Method
Method
The Method tab in Settings picks which AI handles translation and how it runs on your PC. Mirrors the in-app Settings → Method tab; like every Settings option, each row has a ? that explains it. For the catalog of available models and their licenses, see Models.
Pipeline mode
Three pipelines, picked per session:
- Text — OCR → translate. Lightest, fastest, works on any model.
- Text+ — OCR plus a structural pass that groups dialogue lines and merges fragmented text before translation. Balanced default, recommended for most games.
- Image — an optional mode where the vision model reads the screen as an image. Heaviest of the three; best kept for stylized fonts and decorative UI that the OCR-based modes struggle with. Requires a vision-capable LLM.
See Translation for the conceptual differences between modes.
Engine & model picker
Engine decides what runs translation:
- Standard (Local LLM) — a model running on your PC. The default is Hy-MT2; see Models for when a larger model helps.
- Playto Cloud (hosted) — optional translation through Playto's servers instead of your GPU. No model download, free trial included. See Playto Cloud.
Press Change to open the model picker. The picker shows download size, VRAM requirement, license, and whether the model is currently in use or already installed. Multiple models can coexist on disk; switching between downloaded models is instant.
Local LLM
When translation runs on your PC, a Local LLM block sits under the engine. These rows can't be changed while the engine is running.
- Backend — Auto (the default) uses your GPU. Choose CPU when the GPU won't start or another app is using up its memory; translation is slower. Vulkan is for GPUs that don't suit the default.
- GPU Layers — how much of the model sits on the GPU. The default (50) puts every layer of the bundled and recommended models on the GPU, shown as Default · all layers. Lower it only when video memory runs short; Reset puts it back. It is locked while Backend is CPU.
Text reader
The text reader is not on the Method tab. It is in the Text reader & language window, which opens when you press the reader or the language pair on Home.
Playto ships more than one text reader. OCR Engine is on Auto by default: it uses the most accurate reader that runs on your PC, and if that one can’t start, moves to the next one automatically. Pin a specific reader here only if a game reads better with it.
Your choice sticks: if Playto has to fall back temporarily, it returns to your preferred reader once it’s available again.