Appendix I: Accessibility Checklist

Introduction: Accessibility Is Not a Bonus

Here is the framing that changed my career.

Accessibility is not a feature. It is not extra credit. It is not something you add at the end if there's time left in the schedule. Accessibility is a series of decisions about who you are choosing to exclude from your game.

You cannot design a game that every human being can play. That's fine. But every accessibility option you don't implement is a person — a real, specific, identifiable person — who cannot play your game. Someone who can't grip a controller the way the default mapping assumes. Someone who is colorblind and can't tell the red crystal from the green one. Someone whose hearing loss means they miss the audio cue that tells them an enemy is behind them. They bought your game. They refunded it. They will not buy your next one.

There are three cases for accessibility, and you should understand all three:

The moral case. A game is a thing one person makes for other people to experience. The default of excluding players who have the "wrong" bodies, senses, or neurology is not neutral. It is a choice. Make the other choice.

The business case. The CDC estimates roughly 15–26% of people in the U.S. live with at least one disability. In most Western markets, similar numbers apply. If your game is completely inaccessible, you are excluding one-in-five to one-in-four of your potential customers. Even partial accessibility expands your addressable market. Subtitles alone (originally accessibility features for deaf and hard-of-hearing players) are now turned on by a majority of gamers across all demographics. Accessibility features make the game better for everyone.

The legal case. The ADA has been applied to digital products. EU directives now require accessibility in digital services. Lawsuits against inaccessible games and platforms are increasing. This is not going to slow down. Ignoring accessibility is now a legal exposure, not just an ethical one.

This appendix is a checklist. It is designed to be copy-pasted into your project's accessibility audit doc. Tick what you've done. Flag what you haven't. Prioritize. Ship. If you only have time to do ten things, do the ten in the Quick-Start section. If you have time for more, work down the full lists. If your team is one person and your calendar is tight, do the three items at the end of this appendix. Something is better than nothing.

This is not the Last of Us Part II 60-option gold standard. This is the baseline. Meet it, then aim higher.

The Quick-Start Checklist: The 10 That Cover 80%

If you do nothing else, do these ten. They cover the majority of common needs across the major disability categories, and they are mostly cheap to implement.

[ ] Remappable controls. Every single input, including menu navigation. Not just "swap jump and attack" — full remap.
[ ] Subtitles with controls for size, background opacity, and speaker labels. Subtitles on by default for cutscenes.
[ ] Colorblind-safe design. Never use color alone to convey critical information. Use shape, icon, position, or pattern in addition to color.
[ ] Genuine pause. Pause menu actually pauses the game — no passive timers running, no enemies moving, no cutscenes finishing in the background.
[ ] Adjustable text size and UI scale. Minimum 2x scale option for text.
[ ] Difficulty options or an assist mode. At minimum: easy / normal / hard. Better: granular assists (enemy damage, player damage, invincibility toggle, stamina).
[ ] Audio cues for visual events, and visual cues for audio events. If it blinks on screen, it should also make a sound. If it beeps, it should also show visually.
[ ] Reduce-motion / disable-camera-shake option. Affects motion sickness, photosensitivity, and players with vestibular disorders.
[ ] Aim assist / precision aids. Target snapping, aim slowdown near targets, large hitboxes for friendly targeting.
[ ] High-contrast mode. A UI mode with high-contrast backgrounds, larger outlines, and simplified visuals.

Ten items. None of them require a PhD in accessibility. All of them together will make your game playable by dramatically more people than your defaults would. Do them.

Visual Accessibility — Full Checklist

For players with low vision, colorblindness, photosensitivity, or who play on small screens from across a room.

Subtitles and Captions

[ ] Subtitles can be toggled on/off independently from captions.
[ ] Subtitle size is adjustable (at least three sizes; ideally a slider).
[ ] Subtitle background is adjustable (off / semi-transparent / solid).
[ ] Subtitle text color is adjustable, or at minimum high-contrast by default.
[ ] Speaker labels are displayed (e.g., "[MAYA]: We have to go back.").
[ ] Subtitles stay on screen long enough to read comfortably (avg. reading speed is 180 words/min; scale to longer for complex content).
[ ] Subtitles do not clip off-screen or overlap with critical UI.
[ ] Subtitles are ON by default, at least for cinematics.

Text and UI Scaling

[ ] All gameplay text (HUD, dialog, menus, item descriptions) supports at least 2x scaling.
[ ] Scale affects all text, not just menus — including tooltips, popups, and damage numbers.
[ ] UI elements (buttons, icons, panels) scale with text, or separately.
[ ] A "large text" preset exists for players who don't want to fiddle with sliders.

Color Accessibility

[ ] No gameplay-critical information is conveyed by color alone.
[ ] Colorblind mode options include at minimum deuteranopia, protanopia, and tritanopia presets (and ideally an "intensity" slider or a hue-shift picker).
[ ] Where color is used to differentiate gameplay elements (factions, resources, enemy types), shape or icon also differentiates them.
[ ] Red/green distinctions are never the sole signifier for "correct vs. incorrect" or "safe vs. danger" — add icons, patterns, or sound.
[ ] Alternative palettes have been tested by actual colorblind players, not just run through an online simulator.

Contrast and Readability

[ ] High-contrast UI mode available.
[ ] Minimum contrast ratio for text is WCAG AA (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text).
[ ] Text is not placed over busy backgrounds without a background plate.
[ ] HUD is readable at arm's-length TV distance, not just at monitor distance.

Motion and Effects

[ ] Reduce-motion or disable-camera-shake option.
[ ] Motion blur can be disabled.
[ ] Chromatic aberration, film grain, depth-of-field effects can be disabled.
[ ] FOV slider in first-person games (narrow FOV is a documented cause of motion sickness).
[ ] Photosensitivity warning at launch, if the game contains flashing lights or rapid color changes.
[ ] A "photosensitive mode" that mutes or removes dangerous flashing effects, if such effects exist. (This saved Cyberpunk 2077 a major public health problem when they added it post-launch.)

Visual Indicators for Audio

[ ] Critical audio cues (approaching enemy, environmental danger) have visual equivalents.
[ ] Directional sound has an on-screen directional indicator option (Fortnite added this for deaf players and found hearing players also used it).

Auditory Accessibility — Full Checklist

For players who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or who play with sound off (which is, for many mobile players, most of the time).

Captions

[ ] All dialogue has captions.
[ ] Important sound effects are captioned ([door creaks open], [enemy footsteps — left]).
[ ] Ambient or musical cues that affect gameplay are captioned when they carry information.
[ ] Captions distinguish character dialogue from environmental sound (different color, bracket convention, or speaker tag).

Audio Mixing

[ ] Separate volume sliders for voice, music, SFX, and ambient/environmental. Four sliders minimum.
[ ] Master volume slider in addition to category sliders.
[ ] Sliders work during gameplay, not only in the menu.
[ ] Mono audio mix option (for players with single-ear hearing loss or who wear a single earbud).

Haptic and Visual Audio Proxies

[ ] Controller vibration mirrors important audio events where applicable.
[ ] Visual flash or screen edge indicator for gunfire / incoming attack direction.
[ ] HUD indicates currently-playing narrative dialogue with a visual tag, so deaf players know speech is happening even in action gameplay.

No Audio-Only Critical Info

[ ] No gameplay puzzle relies solely on hearing a specific sound.
[ ] Stealth detection states are conveyed visually as well as audibly ([footsteps detected] as a captioned cue, not only a sound).
[ ] Low-health, low-ammo, incoming-attack warnings have visual equivalents.

Motor Accessibility — Full Checklist

For players with limited hand/arm mobility, tremors, chronic pain, or missing digits; and for one-handed players, whether from long-term limb difference or temporary injury.

Remappable Controls

[ ] Every input is remappable. Every. Single. Input. Including menu navigation, camera controls, and the pause button.
[ ] Remapping includes keyboard, controller, and mouse bindings separately.
[ ] Multiple controllers / input devices are supported simultaneously where possible.
[ ] Saved control profiles, or at least a reset-to-default.
[ ] Control scheme presets exist (e.g., "Southpaw," "Legacy," "One-Handed Right," "One-Handed Left").

Input Alternatives

[ ] Hold-to-toggle option for any "press and hold" input (crouch, sprint, aim).
[ ] Press-once alternatives for rapid-press / mashing sequences. "Mash to escape" is a motor-accessibility nightmare; offer a single-press alternative.
[ ] Quick-time events (QTEs) can be simplified, auto-completed, or turned off.
[ ] Turbo/auto-fire option for held-button attacks where relevant.

Stick, Mouse, and Gyro

[ ] Stick deadzones are configurable (inner and outer).
[ ] Stick sensitivity is configurable on each axis.
[ ] Invert-Y and Invert-X options on both sticks.
[ ] Mouse sensitivity configurable separately for X and Y.
[ ] Gyro aim supported on platforms that have it (Switch, PS5, Steam Deck). Gyro is a major accessibility win for players with limited thumbstick precision.

Aim and Precision Aids

[ ] Optional aim assist (target snap, aim slowdown, aim magnetism).
[ ] Aim assist strength is adjustable.
[ ] Adjustable hitbox size for interactables — "you are close enough" should be generous for players who struggle with precise movement.

Input Device Prompts

[ ] On-screen button prompts match the player's current input device automatically (show Xbox prompts for Xbox controller, PlayStation for DualSense, keyboard for kb/m).
[ ] Prompts update if the player switches mid-session without requiring a restart.

Platform Accessibility Devices

[ ] Xbox Adaptive Controller and PS5 Access Controller supported. Console platforms do most of this work for you — confirm your game doesn't break their input assumptions.
[ ] Steam Deck and handheld controls tested for ergonomics over long sessions.

Cognitive Accessibility — Full Checklist

For players with ADHD, dyslexia, cognitive impairments, reading difficulties, players whose native language is not the game's language, and frankly — tired players, new players, and anyone who doesn't have infinite patience.

Tutorials and Learning

[ ] Tutorials can be replayed after the first playthrough.
[ ] A "tutorial / tips" menu exists to look up previously-taught mechanics.
[ ] Tutorial text is available in audio form, or vice versa.
[ ] Key mechanics are re-taught (briefly) when encountered again after a long gap.

[ ] Objective markers, quest markers, and waypoints can be toggled on/off.
[ ] Current objective is clearly stated somewhere easily accessed (not buried in menus).
[ ] A "where am I / what was I doing" reminder is available.
[ ] Map is clear, readable, and scalable.

Pacing and Pressure

[ ] Save anywhere, or at minimum very frequent autosaves.
[ ] Pause works anywhere, at any time, including cutscenes and boss fights.
[ ] Critical time pressure is optional or can be disabled. If a timer is thematic, offer a difficulty option that removes it.
[ ] Game-speed slider or slow-motion toggle for players who need reaction-time help. (Forza Horizon 5 has this; Celeste's assist mode has this.)

Difficulty

[ ] Difficulty options exist, or an assist mode with granular toggles.
[ ] Difficulty can be changed mid-playthrough without penalty.
[ ] Assist mode is not called "baby mode" or flagged with shame messaging. See Celeste's assist mode screen for the gold standard — it explicitly tells the player these options exist for them, and the developers support their use.

Reading and Language

[ ] Reading-heavy sections have visual or audio alternatives.
[ ] Dyslexia-friendly font option (OpenDyslexic is the common ship).
[ ] Minimal jargon in UI; plain-language summaries available in tooltips.
[ ] Text is localized into all major languages your audience plays in (see Ch. 38 for localization practicalities).

Consistency

[ ] UI patterns are consistent across the game — same shape for the same action, same position for the same information.
[ ] Menus use predictable navigation.
[ ] Symbols are used consistently (red never means "good" in one screen and "bad" in another).

Platform-Specific Considerations

PlayStation 5

[ ] Game responds to system-level accessibility settings (button remapping, audio mono mix).
[ ] PS5 Access Controller supported — confirm custom button mappings from the Access profile work.
[ ] Game Help hints supported (for games that opt into the system).

Xbox Series X/S

[ ] Xbox Adaptive Controller supported, including Copilot mode (two controllers acting as one).
[ ] Xbox accessibility features (speech-to-text, narrator for menus) work with the game.
[ ] Game responds to system-level button remapping.

Nintendo Switch

[ ] Handheld and docked UI legibility tested on both.
[ ] Single Joy-Con control scheme exists where feasible.
[ ] Gyro aim supported where relevant.

PC

[ ] Full keyboard remapping, including modifier combinations.
[ ] Works with Steam Input device mapping.
[ ] Launches without requiring a controller if the player only has kb/m (and vice versa).
[ ] Compatible with Steam's accessibility overlays.

Mobile (iOS / Android)

[ ] VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) screen readers function for menus.
[ ] Dynamic Type / system font scaling respected.
[ ] AssistiveTouch / Switch Access compatible.
[ ] One-handed portrait-mode play works, or is at minimum not required for critical input.
[ ] Ad buttons, IAP prompts, and UI elements are not placed near common accidental-touch zones.

Testing for Accessibility

You cannot guess what a disabled player needs. You test.

[ ] Playtest with actual players who have the disabilities you're trying to accommodate. Not with sighted players wearing a blindfold.
[ ] Budget for paid accessibility playtesting services. Can I Play That? (caniplaythat.com), AbleGamers Player Panels, and SpecialEffect (UK) all connect developers with disabled testers.
[ ] Iterate based on feedback, not based on what you think the accessibility options should do.
[ ] Test accessibility features together, not just individually. A colorblind player using a controller with gyro aim is a distinct use case from any of those alone.
[ ] Include accessibility testing early. Retrofit accessibility and you will get expensive bolt-ons. Design with accessibility from concept, and most of it is trivial.

The Industry Gold Standards

Reference these games when you are arguing for a feature. Show the screenshots. Cite the design precedent.

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, 2020). Over 60 accessibility options. Audio cues for visual information. Full screen reader for menus. High-contrast mode. The current gold standard for AAA.
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games, 2021). First major title with sign-language NPCs (BSL and ASL) in cinematics. Game-speed slider. Full subtitle customization.
Celeste (Maddy Makes Games, 2018). Assist mode with granular options, with a screen explicitly supporting their use. Shows that indie games can do this too — and that it does not "ruin" the game's meaning.
Diablo IV (Blizzard, 2023). Strong cognitive accessibility — clear objective tracking, readable UI, difficulty options, pause-anywhere in the single-player modes.
Hades (Supergiant, 2020). God Mode as a difficulty assist that increases in effect the more you die — no shame framing, seamless integration.
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica, 2022). Best-in-class navigation assistance, traversal assistance, and combat assist options.

Reference these in pitches. "We're going to do what Celeste did" is more defensible than "we're going to add accessibility options."

Resources

Game Accessibility Guidelines — gameaccessibilityguidelines.com. The canonical reference. Organized by disability type and effort level.
Can I Play That? — caniplaythat.com. Reviews games from an accessibility perspective, offers consulting and playtest services.
AbleGamers — ablegamers.org. Charity; runs developer consulting, player panels, and the APX (Accessible Player Experiences) framework.
SpecialEffect (UK) — specialeffect.org.uk. Charity; adaptive gaming research and support.
Ian Hamilton's guidelines — Ian has been the loudest, most useful voice in this space for a decade. Follow his blog. Cite his work.
The IGDA Game Accessibility SIG — igda-gasig.org. Developer community; conference talks, resources, peer support.

Implementation Tips for Small Teams

If your team is one person or three, you cannot ship The Last of Us Part II's 60 options. Here is the triage.

If you can only do three things, do these:

Remappable controls. The single highest-impact motor-accessibility feature.
Subtitles with size/background controls. The single highest-impact hearing-accessibility feature, and helps every player in loud rooms.
Colorblind-safe design. Often costs nothing — it's a design constraint, not a feature. Just don't rely on color alone.

These three take roughly a week of engineering and an art review. There is no legitimate reason an indie game ships without them in 2026.

If you can do five more, add:

Pause anywhere. Trivial; just means no passive timers during pause.
Difficulty options. Even a simple three-tier easy/normal/hard.
Reduce camera shake / motion options. A toggle in the options menu.
Aim assist toggle. Targeted help for players who struggle with precision.
Adjustable text size. A slider, or three presets.

If you can do more than eight — the "real" pass:

Work through the full lists above. Start with whatever area matches your game's genre. Action games: motor first. Narrative games: visual and cognitive first. Multiplayer: all of them, because your audience is the widest.

The single most important move a small team can make is to decide accessibility matters from day one. Adding an assist mode to a shipping game is a week of work if the architecture accommodated it from the start, and a month of work if it didn't. Every accessibility option is cheap if you plan for it. Every accessibility option is expensive if you retrofit it.

Do some. More is better. None is a failure of design ethics and, increasingly, a failure of business judgment. The argument "we didn't have time" is the argument a designer made about their Red Dead Redemption 2 crunch testimony. We know how those stories end.

Ship something. Then expand.