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Minecraft
46 Accessibility Features

We've documented 46 accessibility features for Minecraft, including Large Text, No Quick Reactions, Custom Difficulty, Select Difficulty and No Button Combos. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Getting Started, Navigation, Reading, Audio, Difficulty and Communication to reduce unintended barriers.

This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.

Minecraft is an open-world adventure where you collect, craft and construct structures and items. Play involves exploring the world to find resources and good locations to build. Some of the best aspects of the game are less well known; along with the traversal, building and survival play, children can use complex ‘Redstone’ circuitry to automate their creations and make interactive spaces and machines.

Our accessibility examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Minecraft accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 11 months ago.

NotesAccessibility Notes

There are different versions of Minecraft; Bedrock (PC and consoles) and Java (PC), which is the version most community content such as YouTube videos is based around. It has the following accessibility features.

If you have a screen reader enabled on your platform, Minecraft will automatically enable menu UI narration when the game is launched. You can enable high-contrast text in menus, and adjust the opacity of text backdrops throughout the game.

The Minecraft Launcher includes audio cues to help players navigate the login and launch experience. To enable audio cues on the Minecraft Launcher, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+B. You should hear a sparkle ringing sound to confirm that the sound is enabled.

You can customise the difficulty depending on the setting of the world you create.

Once you beat the ender dragon and re-enter the overworld, you get quite a long (but skippable) piece of text detailing a conversation between two godlike creatures. This is the only dialogue in the game and is mostly philosophical in nature, not really relating to the actual game.

Creative mode allows you to build freely without damage and enemies, so quick reactions are not required. Additionally, in Survival mode, if you go near an ocean monument in Hard Mode, there is a jumpscare where a ghostly image of a monster briefly appears on your screen, accompanied by a loud noise. This is not present in other difficulties and Creative mode.

Potions used to all look the same but were changed so that each potion type has a unique colour, which can help some people distinguish between them without having to read the item names, but is not useful for colourblind players, who still have to do this.

DetailsGame Details

Release Date: 23/11/2017, updated in 2019

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, Amazon Fire, Android, Mac, PC, PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Players: 1-4 (20 online)

Genres: Adventure, Creative (Action, Collecting, Fighting, Platform and Shooting)

Accessibility: 46 features

Components: 3D First-Person, 3D Third-Person, Blocks, Day and Night, Open World, Persistant World and Weather

Developer: Mojang (@Mojang)

Costs: Purchase cost and In-Game Loot Boxes

 

ControlsControls

To complete the main campaign of the game you need to use a minimum of:

  • PC: 8 keys, 2 buttons, 1 mouse and 1 gesture.
  • Nintendo: 7 buttons, 2 triggers and 2 sticks.
  • Xbox: 7 buttons, 2 triggers and 2 sticks.
  • PlayStation: 7 buttons, 2 triggers and 2 sticks.
You can toggle Auto Jump to make it easier to get around and toggle crouching to be either a click or a hold action.
The following table guides you through which buttons you can map to custom controllers:

Action PlayStation Xbox Nintendo PC Notes Required
Craft ◻ Square X Button Y Button Shift (Left) Key + Left Mouse Button
View Inventory △ Triangle Y Button X Button E Key
Jump / Vault ✕ Cross A Button A Button SpacebarAlso Fly Up.
Movement Stealth ◯ Circle B Button B Button Shift (Left) KeyHold to Sneak. Also Fly Down.
Drop Item D-Pad Down D-Pad Down D-Pad Down Q Key
Select Item L1 Top Bumper + R1 Top Bumper Left Bumper + Right Bumper L Top Bumper + R Top Bumper Mouse WheelSelect Next and Previous Item.
Aim / Look / Camera Left Stick Left Stick Left Stick Mouse Movement
Movement Right Stick Right Stick Right Stick WASD Keys
Use Item L2 Left Trigger Left Trigger ZL Trigger Right Mouse Button
Build Place Item L2 Left Trigger Left Trigger ZL Trigger Right Mouse Button
Hit / Melee R2 Right Trigger Right Trigger ZR Trigger Left Mouse Button
Sprint L3 Left Stick Press Left Stick Press Left Stick Press Ctrl (Left) Key
Emote D-Pad Right D-Pad Right D-Pad Left B Key
Aim Select Camera D-Pad Up D-Pad Up D-Pad Up F5 Key

Action Xbox Notes Required
Craft X Button
View Inventory Y Button
Jump / Vault A ButtonAlso Fly Up.
Movement Stealth B ButtonHold to Sneak. Also Fly Down.
Drop Item D-Pad Down
Select Item Left Bumper + Right BumperSelect Next and Previous Item.
Aim / Look / Camera Left Stick
Movement Right Stick
Use Item Left Trigger
Build Place Item Left Trigger
Hit / Melee Right Trigger
Sprint Left Stick Press
Emote D-Pad Right
Aim Select Camera D-Pad Up

Action PlayStation Notes Required
View Inventory △ Triangle
Movement Stealth ◯ CircleHold to Sneak. Also Fly Down.
Jump / Vault ✕ CrossAlso Fly Up.
Craft ◻ Square
Drop Item D-Pad Down
Select Item L1 Top Bumper + R1 Top BumperSelect Next and Previous Item.
Aim / Look / Camera Left Stick
Movement Right Stick
Use Item L2 Left Trigger
Build Place Item L2 Left Trigger
Hit / Melee R2 Right Trigger
Sprint L3 Left Stick Press
Emote D-Pad Right
Aim Select Camera D-Pad Up

Action PC Notes Required
Hit / Melee Left Mouse Button
Craft Shift (Left) Key + Left Mouse Button
Use Item Right Mouse Button
Build Place Item Right Mouse Button
Select Item Mouse WheelSelect Next and Previous Item.
View Inventory E Key
Drop Item Q Key
Movement WASD Keys
Jump / Vault SpacebarAlso Fly Up.
Movement Stealth Shift (Left) KeyHold to Sneak. Also Fly Down.
Aim / Look / Camera Mouse Movement
Emote B Key
Sprint Ctrl (Left) Key
Aim Select Camera F5 Key

Action Nintendo Notes Required
Drop Item D-Pad Down
Select Item L Top Bumper + R Top BumperSelect Next and Previous Item.
View Inventory X Button
Jump / Vault A ButtonAlso Fly Up.
Movement Stealth B ButtonHold to Sneak. Also Fly Down.
Craft Y Button
Aim / Look / Camera Left Stick
Movement Right Stick
Use Item ZL Trigger
Build Place Item ZL Trigger
Hit / Melee ZR Trigger
Sprint Left Stick Press
Emote D-Pad Left
Aim Select Camera D-Pad Up

Similar Games Requiring Fewer Controls

If you want to play games like Minecraft, but with fewer controls required, the following similar game is worth considering:

We've documented 12 accessibility features for Controls in Minecraft which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.

Gamepad

Can play with the following:

Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.

Touchscreen

Can play with the following. Additional gestures may be required for games played with a screenreader like VoiceOver.

Two Motions Targeted: Can play with touchscreen, two simultaneous taps, swipes or hold gestures.

Remap Controls

Can customise the controls for the game as follows:

Inputs Documented: The inputs required to complete the game in campaign mode or play competitively are documented on the database (or in other official documentation).

Remap Buttons: Can re-map all buttons so that you can use alternatives that better suit your play.

Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.

Remap Game Menu Access: Can remap buttons to pause, access and navigate the game menu. This enables you to specify which buttons pop-up the game menu.Whether you can remap menu navigation buttons isn't considered here.

Invert X/Y Axis: Can invert the direction required to control looking and aiming. This enables you to match your instinctive orientation when looking.

Button Combinations

Specific button operation required to play

Holding Down Buttons Optional: Holding down buttons for prolonged periods (a second or more) is not required or can be switched to toggling the action on and off. This is in addition to the movement stick/button which is not considered a hold for this purpose.

Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing (more than 2 times a second) is not required, can be skipped or switched to holding a button to trigger a repeated action.

No Simultaneous Buttons: Only one button or key required at a time, in addition to direction stick(s).

Sensitivity

You can adjust

Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are.

DifficultyDifficulty

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Difficulty in Minecraft which deal with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.

Difficulty Options

Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.

Customise Difficulty: Customise different aspects of the game to create a challenge of an appropriate level. Adjusting elements individually enables you to tailor gameplay to suit your needs and style of play.

Adjust After Setting

Adjustable Anytime: You can adjust the difficulty while playing, without having to restart the level you are on. This enables you to quickly adjust the game to suit your needs and see the difference immediately.

Getting StartedGetting Started

We've documented 7 accessibility features for Getting Started in Minecraft which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.

Onboarding Before Play

Before you are presented with the home screen, onboarding settings aim to aid you accessing the menus you need to adjust the game to your requirements. They can also provide an easier way of turning on important adjustments without digging through menus.

Low Vision Onboarding: The first time you open the game, the default text is high contrast and font size is at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height of the screen and in an easy to read font. This enables legally blind visually impaired players to get ready to play.

Assistance Getting Starting

These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.

Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.

Practice Area: You can practice freely without opponents or time pressures. This can be a specific practice option, or the ability to play levels with the easiest opponents to improve understanding and skill.

View Control Mapping: You can view a map of controls during play. This clearly displays the mappings of actions to buttons/keys/mouse/keyboard without having to leave the game. This includes games that always display buttons to press during play.

Reaction-Time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions, or there are settings to lower the requirement for quick reactions. This means you don't need to quickly press a button in response to an on-screen prompt, target a fast-moving target or skillfully complete a scenario against the clock.

No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.

Assistance For Progressing

These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.

Save Progress Anytime: The game automatically saves progress or you can save any time. This doesn’t mean you never lose progress, but it does mean you can stop whenever you want (without having to get to a save point) without losing progress.

ReadingReading

We've documented 5 accessibility features for Reading in Minecraft which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.

Reading Level

How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.

Moderate Reading: Moderate reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a high school student (14-year-old) would appreciate.

Text Visibility

Large Clear Text: All essential text is large and clear or can be adjusted to be. The general text used throughout the game in menus, instructions and other key information (excluding subtitles that are assessed separately) is at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height on landscape screens and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters.

High Contrast Text: Text colour contrasts to the background or can be adjusted to be. The text in menus, instructions and other information is presented in high contrast with a solid background.

Subtitles

All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game): All spoken content has subtitles, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to hear spoken dialogue or narrative to play the game.

Captions

Speaker Indicator: Textual captions indicate who is speaking (or there is only ever one person speaking). This can also be indicated visually in the game with character icons or placing text in speech bubbles next to the person speaking.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading

If you want to play Minecraft, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

NavigationNavigation

We've documented 7 accessibility features for Navigation in Minecraft which deal with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.

Clarity

Large Clear Navigation: The in-game navigation and maps are clear to read. They offer large text and offer markers that are large and of high contrast. Where text or information is small, there are settings to zoom-in and increase visibility.

Head-Up Display

Adjust Head-Up Display: Resize and adjust the content of the head-up display. This enables it to be made more visible. It can also enable the removal of too much information that can be distracting or confusing.

Game Map: View a map of the game world during play, with the landscape, points of interest and missions highlighted throughout the entire game. This enables the orientation of the player and the world, confirming a direction of movement and the location of destinations or points of exploration.

Menu Navigation

Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.

Menu Narrated: All of the game menus can be narrated for easier navigation. The game menus can therefore be navigated without reading text.

Menus Don't Wrap: Menus don't wrap and stop the cursor at the bottom of the list if you press down. Or menus do wrap but make it clear that you are back at the top of the list with sound or narration.

Remap Game Menu Access: Can remap buttons to pause, access and navigate the game menu. This enables you to specify which buttons pop-up the game menu.Whether you can remap menu navigation buttons isn't considered here.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

If you want to play Minecraft, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Navigation accessibility:

VisualVisual

We've documented 8 accessibility features for Visual in Minecraft which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.

Contrast

Medium Contrast: Game uses generally well contrasting and bright visuals, or has a slider to make this the case.

Visual Distractions

No Flashes: No flashing strobe effects or you can disable them. This includes the absence of flashing from dramatic visual effects, explosions or weather effects like lightning.

No Screen Shake: No screen shake effect or it is included but it can be disabled. This includes the absence of screen shake for dramatic effect as well as to indicate hits on a target.

Audio Cues for Visual Events

Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.

Audio Depiction of Event Location: Indication with positional/stereo audio of where directional events are on the screen for things like damage, footsteps, environmental elements. This is useful for blind players.

Menu Audio Cues: Navigating menus provide an audio cue for each selection.

Narration for Visual Elements

This is the audible narration of in-game text. Sometimes talk about as Text To Speech, although it may include the narration of no-textual elements. This is different to Text To Voice, which provides player-player textual communication audibly.

Menu Narrated: All of the game menus can be narrated for easier navigation. The game menus can therefore be navigated without reading text.

Motion Sickness Friendly

Motion Sickness Friendly: Doesn't have 3D movement elements that may trigger motion sickness, like motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision. Or includes the ability to disable motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision effects.

AudioAudio

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Audio in Minecraft which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.

Adjustable Audio

Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.

Audio Events

Visual Cues for Audio Events: Text or other visual indicators of audio events. This mirrors audio indicators of progress in the game with a corresponding visual indication.

Visual Depiction of Directional Audio: Indication on-screen with arrows, icons, located colour splashes and the like, to show where directional audio for damage, footsteps, environmental or way-finding sounds are coming from.

Play Without Hearing

Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.

CommunicationCommunication

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Communication in Minecraft which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction.

Player-to-Player Online Communication

This is how players communicate with each other in online games. This can be to plan strategy, chat as they play or co-ordinate resources.

Text Chat: Chat to other players by typing text.

Filtered Chat: Option to filter out profanity and/or sharing of personal information from online chat.

Online Communication Assistance

Text-to-speech: Convert text messages from other players to voiced messages. Game converts text typed by the player into synthesized audio that's read aloud to all other players in the voice channel. This feature allows players who can't speak verbally to have their thoughts expressed aloud to the rest of the players in their party.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Communication

If you want to play Minecraft, but it doesn't offer the Communication accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Communication accessibility:

System Accessibility Settings

In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:

Android
Android has accessibility settings including ways to navigate and interact, although not all games support this.
 
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch has some built-in features, including a lockable zoom, that can be used on all games.
 
Nintendo Wii U
The Wii U has some limited settings, such as disabling rumble and selecting mono audio.
 
PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.
 
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).
 
Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
 
iOS
iOS has a very extensive suite of accessibility settings including ways to navigate with voice and comprehensive screen reading, though most of the features don't work with games.
 
Read more about system accessibility settings.

VSC LogoAccessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson and Ben Kendall


Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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