Game accessibility
Within the field of human–computer interaction, accessibility of video games is considered a sub-field of computer accessibility, which studies how software and computers can be made accessible to users with various types of impairments. It can also include tabletop RPGs, board games, and related products.
In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive boom of the video game industry. With an increasing number of people interested in playing video games and with video games increasingly being used for other purposes than entertainment, such as education, rehabilitation or health, game accessibility has become an emerging field of research, especially as players with disabilities could benefit from the opportunities video games offer the most. A 2010 study estimated that 2% of the U.S. population is unable to play a game at all because of an impairment and 9% can play games but suffers from a reduced gaming experience. A study conducted by casual games studio PopCap games found that an estimated one in five casual video gamers have a physical, mental or developmental disability. As games are increasingly used as education tools, there may be a legal obligation to make them accessible, as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates that schools and universities that rely on federal funding must make their electronic and information technologies accessible., the U.S. Federal Communications Commission requires in-game communication between players on consoles to be accessible to players with sensory disabilities. In 2021, video game developers attempted to improve accessibility through every possible avenue. This includes reducing difficulty and enabling auto fire.
Outside of being used as education or rehabilitation tools video games are used as identification aspects leading disabled people to work much harder to attach additional meaning when gaming. This transforms the very nature of playing video games into a fight against a digitally divided culture while seeking their own magic circle.
Barriers to access
Video game accessibility problems can be grouped into three categories that correlate to a specific type of impairment:- Not being able to receive feedback from the game due to a sensory impairment. Examples include: not being able to hear dialogue between game characters or audio cues, such as an explosion, because of a hearing impairment or unable to see or distinguish visual feedback, such as different colored gems in a puzzle game due to a visual impairment such as colorblindness.
- Not being able to provide input using a conventional input device due to a motor impairment; for example, users who rely upon using switch controller or eye trackers to interact with games may find it very difficult or impossible to play games that require large amounts of input.
- Not being able to understand how to play the game or what input to provide due to a cognitive impairment. People with learning disabilities may have low literacy or a combination of complex needs, for instance an individual might also have Ataxia or limited coordination. For example, real-time strategy games require a lot of micromanagement, which may be too difficult to understand and to perform for someone with a learning impairment.
Government regulations
United States
In the US, the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 brought up-to-date accessibility guidelines to advanced communication services, which is considered to include video games with communication elements including text and voice chat and the user interface elements to reach the chats. Video game trade groups including the Entertainment Software Association have requested waivers of CVAA enforcement for video games, arguing that while there is strong interest in the video game community to provide accessibility, video games are first and foremost for entertainment and not for communication, and that because of the complexity of video game software, there are few standardized solutions compared to other ACS platforms.The Federal Communications Commission granted a final waiver that expired on December 31, 2018, making all video games developed and released after January 1, 2019, expected to be compliant with the CVAA; games that were partially developed after January 1, 2019, are expected to reasonably meet the CVAA compliance, as well as any game that issues major updates after that date. The FCC would hear consumer complaints about games that failed to meet the CVAA, determine how feasible the remedy would be, and then determine if they should issue fines against the publisher of the game title.
Accessible game categories
Over the past decade, small companies and independent game developers have developed numerous games that seek to accommodate the abilities of players with the most severe impairments and which has led to the definition of the following accessible game categories:- Audio games are games specifically for gamers who are blind. These games can be played without visual feedback and instead use audio-based techniques such as audio cues or synthetic speech. The website provides a comprehensive overview of available games.
- One-switch games are games that can be played using switch access and which accommodate the abilities of users with severe motor impairments or cognitive impairments. The website provides an overview of available one switch games.
- Games for people with a learning disability, people with a Learning disability, may have low literacy or a combination of Complex Needs, for instance an individual might also have Ataxia or limited co-ordination. A detailed description of .
- Universally Accessible games are games that offer multiple interfaces to support different impairments. An overview of universally accessible games can be found .
The unique limitations of the target group make such projects interesting, instructive and challenging for students.
The Last of Us Part II by Naughty Dog is known for its strong focus on accessibility. The game includes over 60 settings to help players with different disabilities. These include things like text-to-speech, high-contrast visuals, and sound cues for gameplay. The developers worked with accessibility experts and players to make sure the settings were useful. The game won the first “Innovation in Accessibility” award at The Game Awards in 2020.
Many tabletop games require the ability to see and understand complex information. Sites like provide accessibility kits to make inaccessible tabletop games more inclusive.
The Entertainment Software Association announced its Accessibility Games Initiative along with its partners EA, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Ubisoft, in March 2025. The Initiative is designed to provide 24 tags that can be used on physical or digital product labelling to indicate a game's features that address accessibility, such as have narrated menus or joystick inversion controls.
Modifications for improved accessibility
Development tools
announced in August 2021 that it will offer five patents related to accessibility, including the ping system introduced in Apex Legends, for free to all developers to use without fear of litigation indefinitely, as well as plans to promote any future patents related to accessibility within video games in the same manner.Controllers
Small companies and volunteer based groups have modded video game controllers to help make video games more accessible for those with physical impairments. Despite these innovations there is no one-size-fits-all solution for accessible controllers.- Game Box Controllers are modified Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 controllers, with different switches and are custom to the needs of the individual, with much variety.
- Ben Heck modifies Xbox One controllers to be able to function single-handedly.
- The Controller Project is a volunteer based project where people can request or build custom controller modifications to better other's gaming experiences.
- SpecialEffect is a UK based charity where therapist and technologists modify game controllers and eye motion software to help better the accessibility for games for people with impairments.
- Console Tuner is a piece of equipment which lets the player use their preferred controller on compatible systems.
- is a controller built specifically for quadriplegics.
- is a tongue-operated Ai-powered HID, built specifically for quadriplegics and SMA users.
- In 2021 student researchers at the University of California developed and tested a control system based on Facial Expression Recognition with hopeful results.
- Xbox and Windows support the ability for a second controller to be used to assist in game input. Microsoft calls this feature "Xbox Controller Assist", formerly "Copilot". In September 2023, Sony announced an update to PlayStation 5 allowing two controllers to be used at once, allowing a second player to assist in control of the game.
Sony followed with its own first-party adaptive controller under the working name Project Leonardo in January 2023. The controller is split into two parts with the ability to customize the physical layout of buttons to the user's preference. In September 2023, Sony announced haptic feedback for menu navigation to provide additional feedback on UI inputs for players with hearing or vision impairment.