Accessible Games Websites for Blind and Disabled Players

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 16 Mar 2011 - Updated: 15 Oct 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This information is an updated directory of websites that offer accessible games and puzzles for people with disabilities, including audio games for blind players, text-only adventures and strategy games that work with a screen reader, and self-voicing arcade and word games. Each listing was rechecked against the publisher's own website, so readers can see which long-running sites are still online, which have changed platform or web address, and which have closed, including the fact that 7-128 Software now offers all of its Windows games free. With the World Health Organization estimating that 1.3 billion people live with a significant disability, the directory is useful to blind and low vision players, people with limited mobility, deaf players, seniors and the family members and caregivers who help them find games they can actually play.

At a Glance

• 1 - AudioGames.net keeps a database of over 500 audio game titles on platforms from Windows to iOS.
• 2 - The developers of the text-based game Alter Aeon state that nearly all of its players are blind or visually impaired.
• 3 - The Accessible Games Initiative launched in March 2025 with 24 standard tags that tell buyers which accessibility features a game includes.
• 4 - The Game Accessibility Guidelines group advice for developers into basic, intermediate and advanced levels across motor, cognitive, vision, hearing, speech and general categories.

Topic Definition

Accessible Games

Accessible games are video, computer and online games designed or adapted so that people with disabilities can play them without barriers. They include audio games that rely on sound instead of graphics, text-based games that a screen reader can speak aloud, self-voicing games with recorded or synthesized speech, and conventional games that offer options such as large text, high contrast, captions, remappable controls, adjustable speed and support for switches or voice input. The aim is for players who are blind or have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, or have motor or cognitive disabilities to take part on equal terms with everyone else.

Overview

Accessible games are computer, console and online games that people with disabilities can play without barriers. This page lists websites that offer accessible games and puzzles for players who are blind or have low vision or other disabilities, including text-only games, audio games and classic arcade and space titles, with notes on which of the older sites are still running.

Why Accessible Games Matter

An estimated 1.3 billion people, about 16% of the world's population, live with a significant disability [World Health Organization, 2023], and at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment [World Health Organization, 2026]. In the United States, more than 1 in 4 adults have some type of disability, including 12.2% with a mobility disability and 5.5% with a vision disability [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026]. For these players, and for seniors whose sight, hearing or dexterity has changed with age, games are a way to relax and stay in touch with other people.

What Makes a Game Accessible

Most of the games on the sites below fall into a few groups:

• Audio games - computer games whose main output is sound rather than graphics, which makes them playable by people with any level of sight [AudioGames.net, n.d.].
• Text-based games - adventures and strategy games presented entirely as text, which a screen reader can speak aloud.
• Self-voicing games - games that speak their own menus and play, so a separate screen reader is not required.
• Games with adjustable settings - big type, high contrast, speed controls and support for voice input.

Websites Offering Accessible Games

The sites in this section were online when checked in October 2026. Confirm the details on each site before you download or pay for anything.

7-128 Software

7-128 Software makes family friendly, non-violent computer games for Windows. The company once sold commercial titles alongside a few free ones, but all of its games are now free. Most are accessible to players who are blind or visually impaired through self-voicing or recorded sound, and many suit players with motion impairments because the game speed can be changed. Its catalog has included the Inspector Cyndi in Newport interactive mysteries, Tyler puzzle games and Woople word games. Because the games are free, the company no longer provides technical support, its mobile games have been removed from the Apple and Google app stores, and the downloads run on Windows from XP through recent versions [7-128 Software, 2022].

In 2011 the company published its third annual Top 25 Web Sites for Gamers who are Blind list, with first-time lists for gamers who are deaf or motion-impaired. Those lists are now many years old and a number of the sites on them have closed.

Playnook Games

Playnook Games is a free collection of 16 classic browser games, including Chess, Checkers, Sudoku, Minesweeper, Solitaire, Connect Four and Word Nook. The games run on phones, tablets and computers with no downloads, accounts or captchas. That removes common barriers for players with disabilities, seniors and anyone who finds app stores and login forms frustrating. The colors are high-contrast and were adjusted to meet WCAG contrast guidelines.

Online Word Search

Online Word Search began with a simple frustration: trying to find a decent word search game online without intrusive ads, pop-ups and cluttered interfaces. Each puzzle is a labeled grid that works with screen readers. Every letter is read out with its row and column, and a live region announces your selection, each word you find and how many words are left. Accessibility options include color-blind safe colors, a larger board with bigger letters, larger text across the site, high contrast with darker text, stronger grid lines and thicker outlines, and reduced motion. A clear focus ring shows on every control and on the current letter in the grid. Game controls and announcements are available in English, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.

RSW - Retro Space Wars

RSW is a multiplayer strategy game of interstellar conquest, written as a homage to the text-based play-by-mail games of the 1970s. It was designed to be playable with text reports alone as well as through an optional graphical client, which suits players who use a screen reader. Play is turn-based and slow-paced between human players, so people with and without disabilities compete on an equal footing. The game rewards diplomacy and communication over raw battle tactics - the winner is usually the player who is best at forming alliances and earning trust.

The Kingdom of Loathing

The Kingdom of Loathing, known to its players as KoL, is a free, comical online role-playing game from Asymmetric Games with quests, character classes and player-versus-player options.

Alter Aeon

Alter Aeon is a multiplayer text-based fantasy role-playing game with over 400 unique areas and more than 1,000 quests and storylines. Its developers state that nearly all of its players are blind or visually impaired, and blind and sighted players play side by side in real time. The official launcher for Windows, Mac and Linux is described as blind-friendly, works automatically with most screen readers and includes sounds and music [DentinMud Internet Services, 2025]. The site lists no purchase price and has a donations page.

AudioGames.net

AudioGames.net is a community portal for everything to do with audio games. It carries news and articles, runs an active community forum, and maintains a database of over 500 titles on platforms from Microsoft Windows to iOS [AudioGames.net, n.d.]. It is a sensible first stop for blind and visually impaired players looking for a game or for help with one.

The Game Accessibility Project

This research project focuses on the accessibility of electronic games for gamers with disabilities. Its website informs disabled gamers about the accessible games that are available and serves as a resource for developers, publishers and researchers.

Universally Accessible Games From ICS-FORTH

The Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory of ICS-FORTH in Greece developed a small set of universally accessible games. UA-Chess is a chess game for two players, including people with low vision, blindness or hand-motor impairments, who can play on the same computer or remotely over the Internet. Access Invaders is a universally accessible version of the classic "Space Invaders" action game.

Draconis Entertainment

Draconis Entertainment, now Draconis Entertainment, LLC, publishes games for blind and visually impaired players as well as sighted players. The company now develops for Apple platforms, where the built-in VoiceOver screen reader is available, and is bringing its Windows development to a close. Installation packages for its older Windows games remain available as a legacy catalog.

Sryth

Sryth is a story-driven, browser-based fantasy text role-playing game. Full access to all of its adventures and premium content comes with a paid Adventurers Guild membership, and the site invites visually impaired players to say how the game could be made more accessible to them.

Listed Sites That Have Closed or Changed

Several sites that appeared on earlier versions of this page are no longer available in the same form:

• The Zone BBS - the administrators of this online community and games site posted a farewell notice announcing that it was shutting down.
• Jim Kitchen's games - the original website for his free, speech-friendly DOS and Windows games is offline and its domain name is listed for sale.
• MarvelSoft - the web address of this talking software publisher now forwards to Future Aids, The Braille Superstore, operated by MarvelSoft Enterprises, which sells Talking Typing Teacher, a Windows typing tutor narrated with recorded human speech.

Older Windows audio games still turn up on archive and community sites. Download them only from a source you trust and scan the files with current security software before running them.

Accessibility in Mainstream Video Games

Since this list was first published in 2011, accessibility has spread well beyond specialist sites. The Game Accessibility Guidelines, which have supported the industry since 2012, sort advice for developers into basic, intermediate and advanced levels across motor, cognitive, vision, hearing, speech and general categories [Game Accessibility Guidelines, n.d.]. Microsoft's Xbox Accessibility Guidelines set out 23 best-practice guidelines covering areas such as text display, contrast, subtitles and captions, input and photosensitivity [Microsoft, 2023].

In March 2025 the Entertainment Software Association introduced the Accessible Games Initiative, which launched with 24 standard tags - among them clear text, large and clear subtitles, narrated menus and save anytime - that companies can display on product pages and digital storefronts. Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America and Ubisoft were the founding members [Entertainment Software Association, 2025]. Tags like these let players and caregivers see before buying whether a game has the features they need.

Tips for Finding a Game That Fits

• Try a free game or demo first, using the screen reader or voice software you use every day.
• Choose turn-based text, word and puzzle games if reaction time, tremor or fatigue is a concern.
• Caregivers setting up a game for a senior can adjust type size, contrast and game speed first.

If you know of any free online games that would suit people with disabilities, feel free to contact us and we will consider adding them to this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a MUD and why are MUDs popular with blind players?

A MUD, short for multi-user dungeon, is an online multiplayer game played entirely through typed commands and text descriptions. Because everything on screen is text, a screen reader can speak the whole game, which lets blind and sighted players share the same world in real time.

Is there a free screen reader I can use to play text games on Windows?

Yes. NVDA, short for Non-Visual Desktop Access, is a screen reader for Windows that its maker, the charity NV Access, describes as 100% free to use globally. It runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Can I play text-based online games on a Mac, iPhone or Android phone with a screen reader?

Often, yes. The developers of Alter Aeon, for example, say Mac users can connect through the built-in Telnet program with VoiceOver, iPhone and iPad users can use the MUDBasher app, and Android users can use the Fado client with its accessibility instructions.

What is the Xbox Adaptive Controller?

It is a Microsoft controller designed primarily to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility. It works as a hub with 19 3.5mm ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports, so players can plug in the external switches, buttons, mounts and joysticks that suit them.

Is there an accessible controller for the PlayStation 5?

Yes. Sony's Access controller for PS5 is a customizable controller kit with swappable button and stick caps and four 3.5mm expansion ports for extra buttons and switches. It can be used in any orientation, including on a wheelchair tray, and stores three control profiles on the controller.

Can blind or low vision players play big-budget mainstream games?

Some, yes. The Last of Us Part II, for example, has more than 60 accessibility settings, including a vision preset that turns on text-to-speech, a high contrast display and audio cues for moving through levels and for combat. Options differ widely from game to game, so check each title before buying.

Does U.S. law require video games to be accessible?

The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 requires advanced communications services such as text messaging, instant messaging and video communications to be accessible to people with disabilities. The FCC granted a one-year waiver of those rules for video game software in December 2017 and described it as the final waiver for that class of software. For advice on a specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.

Are there charities that help people with disabilities play video games?

Yes. AbleGamers is a charity for gamers with disabilities that uses play to combat social isolation and provides its support at no cost to the people it serves. It also publishes developer resources on accessible player experiences.

References:

• 7-128 Software. (2022). 7-128 Software - Simply entertainment.
• AudioGames.net. (n.d.). Welcome at AudioGames.net.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026). Disability impacts all of us infographic.
• DentinMud Internet Services. (2025). Alter Aeon.
• Entertainment Software Association. (2025). Entertainment Software Association introduces the Accessible Games Initiative to provide players with information about accessibility features in video games.
• Game Accessibility Guidelines. (n.d.). Game accessibility guidelines: Full list.
• Microsoft. (2023). Xbox accessibility guidelines (Version 3.2).
• World Health Organization. (2023). Disability.
• World Health Organization. (2026). Blindness and vision impairment.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: Accessible gaming has changed a great deal since this list first appeared in 2011, and the changes cut both ways. At least 2.2 billion people worldwide have a near or distance vision impairment, and more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States have some type of disability, so the audience for games that can be played by sound, by text or with simplified controls is very large. Yet many of the small, volunteer-run sites that served that audience have gone quiet - The Zone BBS has shut down and Jim Kitchen's collection of free speech-friendly games has lost its original home - while mainstream publishers have moved in the other direction, with Microsoft's Xbox Accessibility Guidelines now running to 23 separate best-practice guidelines. For blind and disabled players, seniors and caregivers, the practical lesson is to lean on active communities and current storefront information rather than old link lists, and to treat any download from an unmaintained site with care.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.