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0 Laura Kate Dale is a prominent voice in the games industry and a full-time video game critic who focuses on accessibility and representation in video games. She hosted the 2025 edition of the Access-Ability Summer Showcase—a celebration of accessibility and representation in gaming. Sponsored by Many Cats Studios, the event once again celebrated developers who build inclusive games for all players.
True to its name, the showcase offers high accessibility. Multiple formats were available, including versions with American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL), and a fully audio-described edition voiced by accessibility consultant SightlessKombat. For anyone interested in how far accessibility in games has come—and where it’s headed—the full showcase is well worth watching. Additionally, the companion Steam sale page is also live.
If you missed the event, make sure to read this roundup article, and then go catch up using the links above!
ChromaGun 2 Sets the Tone
The event opened with the colourful reveal of ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard. This sequel expands its predecessor’s mechanics using symbolic colour representation, which makes it much more accessible to colour-blind players. In this system, blue is represented by a circle, yellow by a triangle, and red by a straight line. These symbols combine to represent mixed colours like orange or purple, helping players distinguish combinations easier.
Paint at Your Own Pace
Simulator games are oversaturated in the market; Spray Paint Simulator stands out with top-notch accessibility. Hate masking off areas in real life? Skip that nonsense here. With aim mode to lock your camera, adjustable smoothing and FOV, plus handy hold-to-toggle controls, this game puts you in control. Also, separate audio sliders and being able to switch stereo-to-mono means you can have the sound exactly how you want. Just like its watery cousin, Spray Paint Simulator highlights the spots you still need to paint. You can tweak how long it lasts and what colour it shows. You cleaned messes in PowerWash Simulator — now go make some.
Advocates Take the Stage
A major part of the Access-Ability Summer Showcase was devoted to letting accessibility advocates and consultants share some games. One standout was Elisabeth “Arevya” Sivertsen, affectionately known in the community as the Queen of Accessibility. She presented Sunlight, a peaceful forest exploration game developed in her native Norway. The game is built around a no-failure, no-pressure philosophy. It features audio descriptions, directional sound cues that guide players toward points of interest, and narration subtitled with customisable text sizes, so all players can experience its tranquil world.
Danni Brennand followed with a reveal of Rollick N’ Roll, a toy car racing game filled with tracks that resemble life-size marble runs. In addition, the game is brimming with accessibility options: colour and shape indicators are used for interactive elements, and players can customise colours to suit their vision. There are no time limits, and the camera stays fixed to reduce motion sensitivity. Visual and audio cues reduce reliance on text, and the control scheme supports both one-handed and remapped play styles.
SightlessKombat then introduced Bits & Bops, a charming collection of more than 20 rhythm minigames designed to be fully playable by blind and visually impaired players. The game includes audio descriptions, text-to-speech support, and intuitive, simple controls that can be freely remapped.
Finally, Mathew “The Wobbly Gamer” Allcock, Junior Accessibility Specialist at Many Cats, shared a heartfelt story of how adaptive equipment enabled a young disabled Paw Patrol fan to finally play a game they loved. It was a powerful moment that underlined how accessibility can change lives and didn’t leave a dry eye in the room.
Tackling Trauma with Care
Among the more emotionally resonant titles was Wednesdays, a visual novel that opens with a content warning due to its focus on a sensitive and potentially triggering topic. Its subject is handled with maturity, and its accessibility options are just as thoughtful. Players can adjust fonts, text size, and speed to their comfort. The game removes colour-based puzzles and flashing imagery, and pairs sound effects with comic book-style captions. It adds no pressure—no timed actions or button holds—and lets players use a mouse, keyboard, or controller. A built-in journal system lets players revisit earlier scenes, ensuring they don’t miss any part of the story.
All The Genres
DarZal Games, co-founded by a developer with chronic hand pain, shared two standout titles. Quest Giver offers a narrative-heavy adventure, while 6-Sided Stories delivers a relaxing hexagonal puzzle experience. Both games remove time pressure and complex inputs. They support one-handed play and allow remappable controls for easier accessibility.
Soulblaze is a creature-collecting roguelike where players use dice to battle. It includes detailed UI scaling, alternate fonts, screen reader support, and icon-based design for clarity. Interestingly, Heart Spell: Horizon Academy blends dating sim elements with match-3 puzzles, yet it also gives players the option to disable the puzzles entirely if they prefer to focus on the story. It features voice acting, colour-blind symbols, and font options, plus an arachnophobia toggle.
From the creators of Gales of Nayeli, a narrative strategy game, came deep accessibility options, including battle toggles, automatic stat optimisation, and occasionally fairy “tip” assistants. Meanwhile, Cairn offered a tough climbing experience; however, it included rewinds, infinite pitons, and clear visual feedback to reduce difficulty without reducing challenge.
Airships: Lost Flotilla is a bullet hell that lets players dim backgrounds, increase contrast, and toggle off intense effects. It also supports controller, keyboard, and mouse play. Trash Goblin returned this year too, offering a relaxing clean-up sim with motion sickness support, visual aids, and text scaling.
Accessibility Meets Action
Blow-Up: Avenge Humanity is a high-speed shooter with thoughtful design. Players can adjust enemy outlines, reduce visual effects, and fine-tune camera movement and HUD elements. Coming Home brought 80s slasher vibes in a home defence setting, with screen reader support, captioned notes, adjustable effects, and controller-friendly play.
Unlike most titles in the showcase, Intrapology wasn’t a traditional game. Instead, it was a live, browser-based interactive theatre piece by Zoyander Street. It featured captions, BSL, audio description, keyboard support, and screen reader compatibility. Only some effects posed a photosensitivity risk, flagged clearly in advance.
Games for Blind Gamers Game Jam
The showcase spotlighted throughout the fourth annual Games for Blind Gamers jam. Judge Piotr Machacz presented the winning entry, The Unseen Awakening. This jam however continues to push for authentic representation and meaningful accessibility. However, the jam looks to avoid the tired blind hero trope, these games focus on lived experiences and barrier-free design. Consequently, you can try the games on itch.io.
Looking Ahead: A Winter Debut
Finally, to close the showcase, Laura announced the first-ever Access-Ability Winter Showcase. It will air on Thursday, 11th December 2025. This trial run will determine if holding two showcases a year is sustainable. Given the success of the Access-Ability Summer Showcase, developers will likely welcome more chances to spotlight accessible games.
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