Accessibility Testing for Indie Games

Roughly 1 in 4 adults in the United States has some form of disability, and many of them play games. Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a real market opportunity that most indie developers overlook. The good news is that many accessibility features are straightforward to implement and test, especially if you plan for them early. This guide covers the most impactful accessibility areas and how to test each one.

Visual Accessibility: Color and Contrast

Color vision deficiency affects about 8% of men and 0.5% of women. The most common type is red-green colorblindness (deuteranopia and protanopia), which makes it difficult or impossible to distinguish red from green. If your game uses color to convey critical information — like red for enemies and green for allies, or color-coded loot rarity — you need an alternative channel.

The most robust approach is to never rely on color alone. Use shape, pattern, size, or text labels in addition to color. A health bar that goes from green to red should also show a percentage number. Loot rarity that uses color should also include text labels or distinct icon shapes. Enemy indicators should differ in shape, not just color.

To test, use a colorblind simulation tool. Color Oracle is a free desktop app that simulates all three types of color vision deficiency in real-time. Windows 10 and later has built-in color filters under Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters. Play through your entire game with each simulation active and note every place where you rely on color distinction to convey information.

If you offer a colorblind mode, test it thoroughly. Common bugs in colorblind modes include: the mode not applying to particle effects or post-processing, UI elements that are recolored but game world elements that are not, and the mode resetting when transitioning between scenes. Make sure the colorblind setting persists correctly and applies globally.

Text contrast is equally important. Small text on a busy background is unreadable for many players, not just those with visual impairments. Use a text background or outline for any text displayed over game content. The WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio guidelines (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text) are a good standard to follow even for games.

Motor Accessibility: Controls and Input

Motor accessibility is about ensuring players with limited mobility, strength, or dexterity can play your game. This is one of the most impactful accessibility areas because motor disabilities range widely — from mild conditions like carpal tunnel to severe conditions requiring specialized input devices.

Remappable controls are the single most important motor accessibility feature. Every input action in your game should be rebindable to any button or key. This includes actions that developers often forget to make remappable: menu navigation, pause, screenshot, and any “system-level” inputs. Test that remapping works correctly by rebinding every action and playing through a complete session.

Common bugs in control remapping include: two actions bound to the same button conflicting, remapped controls not persisting across sessions, remapped controls reverting during certain game states (like cutscenes), button prompts showing the default binding instead of the remapped one, and the remap UI itself not being navigable with the remapped controls.

Hold vs. toggle: Any action that requires holding a button (sprint, aim, crouch) should offer a toggle alternative. Players with limited hand strength may not be able to sustain a button hold. Test that toggle mode works correctly for all holdable actions and that the toggle state is clearly communicated visually.

One-handed play: Consider whether your game can be played with one hand. Many players have use of only one hand due to injury, amputation, or hemiplegia. If your game supports a controller, test whether all actions can be performed with just the left side or just the right side of the controller through remapping. Some games offer dedicated one-handed control presets, which is an excellent accessibility feature.

// Testing checklist for motor accessibility
// Run through each item and log pass/fail

Motor Accessibility Test Cases:
[ ] All actions can be remapped to any button/key
[ ] Remapped controls persist after restart
[ ] Button prompts update to show remapped bindings
[ ] No two critical actions conflict when rebound
[ ] Hold actions offer toggle alternatives
[ ] Toggle state is visually indicated
[ ] Game is completable with one-handed control preset
[ ] No actions require simultaneous multi-button presses
[ ] QTEs can be disabled or set to auto-complete
[ ] Menu navigation works with controller and keyboard
[ ] Aim assist / auto-aim is available
[ ] Input timing windows are adjustable

Auditory Accessibility: Subtitles and Audio Cues

Players who are deaf or hard of hearing need visual alternatives for audio information. This goes beyond subtitles — though subtitles are the starting point.

Subtitle quality matters. Subtitles should be legible at a typical viewing distance, which means a minimum font size of 28px at 1080p resolution. Offer at least three size options. Include a semi-transparent background behind subtitle text so it’s readable against any game background. Use speaker labels and color coding to identify who is talking. Test subtitles during fast-paced dialogue sequences to ensure they don’t disappear too quickly.

Beyond dialogue, consider all audio cues that convey gameplay information. An enemy approaching from behind, a trap about to trigger, a countdown timer — these audio cues need visual alternatives. A directional damage indicator, a visual warning icon, and an on-screen timer respectively. Play your entire game with audio muted and note every moment where you miss critical information.

Test your subtitle system for common bugs: subtitles not appearing during cutscenes, subtitles overlapping with other UI elements, subtitle timing not matching the audio, subtitles cutting off long sentences, and subtitle settings not applying to all dialogue types (NPCs, tutorials, environmental dialogue).

Cognitive Accessibility and Difficulty Options

Cognitive accessibility is often overlooked but benefits the widest range of players. This includes people with learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and anyone who finds complex game systems overwhelming.

Clear tutorials and reminders: Let players re-read tutorial information at any time. Don’t rely on players remembering a control explained once, three hours ago. Include a controls reference accessible from the pause menu. Test that tutorial prompts can be re-triggered and that they’re accurate after control remapping.

Difficulty options: Separate difficulty into components where possible. Some players need more time but can handle complex puzzles; others need simpler puzzles but enjoy fast combat. Celeste’s assist mode is an excellent example — it lets players individually adjust game speed, number of dashes, and invincibility without locking them into a single difficulty preset.

Reduce sensory overload: Provide options to disable screen shake, reduce particle effects, disable flashing lights, and simplify visual effects. Screen shake in particular causes motion sickness for many players and should always be toggleable. Test that disabling these effects doesn’t break gameplay — some games accidentally tie gameplay logic to visual effects.

Photosensitivity: Flashing lights and rapid contrast changes can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Follow the Harding test guidelines: avoid flashing faster than 3 times per second, avoid large areas of the screen flashing simultaneously, and offer a “reduce flashing” option. Test every visual effect, ability, explosion, and transition for rapid flashing.

Building Accessibility Into Your QA Process

Accessibility testing should be part of your regular QA cycle, not a one-time audit before launch. Add accessibility test cases to your regression suite so that accessibility features are verified with every build. Tag accessibility bugs with a dedicated label and treat them with the same priority as gameplay bugs — a broken colorblind mode is a broken feature.

The most valuable testing comes from players with actual disabilities. Reach out to organizations like AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, or the Game Accessibility Conference community. Many disabled gamers are willing to playtest and provide feedback, especially for indie games that are making an effort. Their perspective will reveal issues that no simulation or checklist can catch.

Document your accessibility features publicly. Players with disabilities actively search for games that support their needs. A clear accessibility section on your store page listing what features you support helps them find your game and sets accurate expectations. The Xbox Accessibility Tag system and the Game Accessibility Guidelines website are good references for what to document.

Accessibility isn’t a feature — it’s a quality bar. Build it in from day one.