Accessibility guidance
Microsoft
- XBOX Accessibility Guidelines (XAGs) — best practices developed with the Gaming and Disability Community.
- Gaming and Disability Player Experience Guide (GADPEG) — supplemental to the XAGs, organized by disability type.
- Gaming Accessibility Fundamentals learning path — 5-module Microsoft Learn course.
- Game Accessibility Workshop Toolkit — facilitator-ready workshop assets.
- Accessibility of gaming AI experiences — accessibility considerations for AI-driven game features.
Outside Microsoft
- Game Accessibility Guidelines — three-tier (basic / intermediate / advanced) developer-friendly guidelines.
- Accessible Player Experience (APX) — AbleGamers Charity design patterns from hundreds of players with disabilities.
XBOX Adaptive Controller (XAC)
The XAC is designed for players with physical disabilities. It works with external buttons and joysticks so players can build a controller that suits them.- XBOX Adaptive Controller hub
- How it works — video
- Get to know the XAC — button and port breakdown.
- XAC history
- Configuring the XAC in the XBOX Accessories app
- XBOX accessories and controllers — filter by assistive technology.
- Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit — buttons made specifically for the XAC.
Connecting with players
“Nothing about us without us.” Getting input from the Gaming and Disability Community should be an integral part of development.
- XBOX Accessibility Insiders League (XAIL) — a group of 100,000+ XBOX Insiders interested in accessibility. Use it to ship pre-release builds and gather structured feedback from players who use assistive technology. Request access through your Microsoft point of contact.
- AbleGamers Player Panels — connects studios to hundreds of players with disabilities for design input and playtesting.
Documentation
Features and store surfacing
- Accessibility feature tags — tag features in Partner Center so players can filter for them.
- The Family Gaming Database — Accessibility Data — searchable resource; developers can add their own game.
- PlayStation 5 Console Accessibility — reference for cross-platform teams.
- Ubisoft Game Accessibility Features — reference for how publishers document features on product pages.
Authoring documentation
Courses and training
Free (self-study)
- Gaming Accessibility Fundamentals learning path — foundational Microsoft Learn path.
- SpecialEffect DevKit — video series on making games accessible for players with physical disabilities.
- Accessible Design with Unreal Engine.
- Practical Game Accessibility with Unity.
- Creating accessible content with Microsoft 365.
- Making your PowerPoint presentations accessible.
YouTube playlists
- MSFTEnable — Gaming Accessibility playlist.
- Game Maker’s Toolkit — Designing for Disability playlist.
- Making Accessible Experiences Inside Unreal.
Supporting developers with disabilities
- ID@XBOX Developer Acceleration Program — helps underrepresented developers, including those with disabilities, publish on XBOX.
- Limit Break — UK mentorship program pairing underrepresented developers with established professionals.
Conferences
Free
- GAconf (Gaming Accessibility Conference) — the primary conference dedicated to gaming accessibility.
- Axe-con — broader digital accessibility conference.
Paid
Talks
Curated recordings covering studio journeys, process, connecting with players, and specific disability areas.Accessibility journey of games
- Building up Accessibility in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga — GAconf Europe 2023, TT Games.
- Retrofitting Accessibility in Deathloop — GAconf Europe 2023, Arkane.
- The Road to Accessibility in Rocksmith+ — GAconf 2022.
- Expanding Accessibility in The Last of Us Part 1 — GAconf 2022.
- Make it a Pillar: Prioritizing Accessibility in the AAA Market — Forza Horizon 5, GAconf Europe 2022.
- ScourgeBringer: an Indie Accessibility Post-Mortem — GAconf Europe 2021.
- Driving Accessibility Advancements in Watch Dogs: Legion — GAconf Europe 2021.
- The Accessibility in Last of Us Part II: A 3 Year Journey — GAconf 2020.
- Font Sizing Out Of This World — Outer Worlds, GAconf 2020.
- Adding Controller Remapping to Destiny 2 — GAconf 2020.
- Building an Inclusive Tech Lab — Microsoft Inclusive Technologies Lab.
Process and QA
- Accessibility Planning – choosing the right blueberries for your project — Monolith Productions.
- The Frontlines of Accessibility QA — GAconf Europe 2023 panel.
Connecting with players
- Prioritizing Accessibility: How an indie publisher supports accessibility — GAconf 2022.
- Connecting with Players with Disabilities — Candy Crush Friends Saga, GAconf Europe 2021.
Captions, subtitles, audio cues
- Closed Captions in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy — GAconf 2022.
- Deaf Accessibility: The Power of Customization — GAconf 2020.
- Subtitles in XR: A Practical Framework — GAconf 2020.
Cognitive accessibility
- Ideas for Accessible Typography — Psychonauts 2, GAconf 2022.
- Create Dynamic, Accessible Content with Azure Neural Voice — GDC 2022.
Difficulty vs. accessibility
- Can I do that? — Jamie + Lion, GAconf Europe 2023.
- Difficulty Vs Accessibility — GAconf 2021.
- Putting the Assist Mode in Control — GAconf Europe 2021.
Horror
- Accessible Horror: Everyone is Entitled to One Good Scare — GAconf 2021.
Inclusive design and playstyles
- Accessibility Driven Development: Stories of Blossom — Soft Leaf Studios, GAconf Europe 2023.
- Fusing Accessibility with Game Design — Lost and Hound, GAconf 2022.
- The SG Accessibility Matrix: Invest Your Scope Wisely — Schell Games, GAconf 2022.
- Prioritizing Accessible Player Experiences — AbleGamers, GDC 2022.
Multiple disabilities and progressive disabilities
- Understanding the DeafBlind Community and Digital Games — Birmingham City University, GAconf Europe 2023.
- Never give up, never surrender — Game Accessibility Nexus, GAconf Europe 2023.
Representation
- Everybody dance! Representation in Just Dance — GAconf Europe 2023.
- Mental health representation in games — GAconf 2022.
- Moving Disability Representation Beyond “It Matters” — GAconf 2021.
Visual accessibility
- Equal Opportunity Piracy: Blind Accessibility in Sea Of Thieves — Rare, GAconf Europe 2023.
- Designing the audio-based mechanics in Blind Drive — GAconf Europe 2022.
Related XBOX / Microsoft references
Source: Developer accessibility resources V1.5 (published Jun 14, 2023). Contact the Gaming Accessibility Team with feedback or updates.