We've documented 17 accessibility features for Valheim, including Large Text, Low Pressure, Fully Subtitled (Or No Speech), Moderate Reading and Save Anytime. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, Visual, Navigation, 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.
External examiner, James Rowbotham, first checked Valheim accessibility 3 years ago. It was re-examined by James Rowbotham and updated 3 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
Valheim offers both whisper (to players following you on your team) and shout (to everyone and appears above your head) chat options.
Game Details
Release Date: 02/02/2021
Out Now: PC
Skill Rating: 12+ year-olds
Players: 1 (10 online)
Genres: Adventure (Action, Collecting, Communication, Fighting, Role-Play and Strategy)
Accessibility: 17 features
Components: 3D Third-Person, Day and Night, Open World, Persistant World and Weather
Developer: Valheim Game (@ValheimGame)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Controls in Valheim 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 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.
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 Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Back 4 Blood (13 Controls Features)
- Craftopia (11 Controls Features)
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (11 Controls Features)
- Dark Souls (10 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in Valheim 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 Valheim, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Palworld (3 Difficulty Features)
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (3 Difficulty Features)
- Ark: Survival Evolved (3 Difficulty Features)
- Craftopia (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Getting Started in Valheim 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.
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.
Low Pressure: Game tasks aren't time-limited or there's a low-pressure mode. This avoids the pressure of being put on the clock for overarching missions, or failing tasks because you didn't reach a destination in time.
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 Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (8 Getting Started Features)
- Go Vacation (8 Getting Started Features)
- Satisfactory (7 Getting Started Features)
- House Flipper (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Reading in Valheim 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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (7 Reading Features)
- Outriders (7 Reading Features)
- Gotham Knights (6 Reading Features)
- Back 4 Blood (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Valheim which deals 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
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (8 Navigation Features)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild (7 Navigation Features)
- Gotham Knights (6 Navigation Features)
- Lost Ark (6 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in Valheim which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Visual Distractions
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.
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.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Gotham Knights (6 Visual Features)
- Back 4 Blood (6 Visual Features)
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (6 Visual Features)
- Wibble Wobble (5 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Valheim 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 Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Smalland (4 Audio Features)
- Abiotic Factor (3 Audio Features)
- Genshin Impact (3 Audio Features)
- Dark Souls (2 Audio Features)
Communication
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Communication in Valheim 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.
Text Chat: Chat to other players by typing text.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Communication
If you want to play Valheim, but it doesn't offer the Communication accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Communication accessibility:
- Back 4 Blood (6 Communication Features)
- Sea of Thieves (6 Communication Features)
- Stellaris (4 Communication Features)
- Rust (4 Communication Features)
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.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors @cbGameDev and Jonah Monaghan