Although video and computer games often lean on their visuals for storytelling and world building, there has been a rise in the number and quality of accessibility settings in recent years. On this page, we talk about the game settings and accessibility features you should look out for when choosing your next game and we list the games we recommend for players who are blind or partially sighted.
Common game settings and accessibility features
When thinking about accessible games for players with sight loss or visual impairment, it’s important to consider the accessibility settings each game offers, as well as how accessible each console is.
If you’re a gamer who’s blind or partially sighted, it’s important to check that the game you want has the settings and accessibility features you need before you buy it. Some game settings and accessibility features that we recommend include:
- Adjustable font size: the ability to change the font in the game and in menus to a size that’s easy for you to read.
- HUD scaling: check if you can adjust the size of the game’s interface.
- Contrast settings: increasing the contrast will make elements of the game easier to distinguish.
- Screen narration: this feature will help you to understand what’s happening on screen.
- Combat assistance: this is when the game supports you during tricky combat situations. It can include features like auto aim or recruiting additional companions to help you take down an enemy.
- Haptic feedback: this gives you vibration feedback through your controller, helping you know when you’ve interacted with a game element, or taken a hit.
Best accessible video and computer games
Here we’ve listed some popular video and computer games, the accessibility features they include, and on which platforms you can play them.
Forza Motorsport
A simulation car-racing game that can be played both in single and multiplayer modes. The focus is on upgrading your cars, building out a garage, and winning championships.
Accessibility features:
- Blind driving assists
- UI colour-blindness modes
- World colour-blindness filters
- Increased contrast
- HUD contrast
- HUD text scaling
- Adjustable menu text size
- Subtitles with adjustable text size
- Screen narrator
- In-race activity feed
- Audio description
- Communications: speech-to-text and text-to-speech software
All the accessibility features in Forza Motorsport
Platforms: Xbox and PC
The Last of Us: Part I and II
The Last of Us series follows the survivors of an infection outbreak in a post-apocalyptic world. It’s famous for its emotional storytelling, unforgettable characters, and suspenseful action-adventure gameplay.
Accessibility features for The Last of Us: Part I:
- Screen reader
- Cinematic descriptions
- High contrast display
- HUD scale > large
- Lock-in aim > auto-target
- Traversal and combat audio cues
- Navigation and traversal assistance
- Ledge guard
- Enhanced listen mode
- Invisibility toggle
- Skip puzzle option
- Various adjustments in the Combat Accessibility menu
All the accessibility features in The Last of Us: Part I
The Last of Us: Part I platforms: PS5 and PC
Accessibility features for The Last of Us: Part II:
- Text-to-speech
- High contrast display
- HUD scale > large
- Lock-on aim > auto-target
- Traversal and combat audio cues
- Navigation and traversal assistance
- Ledge guard
- Enhanced listen mode
- Invisible while prone > unlimited
- Skip puzzle option
- Various adjustments in the Combat Accessibility menu
All the accessibility features in The Last of Us: Part II
The Last of Us: Part II platforms: PS4, PS5, and PC
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor follows Cal, a Jedi Knight, as he’s pursued across the galaxy by the Empire. This action-adventure game was developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts in 2023.
Accessibility Features:
- Subtitles: scalable, letterbox opacity
- Sound effect captions
- HUD and colour adjustments
- Performance mode
- FOV (field of view) adjustments
- Brightness
- View distance
- High contrast settings and saturation
- Audio ping, passive ping, and active sonar ping
- Sonar radius and speed
- Combat accessibility: auto-lock target and auto-switch target
All the accessibility features in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and P
Pokémon Reborn
Pokémon Reborn is a notoriously difficult, dark-themed, fan-made RPG Maker XP game set in a ruined city with 18 gyms, featuring all Pokémon up to Generation 7. You play from the perspective of a new trainer and the aim is to defeat Team Meteor who are behind the city’s ecological disasters.
Accessibility features:
- Text-to-speech
- Audio cues for navigation and obstacles
- Enhanced menu narration
Platforms: PC
A Blind Legend
In this action-adventure game, you play from the perspective of Edward Blake, a blind knight, who’s travelling through the kingdom of High Castle while trying to rescue his wife. The game features no graphics – its players must rely on audio alone to complete the rescue.
Accessibility features:
- Fully audio experience
- Binaural audio
- Guided gameplay
- Audio cues
Platforms: Android, iOS, and PC
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, return for an exciting new adventure in the critically-acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise. This time, they must protect New York City from the evil Kraven the Hunter and Venom.
Accessibility features:
- Audio description
- Screen reader and text-to-speech
- High contrast mode
- Combat and gameplay assists
- Puzzle and control improvements
- Audio cues
A review of Spider-Man 2’s accessibility features
Platforms: PS5 and PC
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a 2021 action role-playing game, where players control the character Alex, a blind princess, looking for her brother. The game has few visuals and is almost entirely an audio game.
Accessibility features:
- Audio-first design
- Text-to-speech and screen reader
- Audio descriptions
- Haptic feedback
A review of the accessibility features in The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Series One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC
God of War: Ragnarök
God of War: Ragnarök is an action-adventure game inspired by Norse mythology. Players take the role of Kratos and his son as they embark on a quest to prevent the coming of Ragnarök.
Accessibility features:
- Navigation assist
- Puzzle timing
- Puzzle aim assist
- Lock-on
- Re-centre camera on attack
- Auto pickup
- Traversal assist
- Mini-game style
- Audio cues
- Combat assistance
- HUD adjustments
- Adjustable UI text size
- Adjustable icon, subtitle and caption size
All the accessibility features in God of War: Ragnarök
Platforms: PS4, PS5, and PC
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