A new round of Xbox updates puts accessibility front and center
By Rob Lefebvre
Xbox finally made good on its pledge to include 24 standardized accessibility tags for video games to make it easier for folks with disabilities to know which games they could play.
The announcement arrives during Disability Pride Month, and players can access the tags across all digital Xbox experiences: console, PC, mobile, and web storefronts.
The push for standardized accessibility tags has been years in the making. Xbox first introduced game accessibility feature tags back in 2021, but without a unified industry approach, terminology and coverage varied wildly from game to game. The Accessible Games Initiative, formally introduced at GDC 2025, set out to fix that by aligning major players around a single, consistent tagging system. The goal: give disabled players the same clear, up-front information others take for granted when browsing a store. Now, with this rollout, Xbox becomes the first platform to fully implement all 24 tags across its ecosystem, marking a major milestone not just for Xbox, but for accessible gaming as a whole.
“This new combination of tags will make it even easier for players with disabilities to learn about available accessibility features and find their next great game,” wrote Team Xbox in a blog post.
Where to Find the Tags and Why the Old Ones Still Matter
Xbox says it plans to keep the accessibility tags from before the initiative, where they don’t match up to the newer tag structure, to make sure players who relied on the older tags still get that information.
On Xbox consoles, you’ll find these tags in more than one place, said Brannon Zahand, Senior Technical Program Manager at Xbox, in the post. Players can find the info on the Xbox Store listings, and as filters in the “My Games & Apps” tab, as well as on the Xbox PC, on Xbox.com, and in the mobile app.
“In total, players will find more than 4,000 tags across all these experiences, which we’re really proud of,” Zahand said.
Accessibility in all media, as well as games, is an important initiative, as it lets more players engage in the experience that so many of us have these days. Video games are a big business and a common pastime, and it’s key to make games as accessible as possible. Making sure players know what accessibility features a game has helps everyone play successfully and have meaningful fun.
Originally published on Tech Times
