The Xbox Accessible Controller accommodates a variety of accessories allowing gamers with disabilities to use their feet, mouth, head and other options to play. New Accessible Games Initiative tags are intended to help people with disabilities identify games that are accessible to them. (Microsoft)
Some of the biggest names in video games are taking steps to better accommodate the needs of players with disabilities.
A half dozen major video game companies have started assigning special tags to their products denoting which types of accessibility features each game offers.
The tags, which are part of the Accessible Games Initiative, describe 24 different features ranging from large and clear subtitles to narrated menus and button remapping.
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Xbox was the first to incorporate the tags last year. Now, Electronic Arts, Nintendo of America, Riot Games, Ubisoft and Google’s YouTube Playables have begun to adopt them.
The tags can be found “on participating companies’ product pages, digital storefronts, accessibility pages and digital catalogues,” according to the Accessible Games Initiative.
First announced in 2025, the tags were created as part of an effort from the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group for the video game industry, and representatives from Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America and Ubisoft. Players with disabilities, accessibility advocacy groups and game development teams all contributed.
“Finding a game with the accessibility features you prefer should be straightforward,” said Daniella Decker, executive director of the Accessible Games Initiative. “As more companies adopt the Accessible Games Initiative tags, we are providing a shared language that makes accessibility features easier to recognize and games easier to discover. It’s a win-win for players and for business.”
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