How to Add Accessibility to Your Game from the Start
- AVG Guild
- Oct 28, 2025
- 4 min read
Accessibility ensures that everyone — regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive ability — can experience your game. Designing with accessibility in mind isn’t just about helping people with disabilities. It improves the overall player experience, expands your audience, and often makes gameplay smoother for everyone.
For indie developers, accessibility can be the difference between a small niche audience and a thriving, global fan base. The earlier you include it, the easier and cheaper it is to implement — and the more natural it feels in your design. Don't let it be an afterthought. It should be in the forefront of your planning. Below is a list of features on how to add accessibility to your game and why they are important.
How to Add Accessibility to Your Game
1. Customizable Controls
Why it Matters: Not every player can use the default control layout. Some players might have limited mobility, use one hand, or rely on adaptive controllers. Fixed controls can make a game literally unplayable.
How it Helps:
Full key and button remapping lets players create control setups that match their physical comfort and hardware.
Toggle options for hold or tap actions (like sprint, aim, crouch, or hit) reduce fatigue and accommodate players who can’t hold buttons for long or can't do rapid repeated taps.
Supporting devices like the Xbox Adaptive Controller opens your game to players with alternative setups.
Developer Tip: Both Unity’s Input System and Unreal Engine’s Enhanced Input make remapping much simpler to implement — start early and plan your input structure to avoid messy rewrites later.
2. Readable Text and UI
Why it Matters: Text that’s too small or low-contrast can stop a player from understanding menus, tutorials, or dialogue. Visual accessibility issues affect players with low vision, colorblindness, or even those just playing on smaller screens.
How it Helps:
Adjustable text size and clean, sans-serif fonts improve readability for all players.
High-contrast color options make text legible in bright or dark settings.
Colorblind-friendly palettes and icons help players distinguish game elements even when color perception differs.
Developer Tip: Avoid using color alone to convey information (like red = danger). Pair it with icons or shape cues. Use tools like contrast-ratio.com to verify color contrast meets accessibility standards.
3. Subtitles and Sound Captions
Why it Matters: Many players — not just those who are deaf or hard of hearing — play games with sound off. Without subtitles or captions, story and gameplay cues get lost.
How it helps:
Subtitles with speaker labels help players follow dialogue and understand context.
Closed captions describing important sounds (like “Footsteps behind you” or “Door creaks”) keep players immersed even without audio.
Adjustable font size, color, and background opacity allow customization for comfort.
Developer Tip: Use subtitles as part of your storytelling experience, not an afterthought. Test readability during fast-paced scenes or cutscenes with heavy effects.
4. Simplified Visual Information
Why it Matters: Players with sensory sensitivities, motion sickness, or attention challenges can struggle with excessive movement, flashing effects, or cluttered HUDs.
How it helps:
“Reduce motion” settings prevent dizziness or discomfort from fast camera pans or screen shakes.
Clean, minimalist HUDs make it easier to focus on key gameplay elements.
Alternative cues (like sound or vibration) help players who can’t rely on one sense alone.
Developer Tip: Include an option to disable screen flashes or intense particle effects. Even players without sensory issues appreciate a cleaner look when playing for long periods.
5. Adjustable Difficulty and Assistance Options
Why it Matters: Not every player has the same skill level, reaction speed, or
experience. Accessibility means giving everyone a fair chance to progress — not punishing them for physical or cognitive limitations.
How it helps:
Multiple difficulty levels let players tailor their experience.
Modular assists (auto-aim, extended timers, simplified puzzles) help those who need extra support.
Pause-anywhere and save-anywhere systems support players who need breaks for health or concentration reasons.
Developer Tip: Avoid labeling modes as “Easy” or “Hardcore.” Instead, focus on player choice — for example, “Action-Focused” or “Story-Focused.” It removes stigma and empowers players.
6. Playtesting With Diverse Players
Why it matters: You can’t predict every barrier your players might face. Direct feedback from people with disabilities provides real-world insight that no checklist can replace.
How it helps:
Playtesting with accessibility consultants or communities ensures real usability across multiple needs.
Early testing prevents costly redesigns late in development.
Diverse testers help identify overlooked issues — like unclear visual cues or inaccessible menus.
Developer Tip: Organizations like AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, and Can I Play That? can connect you with accessibility experts and testers. Even a small indie project can benefit from their input.
The Bigger Picture: Why Accessibility Benefits Everyone
Accessibility features improve quality for all players. Subtitles help those gaming in noisy environments. Simplified visuals help players on smaller devices. Custom controls make speed runners more efficient.
When you prioritize accessibility, you’re not just being inclusive — you’re building smarter, more polished design.
Accessibility isn’t just an add-on; it’s the foundation of a good player experience. Every developer, from solo indies to AAA studios, has the power to make gaming open to everyone.
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