2022.
In 2025, China’s domestic game market reached a new revenue high, but user growth was modest. This matters for foreign developers: China still offers enormous commercial upside, but success is less about simply accessing a massive new audience and more about competing effectively inside a sophisticated, crowded, and compliance-heavy ecosystem.
The practical takeaway is that developers should treat China as a strategic expansion market, not an easy growth shortcut. Before entering, they should evaluate whether their genre, monetization model, content, platform strategy, and local partner options are strong enough to justify the approval and localization process.
A unique platform ecosystem
China is not a single-channel games market. A game’s best route into the country depends heavily on platform, genre, monetization model, and partner strategy.
- Mobile games remain the commercial center of the market. In 2025, domestic mobile game sales revenue reached RMB 257.076 billion, accounting for 73.29% of China’s domestic game market. For most free-to-play titles, mobile is still the default starting point for market-entry planning.
- PC/client games remain strategically important. Client games accounted for 22.28% of China’s domestic game market in 2025. This matters because China still has a deep PC gaming culture, strong esports infrastructure, internet café legacy, and a growing appetite for premium and cross-platform releases.
- Mini-games are now too important to ignore. Mini-program games generated RMB 53.535 billion in 2025, up 34.39% year over year. These games are usually distributed inside super-app ecosystems, especially WeChat, and often rely on lightweight access, social sharing, advertising, and in-app purchases. They are not automatically “easier” from a regulatory standpoint, but they are increasingly important commercially.
- Console games are still smaller, but growing quickly. Domestic console game revenue reached RMB 8.362 billion in 2025, up 86.33% year over year. Console remains a niche compared with mobile and PC, but the segment is becoming more relevant as Chinese players show greater interest in premium, high-production-value games.
For international developers, the practical point is simple: China strategy should be platform-specific. A mobile gacha RPG, a premium PC action game, a WeChat mini-game, and a console title may all need different partners, distribution assumptions, localization work, monetization planning, and approval timelines.
What are the requirements to publish a game in China?
Assuming China still looks like a fit for your game, the next question is not simply “How do I publish there?” It is “Which licensed entities do I need, and what approvals must be in place before launch?”
For most international developers, a commercial mainland China release requires a local publishing and operating structure. At minimum, you should expect to deal with copyright documentation, a qualified Chinese publishing entity, an operating partner, ICP-related requirements, real-name verification, anti-addiction compliance, content review, and an NPPA-issued game publication number, commonly referred to as an ISBN or banhao. Head here for more on this.
It is important to separate the roles. The company that helps submit the game for approval may be the licensed publishing entity. The company that runs servers, payments, user accounts, customer support, and live operations may be the operating company. A large partner may handle both roles, but smaller deals often involve multiple entities.
Throughout this guide, “publishing entity” refers to the licensed Chinese entity involved in the formal game-publication approval process. “Operator” refers to the company responsible for running the game in China after approval. “Commercial publisher” or “distribution partner” refers to the business partner that markets, distributes, or monetizes the game. These roles can overlap, but foreign developers should not assume they are always the same company.
1. A Game Software Copyright Certificate
Before applying for game publication approval, the developer or rights holder should prepare China-facing copyright documentation for the game. In practice, this usually means completing a computer software copyright registration in China and making sure the local publishing entity has the necessary authorization to submit and publish the game.
Software copyright registration is not the same thing as NPPA game approval. It does not by itself allow the game to launch commercially in mainland China. Instead, it helps establish the rights holder’s ownership or authorization chain and is commonly needed as part of the broader ISBN/banhao application package.
The registration materials generally include a software copyright application form, identifying materials for the software, and supporting proof of identity or rights ownership. For the software identifying materials, China’s registration rules generally require the first 30 pages and last 30 pages of the source program and documentation. If the source program or documentation is shorter than 60 pages, the full materials should be submitted.
Foreign developers should handle this step carefully. The game name, version, copyright owner, authorization documents, source-code samples, and Chinese-language materials should be consistent with the later approval application. Any mismatch between the copyright registration, publishing agreement, and NPPA submission can create avoidable delays.
2. An ICP certificate
Foreign developers should not treat ICP compliance as a single “certificate.” In practice, the China-side operator may need an ICP filing for the game’s official website or app services hosted in mainland China, and a commercial ICP license if the service generates revenue through payments, subscriptions, advertising, in-app purchases, or other monetization.
For online games, this requirement usually sits with the Chinese operating company rather than the overseas developer. The operator is the entity responsible for running the China service infrastructure, user accounts, payments, customer support, and related online services. If the game uses mainland China servers, a China-facing website, or China-based app services, the operator should already have the relevant ICP/VATS qualifications or be able to obtain them.
This step should not be confused with NPPA approval. An ICP filing or commercial ICP license does not give a game permission to launch commercially in China. It only addresses part of the internet-service operation layer. The game still needs the appropriate publishing approval, including an NPPA-issued game publication number, commonly called an ISBN or banhao.
For most foreign studios, the practical solution is to work with a local operator that already has the required ICP qualifications, server infrastructure, real-name verification integrations, payment setup, and compliance procedures. Large Chinese game companies may combine the operator, publishing, and distribution roles, while smaller market-entry structures may split those roles across different entities.
3. An Internet Publishing License
Foreign developers also need a qualified Chinese publishing entity for the formal game-publication approval process. This is different from simply finding a commercial publisher or distributor.
For imported games, the publishing entity must be an online publishing service unit with the permitted scope to publish online games. This entity is responsible for reviewing the game, preparing or coordinating the approval materials, and submitting the application through the provincial publishing authority before it is sent to the NPPA for final approval.
The publishing entity may also be the operating company, especially when working with a large Chinese games company. But the two roles can be separate. The publishing entity handles the publication-approval layer; the operating company handles the live service layer, including servers, accounts, payments, customer support, anti-addiction compliance, and day-to-day operations.
This distinction matters during partner selection. A company may be strong at game operation or distribution but still need a separate licensed publishing entity to support the ISBN/banhao application. Before signing a China deal, foreign developers should confirm which party will act as the publishing entity, which party will act as the operator, who will appear on the NPPA application, and who will control the ISBN once approved.
4. The anti-addiction system
China’s anti-addiction requirements are not optional technical features. They are a core part of the compliance stack for online games.
Under the current NPPA framework, online game companies may provide services to minors only between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and official public holidays. At all other times, minors must be blocked from accessing online game services.
Real-name verification is the foundation of this system. Online games must require users to register and log in using truthful and valid identity information. Game companies may not provide services to users who log in anonymously, use guest accounts, or bypass real-name authentication, including in trial or demo modes.
In practice, this means the China build should support age detection, real-name login, playtime restrictions, forced logout, payment restrictions for minors, and integration with the required anti-addiction or real-name verification systems used by the local operator. Developers should also make sure these controls are reflected in the approval materials submitted for the ISBN/banhao application.
For foreign developers, the key point is timing: do not treat anti-addiction compliance as something to bolt on after approval. The local operator and publishing entity should review the game’s account system, monetization flow, demo access, server logic, and user-interface prompts before submission.
5. Submit the game for NPPA approval and obtain an ISBN/banhao
The NPPA approval is the central gate for a commercial mainland China game launch. Before an online game can be published, operated, or monetized in China, it generally needs an NPPA-issued game publication number, commonly referred to as an ISBN or banhao.
For foreign-developed games, the application is usually treated as an imported-game approval. The Chinese publishing entity must have online-game publishing scope, the foreign copyright authorization must be properly documented, and the China-side operator must have the required ICP qualifications. The application is submitted through the provincial publishing authority and then reviewed by the NPPA.
This review is not just a paperwork exercise. The NPPA evaluates whether the game complies with China’s publication rules, content standards, minors-protection requirements, and broader expectations around cultural and social values. The review can affect game text, visuals, maps, characters, monetization systems, login flows, anti-addiction controls, and even how updates or expansion content are handled after launch.
For foreign developers, the practical advice is to involve the publishing entity and operator before submission, not after. They should review the Chinese build, script, UI text, content-risk areas, real-name verification flow, monetization design, and technical compliance materials before the approval package is filed.
Common content risks during China game review
During NPPA review, the publishing entity and operator should screen the entire China build for content that could trigger rejection, revision requests, or delays. The highest-risk areas usually include:
- Politics, sovereignty, and territorial integrity: Avoid content that could be interpreted as undermining China’s national unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, national honor, or state interests. This includes obvious political references, but it can also include maps, flags, borders, faction names, historical references, fictional countries, and storylines involving separatism or regime change.
- Ethnicity, discrimination, and social stability: Remove or revise content that could be viewed as inciting ethnic hatred, promoting ethnic discrimination, damaging ethnic unity, spreading rumors, disrupting social order, or harming social stability.
- Religion, cults, and superstition: Be careful with religious systems, occult themes, divination, reincarnation mechanics, ghosts, supernatural rituals, cult-like organizations, and content that could be interpreted as promoting superstition or harmful spiritual practices.
- Violence, gore, and cruelty: Excessive blood, dismemberment, exposed organs, realistic torture, cruelty, and highly graphic death animations are common review risks. Even when violence is allowed, the China build may need toned-down effects, altered textures, changed animations, or different visual language.
- Sexual content and obscenity: Nudity, explicit sexual content, pornographic material, sexually suggestive character presentation, and adult-service references should be removed or heavily revised for the China version.
- Gambling and chance-based monetization: Gambling content, casino imagery, betting, simulated wagering, and monetization systems that look too close to gambling can create approval risk. Loot boxes, gacha, probability-based rewards, and paid random draws should be reviewed carefully with the local partner before submission.
- Minors-related harmful content: Content that encourages minors to imitate illegal acts, violates social morals, contains frightening or brutal material, or could harm minors’ physical or mental health should be removed or revised.
This checklist should be treated as a risk screen, not a complete legal standard. In practice, review risk depends on context, presentation, localization, genre, monetization, and the publishing entity’s assessment of how NPPA reviewers are likely to interpret the game.
What kinds of games are better positioned for approval?
No genre is automatically approved, and no theme guarantees rejection. NPPA review is case-specific. That said, some games are usually better positioned than others.
Furthemore, the approval environment is also more encouraging than it was during the 2021–2022 licensing slowdown. NPPA approvals have returned to a steadier cadence: China approved 1,771 games in 2025, including 1,676 domestic games and 95 imported games.
By May 2026, approvals were running ahead of the previous year, with 754 domestic games and 25 imported games approved across the first four approval batches. This does not mean imported games are easy to approve, but it does suggest that China is again an active approval market rather than a frozen one.
Games with a lower-risk approval profile tend to have clear ownership documentation, a completed or near-completed build, polished localization, stable technical systems, original design, strong production quality, and content that does not create obvious political, sexual, gambling, gore, map, or minors-protection issues.
Games that align naturally with Chinese cultural interests may also be easier to position, especially when the theme is authentic and carefully localized. Historical settings, mythology, martial arts, Wuxia, Three Kingdoms-inspired strategy, traditional aesthetics, and educational or culturally expressive elements can work well when they are handled respectfully. However, adding Chinese cultural references superficially is not a shortcut. Poorly researched history, inaccurate maps, sensitive political parallels, or careless use of religious and supernatural themes can increase review risk.
The most useful question is not “What theme does the NPPA like?” but “Can the China version be approved without damaging the game’s core appeal?” If the required changes would remove the game’s identity, monetization model, combat feel, or narrative logic, China may not be the right market for that title.
Consider the most batch of approved games from 2023, illustrated above. The list comprises a diverse selection of RPGs, strategy games, roguelikes, and more. However, when examining the game settings, 10 out of the 30 games feature a historical backdrop. They draw heavily from depictions of the Three Kingdoms era and similar narratives.
Furthermore, 3 more games are influenced by the Wuxia genre. This represents 43% of the games.
Keep these trends in mind when conceptualizing your next game.
The game approval process is not limited to removing prohibited content. Reviewers also look at whether the game is original, complete, culturally appropriate, and polished enough for publication.
The Game Evaluation and Rating Guidelines System
Industry reporting describes the Game Evaluation and Rating Guidelines System as an added evaluation layer in China’s game-approval process. Under this system, games are evaluated across five categories, with each category reportedly scored from 0 to 5. A score of 0 in any category can send the game back for rectification, even if the game scores well elsewhere.
The five evaluation categories are:
- Value orientation — whether the game aligns with acceptable social values, avoids harmful ideological framing, and presents an appropriate view of history, morality, society, and culture.
- Original design — whether the game offers original mechanics, systems, story, art direction, or design value rather than functioning as a clone, reskin, or derivative copy of another title.
- Production quality — whether the game’s visuals, audio, user interface, stability, narrative execution, localization, and overall polish are strong enough for publication.
- Cultural content — whether the game handles cultural, historical, scientific, national, ethnic, religious, and social themes responsibly and, where relevant, contributes positive cultural value.
- Development stage — whether the submitted build is sufficiently complete, stable, and representative of the game that will actually be released in China.
For foreign developers, this matters because a China submission can fail or be delayed for reasons beyond obvious prohibited content. A game may also face problems if it appears unfinished, low-quality, poorly localized, overly derivative, culturally careless, or inconsistent with the version described in the approval materials.
6. What materials are required for the NPPA game approval application?
The exact package should be confirmed with the publishing entity before submission, but the NPPA’s imported online game approval materials give a clear picture of what foreign developers should prepare.
At minimum, expect the application package to include:
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Provincial publishing authority request file — the formal submission from the provincial publishing authority to the NPPA, including the game name, game category, publishing entity, operating entity, and requested approval matter.
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Imported online game application form — the formal application for publishing an online game authorized by a foreign copyright holder. This includes information about the game, the publishing entity, the operator, publishing professionals involved in review, the game’s overseas launch and operating history, and the publishing entity’s internal review opinion.
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Copyright-contract registration approval or equivalent rights documentation — proof that the foreign copyright authorization has been registered or properly documented with the relevant copyright authority.
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Operator business license and ICP certificate — copies of the operating company’s business license and ICP certificate, with the operator’s seal. If the operator and copyright owner are different entities, the operator may also need to provide the operating agreement with the rights holder.
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Game screenshots — clear color screenshots showing the game’s core content and basic appearance. The NPPA materials specify no fewer than 10 screenshots, including at least one main-interface screenshot showing the game name.
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Anti-addiction system documentation — screenshots and written explanations showing the real-name registration system, playtime controls, payment controls, guest-mode handling, and pre-launch commitments for systems that cannot be fully reviewed before release.
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Full Chinese game script and blocked-word database — the complete set of Chinese-language text appearing in the game, including system prompts, NPC dialogue, quest text, plot descriptions, item names, interface text, and other in-game language, plus the game’s blocked-word database.
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Review and anti-addiction test accounts — adult review accounts and anti-addiction test accounts at different progress or resource levels so reviewers can access the relevant systems, scenes, content, and monetization flows.
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Game review materials or playable build — depending on the platform, this may include client discs or USB drives, mobile installation packages, download links, login URLs, installation instructions, or dedicated review hardware for console or specialized-device games.
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Electronic documents and demo video — electronic copies of the application materials and a game demonstration video. The demo video should show the health-game advisory, game title, main interface, anti-addiction effects, character images, accessible scenes, available systems, and, if the game has combat, actual combat footage.
The key operational rule is consistency. The submitted build, Chinese script, screenshots, video, test accounts, anti-addiction documentation, monetization systems, and application form should all describe the same China release version. If the build changes materially after submission, the publishing entity should assess whether the approval materials need to be updated.
Note: Repeated failed submissions are a serious risk. Industry sources have reported that a game may be blocked from further reapplication if it fails review multiple times in a row, and even when resubmission is possible, each failed attempt can add months of delay and force additional localization, design, or technical changes.
The best approach is to treat the first submission as the real submission, not a test run. Before filing, the publishing entity and operator should complete a full review of the China build, Chinese script, screenshots, demo video, anti-addiction system, monetization flow, content-risk areas, and application documents.
7. Check livestreaming, video, and promotional-content rules
NPPA approval is the central requirement for publishing the game itself, but China market entry also requires care around how the game is promoted. Game trailers, livestreams, influencer campaigns, esports broadcasts, short videos, and platform traffic campaigns may trigger additional audiovisual-content and platform-compliance issues.
The most important practical rule is that online platforms should not promote, livestream, or drive traffic to games that have not been approved by the relevant authorities. In 2022, Chinese regulators issued a notice tightening control over livestreaming and short-video content related to unapproved online games. The notice prohibited online audiovisual programs, livestreams, variety shows, and short videos from displaying games that had not received the required approval, and it also prohibited platforms from using such content to direct traffic to unapproved game content.
For foreign developers, this means marketing plans should be coordinated with the China publishing entity and operator. Do not assume that a global trailer, influencer stream, esports event, or creator campaign can be reused unchanged in mainland China before approval. The safer approach is to prepare China-specific marketing assets after the local partner confirms the game’s approval status, content-review requirements, platform policies, and any restrictions imposed by distribution or video platforms.
Once the game has an ISBN/banhao, promotional content is easier to plan, but it still needs review. Marketing assets should remain consistent with the approved China version of the game and avoid content that would create the same problems as the game itself: political sensitivity, territorial issues, gore, sexual content, gambling, superstition, minors-related harm, or misleading monetization claims.
In the China game market, “ISBN” usually refers to the game publication number issued after NPPA approval. It is also commonly called a banhao.
This approval is what allows the approved China version of the game to be commercially published, operated, distributed, and monetized in mainland China. It is required for mobile, PC/client, console, web, and cross-platform games that are officially released in the mainland market.
The ISBN/banhao should not be treated as a generic registration number. It is linked to the approved game, the publishing entity, the operating entity, and the submitted approval materials. If the game changes materially after approval, the publishing entity should assess whether the change needs an update, amendment, or additional approval filing.
At this point, the main takeaway should be clear: publishing a game in China is not just a localization project. It is a licensing, publishing, operations, compliance, and partner-management project.
Before moving forward, foreign developers should confirm four things: whether the game is commercially worth localizing for China, whether its content can survive review without losing its core appeal, whether the right publishing entity and operator are available, and whether the team is prepared for the documentation, technical integration, and approval timeline.
The FAQ below addresses the most common practical questions developers ask before starting that process.
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, no. A foreign developer generally cannot directly publish and operate a commercial online game in mainland China without a qualified China-side publishing and operating structure.
For an imported game, the formal application usually needs a licensed Chinese publishing entity, a China-side operator with the required ICP qualifications, copyright authorization documents, a China-ready game build, anti-addiction and real-name verification systems, and NPPA approval. A large Chinese partner may handle both publishing and operations, while smaller deals may involve separate entities for publication approval, operations, and distribution.
An ISBN/banhao should not be treated like a short-term marketing approval that automatically expires after a few months. Once issued, it is tied to the approved game and its approved publishing structure.
However, “it does not expire” does not mean the approval can be used freely for anything. The approval is linked to the approved title, publishing entity, operating entity, submitted materials, and China release version. Material changes to the game, the game name, the publishing entity, the operating entity, or supported platforms may require update procedures, amendment filings, or additional approval steps.
A global release and an official mainland China release are different. A game may be accessible to some players in China through overseas platforms, but that does not mean it has completed the approval process required for official publication, monetization, distribution, marketing, or local operations in mainland China.
If the goal is to operate servers in China, monetize through local channels, distribute through Chinese app stores or platforms, run China-specific marketing, or work with a local publisher/operator, the game should be planned as a mainland China release and reviewed through the proper approval path.