5 Spooky Accessible Games to Play this Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than by diving into some spooky video games? This year, we’re highlighting five fantastic titles that not only deliver chills and thrills but also showcase accessibility and inclusive design best practices. Because after all, the spooky season is for everyone to enjoy! While the horror genre in gaming still has ways to go to be more welcoming, the following games have demonstrated that accessibility considerations only raise the bar in terms of quality, user experience and innovation.

1. Dead Space Remake

Dead Space Remake revitalises the classic survival horror, putting players in the role of Isaac Clarke as he fights Necromorphs on a desolate mining ship. The remake has been applauded for its robust accessibility options, including remapping, customizable aiming and camera sensitivity, and toggleable hold/press actions. It also includes content warnings for potentially triggering themes and options to adjust gore display and censorship, an innovation in the genre that we hope to see more of in the future!

(media credit: Electronic Arts)

2. Slay the Princess

Slay the Princess is a dark fantasy visual novel where you are tasked with slaying a princess to save the world, but your choices unravel a complex narrative with multiple branching paths and dilemmas. On top of voice acting, the game features comprehensive text customization options including font style, size, and color, and an adjustable pace for dialogue and choices, making it more accessible for players with various reading and cognitive needs. A self-voicing feature can also be activated, in order to enable text-to-speech which will read the game’s text aloud, which is especially useful for blind and low-vision players.

(media credit: Serenity Forge)

3. Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game where one player takes on the role of a killer hunting down four other players who must work together in order to survive and escape. After launching in 2016, the developers have pushed significant updates for accessibility over the years, introducing features like UI scaling, remappable controls, and an optional visual heartbeat indicator that alerts players who cannot rely on sound cues that the killer is getting closer (terror radius).

(media credit: DStrike)

4. Silent Hill 2 Remake

Silent Hill 2 Remake updates the classic psychological horror game, following James Sunderland’s search for his deceased wife in a town that reflects his inner turmoil. Featuring new enhanced visuals and refined gameplay mechanics, it also includes a whole new array of accessibility considerations such as customizable aim assist, HUD customization, high contrast mode and more. A thoughtful content warning as part of the first boot flow also includes a QR code redirecting players to mental health resources, if they feel the need. Many who missed out on all the spooks when the original came out over 20 years ago can finally get on board of this genre-defining franchise.

(media credit: Konami Digital Entertainment)

5. Still Wakes The Deep

Still Wakes the Deep is a first-person narrative horror game set on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland, where players must evade a terrifying, otherworldly entity and navigate the collapsing rig. This atmospheric and tension-building story can be experienced by many, thanks to in-depth accessibility features allowing players to customize how subtitles display, tweak difficulty and hints, activate a high contrast mode and even toggle off flashing lights, an option we still don’t see often in gaming.

(media credit: The Chinese Room)

This Halloween, let’s celebrate games that not only scare us senseless but also welcome everyone to the spooky fun. Despite common assumptions, making a horror game more accessible doesn’t have to happen at the cost of your nail-biting vision. For more information on how you can make your game more inclusive, reach out to us at [email protected].

Happy Halloween to all!

Written by

Améliane F. Chiasson CPACC

Games Accessibility Lead

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