Screen Reader for Games: What Works on Windows (and What Doesn't)

Search for a screen reader for games and you will find two different needs mixed together. Some players are blind and need a screen reader to play at all: to hear menus, positions and what just happened. Others can see the screen but find reading it hard work, because of small fonts, dyslexia, ADHD or tired eyes at the end of the day. The tools that help one group often do little for the other.

This guide goes through what is available on Windows, what each tool is designed for, and where it falls down in games. We make one of these tools, Corvo Reader, so we will be plain about what it isn't, too.

Why games are hard for screen readers

Screen readers such as Narrator and NVDA read what applications tell Windows about themselves: the button that has focus, the text in a document, the name of a menu item. Most games draw their whole interface themselves, as pictures, and tell Windows very little about it. To a screen reader, a game window full of text can look like one blank object.

That is why screen reader support in games usually comes from the game itself, or from a mod that sends the game's text straight to the screen reader.

Windows Narrator

Narrator is the screen reader built into Windows. Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter to turn it on or off, as Microsoft's complete guide to Narrator explains. On Windows 11 you can add natural voices in Settings > Accessibility > Narrator, and once downloaded they work on your device without an internet connection.

Newer versions of Narrator can also describe images and recognise text in them; the guide lists the shortcuts and which PCs support what. That is useful for a picture in a document, but it is not designed around a game you are playing in real time.

Good for: Windows itself, settings, launchers and store pages. Inside most games: little to read, because the game hasn't told Windows what is on screen.

NVDA

NVDA is a free, open-source screen reader for Windows from NV Access, made for blind and vision-impaired people. It is one of the screen readers accessibility mods are built to talk to.

NVDA can also recognise text in images and inaccessible applications using the OCR built into Windows. The NVDA user guide lists NVDA+R to recognise the current navigator object; the result opens in a document you read with the cursor keys, and there is an option to refresh it automatically for changing content such as subtitles. In a game, that can pull text out of the window. It is a general-purpose tool, though: you recognise a whole object (often the entire window) and then move through the result, which takes practice when all you wanted was one tooltip.

Good for: blind and low-vision players who already use a screen reader, especially in games and mods that support it.

Games with their own narration

The best option, where it exists, is a game that speaks for itself, because the developer knows exactly what is on screen. Forza Motorsport has a screen narrator built to help players with limited vision, as Xbox Wire describes. Diablo IV has a screen reader in its accessibility settings, according to Can I Play That?'s review. Stellaris reads events and tooltips with your Windows voice. Our list of PC games with text to speech built in has more, with sources.

The catch is that these are still the minority, and many focus on menu narration rather than reading long story text aloud.

Accessibility mods

When the developer hasn't added it, modders sometimes have. Stardew Access is an open-source mod that makes Stardew Valley playable for blind players: it narrates menus, dialogue and the world through screen readers such as NVDA and JAWS, and adds keyboard-only play and tools for finding objects and reading tiles. That is what full screen reader support for a game looks like, and it takes a dedicated mod per game.

Other mods read a game's text with your Windows voices rather than a screen reader: the Text to Speech mod for Crusader Kings III, and Osmodium's SpeechMods for the Pathfinder games and Rogue Trader, for example. They are free and generous work, one game at a time, usually installed through a mod manager, and an update to the game can break them until the modder catches up.

On-screen (OCR) readers like Corvo Reader

Corvo Reader works a different way. Press Ctrl+Shift+E, draw a box round any text on your screen, and a natural voice reads it aloud. If you keep reading the same spot, such as an event window or a dialogue box, save it as a region: saved regions read with one key. Because it reads the pixels on screen rather than hooking into the game, it works in any Windows game, with no mods.

One setting matters: run your game in Borderless Windowed or Windowed mode. In exclusive fullscreen, Windows keeps the game's picture away from other apps, so there is nothing for Corvo Reader to read. The setting is usually in the game's video or display options.

Who it is for, and who it isn't

To be plain: Corvo Reader is not a screen reader for blind players. You choose what to read by drawing a box on the screen, so you need to be able to see where the text is. It doesn't navigate menus, announce what has focus or describe the game world.

It is built for players who can see the screen but find reading it hard: players with dyslexia, ADHD or visual fatigue, and players with low vision who can find the text but struggle to read it at the size the game draws it. If that is you, it lets you listen instead of squinting, in every game, with the same voice.

If you are blind, start with NVDA or Narrator and look for games and mods built for screen reader users.

Which one should you use?

• You are blind and play by ear: a game with its own screen reader support, or an accessibility mod that works with NVDA or JAWS.
• You have low vision: start with the game's UI scale and text size, add Windows Magnifier for the small stuff, and use a reader for long text. Our game accessibility checklist for Windows goes through each setting.
• Dyslexia, ADHD or reading fatigue: use the game's built-in text to speech if it has one and it reads what you need; otherwise box the text with Corvo Reader.
• You only play one game and it has a good mod: try the mod. Our game guides, such as Crusader Kings III and Pathfinder: Kingmaker, compare them honestly.

These aren't either/or. Plenty of players use a game's own narration for menus and an on-screen reader for the long text it skips. If two readers start speaking the same text, turn one off.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a screen reader that works in every game?

No single tool does everything. Screen readers depend on the game (or a mod) telling them what is on screen. On-screen readers like Corvo Reader can read any visible text, but you need to be able to see where it is to select it.

Does Windows Narrator work in games?

It works in Windows, launchers and menus that use standard Windows controls. Inside most games it has little to read, because the game draws its text as pictures.

Can blind players use Corvo Reader?

It isn't designed for blind players. Selecting text means drawing a box on the screen, which needs sight. NVDA, Narrator and games or mods with screen reader support are the right tools.

Does Corvo Reader need mods?

No. It reads what is on your screen and never changes game files. Run the game in Borderless or Windowed mode.

Is it free?

The Free plan gives you standard neural voices for 20 minutes of narration a week, with no card. Paid plans (Core $6.99, Plus $12.99 and Max $24.99 a month) add weekly premium-voice minutes, unlimited standard voices, Summarize and Translate.