> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xbox.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Xbox Accessibility Guideline 101 > Optimize text readability with minimum default sizes, configurable style and color, and adequate spacing so players with low vision can read everything. ## Goal Ensure text readability is optimized for all players, including those with low vision, by displaying text at minimum default sizes and spacing and providing configurable style and color options. ## Overview Roughly **2.9 billion people** have some degree of low vision — blur, cloudiness, or partial vision loss that glasses can't fully correct. Situational impairments (a screen far away, a small mobile display, muted TV, noisy room) also make text hard to read. If a player can't read menu text, they can be blocked before gameplay even starts. Text also carries HUDs, objectives, hints, NPC lines, and player chat — losing it means losing the game. ## Scoping questions Is reading required in your game? * Are navigable menus text-based? * Does text appear on-screen during gameplay (HUD, objectives, waypoints, NPC lines)? * Can players communicate via text chat, chat wheels, STT/TTS? ## What "text display" covers * **Size** — how large or small text can be * **Face** — bold, italic, light * **Weight** — thickness * **Style** — font family * **Spacing** — between letters, words, lines * **Alignment** — horizontal alignment * **Case** — sentence case, all caps * **Color** — visibility against background (see [XAG 102: Contrast](https://docs.xbox.com/build/game-principles/accessibility/xag-deep-dives/xag-102-contrast.md)) > [!TIP] > > The best approach is **player choice**. Provide configuration so each player can tune text to their needs. ## Measuring text size Font size in the XAGs is **body height** — the pixel distance from the lowest descender to the highest ascender. **1. Capture the text** Screenshot the text in-game and open it in Microsoft Paint. **2. Find the tallest ascender and lowest descender** Locate a word with letters like `g`, `y`, `h`, `b` to establish the full body height. **3. Handle outlines** Include colored-outline pixels only if their contrast to the background exceeds **2:1**. Softer anti-aliasing pixels are not counted. **4. Draw a selection** Draw a rectangular selection from the highest ascender to the lowest descender. Paint reports the pixel height in the lower-left — that number is the font size. ## Key areas that must be accessible * **Menu screens** — labels, sub-labels, descriptors, interaction prompts * **Gameplay environments** — HUD meters, instructional cues, inventory keys * **Chat input fields** — placeholder text and typed messages * **Chat windows** — sent and received messages * **Chat wheels** — pre-written comm-wheel options * **Subtitles and captions** * **Error messages, toasts, and notifications** * **Loading screens** with valuable tips ## Implementation guidelines ### Minimum default text size Measured as body height (descender + x-height + ascender). > [!NOTE] > > These are **minimum defaults at launch**. Provide the option to scale larger or smaller at the player's discretion. | Platform | Resolution / DPI | Minimum body height | | - | - | - | | **Console** | 1080p | 26 px | | **Console** | 4K | 52 px | | **PC / VR** | 1080p | 18 px | | **PC / VR** | 4K | 36 px | | **Mobile / XBOX Game Streaming** | 100 DPI | 18 px | | **Mobile / XBOX Game Streaming** | 200 DPI | 36 px | | **Mobile / XBOX Game Streaming** | 400 DPI | 72 px | Mobile devices have much higher DPIs than TVs or PC displays, so comparably sized text needs more pixels. A 5.5" 1080p screen is roughly 400 DPI. Scale linearly as DPI increases. > [!WARNING] > > Platform-provided screen magnifiers are **not** a substitute for meeting minimum text size. ### Icons and glyph sizes * Text **inside** icons and glyphs (e.g. the `X` in an X-button glyph) meets the same minimum sizes above. * Icons and glyphs scale with text scaling up to **200%** of the minimum default. * To keep glyphs inside text containers, you may need to grow the surrounding text so the whole glyph fits on the line. ### Text scaling * Players can resize text up to **200%** of the minimum without losing content, functionality, or meaning. * Large header text remains visually differentiated from body text when scaled. * Text that scales off-screen has a way to be read (scrolling text, popouts, or appropriate abbreviations). * Scaling never forces two-axis scrolling within a single UI. One-direction scrolling is fine. * Allowing text to be **smaller** than the default is acceptable when the user opts in. ### Font style * Include at least one **sans-serif** typeface option. * If stylistic fonts are used (dripping blood, gothic, etc.), provide a non-stylized alternative. * All fonts include complete character sets for every supported language. ### Text spacing Greater spacing improves clarity, especially at large sizes. For blocks of text longer than two lines at standard font size: * Prefer letting players configure line width, line spacing, paragraph spacing, letter spacing, and word spacing themselves. * If configuration is not offered, meet these minimums: | Property | Minimum | | - | - | | **Line width** | ≤ 80 characters (40 for CJK), measured at 100% scale, excluding spaces | | **Line spacing (leading)** | ≥ 1.5× within paragraphs, measured ascender-to-ascender | | **Paragraph spacing** | ≥ 2× the line spacing | | **Letter spacing** | ≥ 0.12× the font size | | **Word spacing** | ≥ 0.16× the font size | ### Case and alignment * **Case** — provide the ability to display text in sentence case rather than ALL CAPS or all lowercase. One- or two-word labels are exempt. * **Alignment** — text is left/right aligned per the player's language preference (not centered or fully justified), or players can adjust it. ## Potential player impact | Player | Impacted | | - | :-: | | Players with low vision | ✔ | | Players with little or no color perception | ✔ | | Players without hearing | ✔ | | Players with limited hearing | ✔ | | Players with cognitive or learning disabilities | ✔ | | Players reading on a small / distant / glare-affected / low-contrast display | ✔ | ## Resources * [Clear Text (accessible.games)](https://accessible.games/accessible-player-experiences/access-patterns/clear-text/) * [Distinguish This From That (accessible.games)](https://accessible.games/accessible-player-experiences/access-patterns/distinguish-this-from-that/) * [Allow the font size to be adjusted (Game Accessibility Guidelines)](http://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/allow-the-font-size-to-be-adjusted/) * [Provide a choice of text colour, low/high contrast as a minimum](http://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/provide-a-choice-of-text-colour-lowhigh-contrast-choice-as-a-minimum) * [Use simple clear text formatting](http://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/use-simple-clear-text-formatting/) * API: [XGameStreamingGetStreamPhysicalDimensions](https://developer.microsoft.com/games/xbox/docs/gdk/Xgamestreaminggetstreamphysicaldimensions) *(NDA)* ## Related topics - [Guidelines for the Handheld Compatibility program, designed by Xbox ](https://docs.xbox.com/build/gdk-and-engines/handheld/handheld-guidance.md) - [Xbox Accessibility Guidelines](https://docs.xbox.com/build/game-principles/accessibility/xbox-accessibility-guidelines.md) - [Xbox Accessibility Guideline 102](https://docs.xbox.com/build/game-principles/accessibility/xag-deep-dives/xag-102-contrast.md) - [Xbox Accessibility Guideline 103](https://docs.xbox.com/build/game-principles/accessibility/xag-deep-dives/xag-103-additional-cues.md) - [Xbox Accessibility Guideline 104](https://docs.xbox.com/build/game-principles/accessibility/xag-deep-dives/xag-104-subtitles-captions.md)