Could video games be the next novel step towards learning a new language? If you’re on the fence about the answer, and the most popular language learning apps are starting to bore you, it wouldn’t hurt tocheck out what one of our editors has to say about this growing trend.

Alternatively, if you already like the idea oflearning a new language through a video game, you’re one step away from browsing the best titles on the market. Plus, if you like Virtual Reality, some studios have even found a way to mix that technology into your language-learning journey.

A split image of a hovering, angular spacecraft, and a living room with language learning text near the bottom of the screen.

1Influent

Welcome To The Mind Palace

Influent focuses on training pronunciation and building up your vocabulary through continual, progressive immersion. Well, that all happens once you’ve managed to conquer your first major hurdle: settling on one of the23 languagesthis game has to offer; talk about analysis paralysis.

Once you have that all sorted out, you’ll be free to explore a “virtual mind palace” where you can interact with a variety of everyday things, like scissors, lamps, and cats, from the lens of another language. You can even challenge yourself with custom vocabulary lists if you need specific practice.

A split image of an orange character standing on a building with japanese text below them, and a control center used for navigating the UI.

2Earthlingo

The Most Peaceful Alien Invasion Ever

Playing as a cute little orange alien named Maco, you’ll explore Earth and learn a language of your choice throughout your travels. With28 languagesto choose from, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the languages you end up enjoying the most.

The best part is that the game is completely free, and it can teach you over 1,000 words if you end up having the willpower to squeeze every last bit of information Earthlingo has to offer. Maybe this is your chance to surprise some of your online friends from foreign countries.

A split image showing a white blaster pointed at copper coins, and an aerial view of a polygonal village in the mountains.

3Kore VR

Don’t Get Too Dizzy

If you managed to get your hands on a Meta Quest, and you haven’t been completely sucked intoAsgard’s Wrath 2, you’ll be pleased to learn about Kore VR,as long as Korean is the language you’d like to learn; that’s the only language this game offers.

Grab your white, futuristic blaster and head into the arena where you may shoot various letters and characters from the Korean alphabet called Hangeul, listen to and internalize the basics of pronunciation, and even learn a bit about Korean dishes.

A first person view of a grenade launcher blowing up some enemies as they shout “Dios Mio” in Spanish.

4Linguist FPS

Who Knew Educational Shooters Existed?

While theFPS genreis a surprising and brave choice for a game that’s supposed to teach you a language, the developers at Rocket Boy Games seemed to make this strange combination work. Who knew blasting robots could be an educational experience?

Once you’ve chosen one of the16 languagesavailable, you can unlock more weapons and upgrades as your language skills improve. This is at least a more enticing incentive than taking a vocabulary quiz in school or being threatened by the Duolingo owl.

A first person view of a barista taking an NPCs order, who is speaking in Korean.

Relaxing Language Learning Through Cafe Management

Lost Abroad Café takes the exhilarating, although rather terrifying, real-life experience of opening up your first coffee shop in a foreign country and packages it into a cute, approachable, digital format where you can serve customers while learning a new language.

The game lets you travel to several different cities across the globe, teaches you practical vocabulary and phrases you’d typically use in day-to-day life, and offers a respectable catalog ofseven different languagesto choose from, including:

A split image of a classic, JRPG style dialogue interface, and a boss battle against a pixelated Swamp Kraken.

6Newcomer

Is There Anything Fantasy RPGs Can’t Do?

As it turns out, Fantasy RPGs are another genre capable of teaching you a new language, and the folks behind Newcomer jumped on the opportunity. To save the kingdom and make friends with its people, you’ll have to take your language learning at least somewhat seriously.

The game is targeted towards beginners interested in learningSpanish, French, or Italian. In this grand adventure, you’ll learn over 100 new words, 32 key phrases, and get exposure to a bunch of sentences in the language you’ve chosen.

A game screen with pink clouds in the background showing tiles with japanese characters on them that can be moved.

7Kana Quest

The Japanese Language, But Even Cuter

If you haven’t figured it out already, Kana Quest is for Japanese language learners who need to build a solid foundation around Hiragana and Katakana. Those are two of the three scripts, or alphabets if you want to think of it that way, that you’ll have to learn to master this awesome language.

There are plenty of polyglots, people who know a bunch of languages, that recommend flash cards as a learning tool. Thankfully, if flash cards aren’t your thing, you may challenge yourself with over 300 unique puzzles instead. The beautiful pixel art is a nice bonus, too.

A character with an orange helmet looks at a UI showing different animals and objects that can be created.

8Noun Town

Villages Packed With Lore Are Way Better Than Quizzes

Through exploration, minigames, and conversations with up to 16 unique villagers, Noun Town will teach you one ofseven languagesin a colorful world that gives you the opportunity to learn over 1,000 words and phrases, with a focus on minimizing that “grindy” feeling games can have.

You will learn new vocab, practice conversations with NPCs, and test your knowledge. But perhaps one of the coolest features Noun Town offers is the ability to repeat what you’re hearing and tell you whether your pronunciation is acceptable or not.