At Terra, we don’t view accessibility as a fleeting trend or a task to cross off a to-do list. That’s because we know accessibility needs to be treated as a fundamental component of what games are meant to do: engage people, regardless of ability, background, or interface. Even so, in much of the gaming industry, accessibility is still treated as “extra”; an optional feature or a nice-to-have.
When discussing accessibility, our chief innovation officer, Belén Agulló García, doesn’t mince words. “Accessibility is not, and shouldn’t be, about making an additional effort to cater to the needs of a select few. That approach is exclusive in and of itself, because it creates a false perception that certain users fall outside the ‘standard’ experience when, in reality, the only standard should be human variability.”
In this context, inclusivity isn’t generosity; it’s simply doing the right thing by delivering to the broadest audience possible. Aiming for universally good design from the start should be the norm by now, and it’s long overdue.
What Accessibility Actually Means in Games
An essential truth to understand about accessibility is that what benefits one group of players often benefits many more. After all, the point of accessibility is to remove friction for anyone who wants to play the game, whether they use adaptive controls, screen readers, translated interfaces, or just prefer larger text.
“Consider eyesight,” Belén says. “It’s easier for someone without impaired vision to deactivate a screen reader than the other way around. That’s the mindset we need: default to inclusion.” Belén has seen in her own work the way an inclusive approach tends to have a broad benefit. “Control remapping is a great example, because it’s one of the most commonly requested features by players with motor impairments. But it’s also something left-handed players, parents of toddlers, and even streamers can and do use. The same goes for adjustable font size, clear UI contrast, and flexible difficulty settings, to name a few.”
These examples aren’t edge-case requests, but they certainly could be labeled as a good design based on user experience that can end up helping many players.
Accessibility and Innovation, Hand in Hand
We often hear concerns that accessible design means compromising on a game’s creativity or challenge, but existing titles have demonstrated the contrary. Games like The Last of Us Part II, Street Fighter 6, Diablo IV, and more have proven that it’s possible to push boundaries while bringing everyone along for the ride. Consider that:
- The Last of Us Part II introduced over 60 accessibility settings, from haptic feedback cues to full audio narration of menus.
- Street Fighter 6 added spatial sound cues designed for blind players and found sighted players using them too.
- Diablo IV’s audio navigation features were co-designed with blind gamers, resulting in a more immersive experience for all.
“The teams who invested in co-creating with disabled players in mind didn’t just meet accessibility goals, they also made better games for everyone,” says Belén. “When we design with real humans in mind, creativity expands, not contracts.”
Localization Is Accessibility Too
Accessibility doesn’t stop at mechanics. It also lives in the language of the gaming experience, and it can take multiple forms: audio, text, subtitles, descriptions, etc. For example, in The Last of Us Part I, audio descriptions are available in every localized version. Unfortunately, that’s not yet a common feature for gaming; in fact, most games limit their audio to English at best, which leaves players with sight impairments who speak other languages with only partial access.
Another effort in the right direction is the WEL Project in Spain, where researchers are testing simplified in-game language to help players with dyslexia. While dyslexia is a focus of testing, neurodivergent users are not its only beneficiaries. Plain language also benefits non-native speakers, children, and anyone playing while tired or distracted.
As Belén puts it, “clear language, localized audio cues, descriptive menus—these are not niche add-ons. They’re what makes a game playable for someone…or not. If you want to make a game to find a home with as many players as possible, this is where localization teams can step up and shape the experience. We have the power to make accessibility scalable, cultural, and truly global.”
Localization aims to make every part of the experience, from UI to alt text, feel intuitive and inclusive. That means making cultural adaptations, using clear language, involving human testers with a range of abilities, and collaborating early with developers and QA teams to spot potential barriers before they’re baked into the final mix that reaches retailers. It also means knowing where technology can help, and where it can’t. While AI can support some accessibility efforts, like flagging low-contrast UI or generating placeholder alt text, it can’t replicate the lived perspective of real players. Especially not when the goal is to make the game feel personal, emotional, and real.
Accessibility Begins with Design
At this point, you might probably suspect that one of the biggest challenges for accessibility is not technical, but cultural. And, getting back to the idea of treating accessibility as last-minute to-do list item, the game is worse off when accessibility is left for the final push to publication, to be tackled on once the game is designed and “done.”
Belén and her team know the wisdom of a more proactive approach. “When you start with accessibility in mind—in your storyboarding, UI design, and localization workflow—you create a better foundation for everyone. And, crucially, you grow your player base at the same time,” she says. “The data speaks for itself: 2.2 billion people live with some form of disability. That’s 28% of the global population. This isn’t a marginal audience we’re talking about!!”
The Takeaway
Accessibility is a mindset that touches everything and should be adopted accordingly: in writing, design, localization, QA, and voice/audio. In some cases, thinking in accessibility terms may require a cultural shift. As Belén points out, “We don’t need to ask, ‘Why is this worth the effort?’ What we do need to ask is, ‘Why are we still building barriers in the first place?’”
At Terra, we believe inclusive games are achieved with careful design, strong passion, and careful attention to details, and the result is a better title all around. If you’re looking to make your game more welcoming, we can pave that path and then walk it with you.
