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Elden
Ring
23 Accessibility Features

We've documented 23 accessibility features for Elden Ring, including Fully Voiced (Or No Speech), Control Assists, Remap Buttons, Audio Cues and Speaker Indicator. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, Navigation, Visual, Audio 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.

Elden Ring is a role-play game set in a fictional world created by fantasy novelist George R. R. Martin, with a focus on combat similar to Demon's Souls and an open world with real time and weather like Zelda Breath of the Wild.

Our accessibility examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Elden Ring accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Alex Dunn and updated 21 months ago.

NotesAccessibility Notes

When you first start up the game, you must confirm several settings, however, many crucial accessibility options are missing from this initial setup stage, and in addition the text is quite small, although high in contrast.

There are no difficulty settings in Elden Ring. However there are some aspects that are useful to aid progress:
  • Along with healing at Sites of Grace bonfires you can use Flasks of Crimson Tears to restore some health (without re-spawning enemies like bonfires) up to four times, and increase this number by collecting Golden Seeds.
  • You can recharge Crimson Tears charges by killing groups of enemies and can also choose to balance between attacking and health flask capacity at Sites of Grace.
  • You can collect a map by finding fragments. The map can be used to aid navigation by placing markers. An update lets you add an icon and name of characters you meet to the map.
  • You can fast travel to places once you have activated the related Sites of Grace bonfire. This lets you save before boss encounters rather than having to trawl through stacked challenges before getting back to them after dying. You can also choose to re-spawn at Stakes of Marika (helpfully placed near sites with lots of enemies) to reduce the distance you are from where you died and make recovering equipment easier.
  • You can pause Elden Ring on console by pressing the PlayStation or Xbox button (if the console powers down while in this mode you will lose progress). You can also open Menu Explanation on the Inventory screen and the game pauses.

You are signposted to the game's critical path (shortest route through the game) with golden streaks from Sites of Grace and on the map. This will lead you to the early Sites of Grace and introduce key elements. You are not tied to this though, and can choose the order to take on each challenge, returning to harder elements when you are ready. Your horse enables you to out run enemies if you don't want to engage.

You can also place Markers and Beacons on the map. Markers are an icon you can choose. So if there’s an area with enemies you want to avoid, you could put a skull marker. If there’s an area you know has treasure, you put a diamond marker. Beacons are placeable waypoints that then appear on a compass on the screen.

Along with calling in other players to help, you can summon a computer controlled warrior spirits that you find and level up in the game. The timing to achieve a parry is more generous than previous Souls games because you execute them after attacks rather than as they happen.

You can toggle Auto Lock-on for new targets when the current one dies and Auto Target an enemy when they are nearby. You can adjust the level of controller vibration. When playing with mouse there are contextual pop-up menus that can speed navigation. You can also press the Help button in menus to read a detail explanation of weapons and stats.

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DetailsGame Details

Release Date: 25/02/2022

Out Now: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Skill Rating: 12+ year-olds

Players: 1 (4 online)

Genres: Fighting, Role-Play (Action, Adventure, Collecting and Simulation)

Accessibility: 23 features

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

Developer: Elden Ring (@EldenRing)

Costs: Purchase cost

 

ControlsControls

We've documented 7 accessibility features for Controls in Elden Ring 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.

Remap Controls

Can customise the controls for the game as follows:

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.

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

Controller Vibration

Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.

Sensitivity

You can adjust

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

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

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

DifficultyDifficulty

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Elden Ring 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. The following games are similar to Elden Ring, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:

Getting StartedGetting Started

We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in Elden Ring 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.

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.

Assistance With Controls: The game can automatically assist with aiming, steering, reloading, jumping, running etc. This reduces the challenge of certain aspects of play to remove barriers and make control of characters more accessible.

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.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

If you want to play Elden Ring, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:

ReadingReading

We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in Elden Ring 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.

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.

Voice Acted

All Dialogue is Voice Acted (Or No Speech In Game): All of the game dialogue and narrative can be voiced, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to read the dialogue and narrative text to play the game.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading

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

NavigationNavigation

We've documented 3 accessibility features for Navigation in Elden Ring 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.

Head-Up Display

Head-Up Display Navigation: Indication of where to go next with overlaid arrows, minimaps and waypoint markers. This supplements in-game visual and audible cues with additional guidance about where you are and where you need to go.

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

Digital Menu Navigation: Menu choices with Gamepad can be made without using an analogue stick to guide a cursor to a selection. For example, using D-Pad, buttons or the Stick to change menu selection in a single action.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation

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

VisualVisual

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in Elden Ring which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.

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.

Violence

Turn Off Blood: Reduce or disable graphic content of blood and gore.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

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

AudioAudio

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Elden Ring which deals 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.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio

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

CommunicationCommunication

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Communication in Elden Ring which deals 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.

No Online Chat (Or Preset Phrases Only): Game is played online but no verbal or textual player communication. This includes games that offer no communication or communication with word-less icons, sounds or preset phrases.

 

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Communication

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

System Accessibility Settings

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

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).
 
PlayStation 5
PlayStation 5 has a range of system-wide accessibility settings.
 
Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
 
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.
 
Read more about system accessibility settings.

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


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