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Valve announced new accessibility settings in a Steam Client Beta update on June 18, 2025. The announcement covered interface scaling, high contrast, and reduced motion in Big Picture Mode and SteamOS devices; screen reader and color-filter settings were identified as SteamOS-only. The post documents a beta announcement, not confirmed availability in today’s stable Steam client.
What Valve announced
The new Accessibility section appears in the main settings dropdown for Big Picture Mode or SteamOS devices, according to Valve’s June 18, 2025 Steam Client Beta announcement. The post described these as an initial step in ongoing accessibility work and invited players with disabilities to share issues and suggestions in its feedback thread.
| Setting | Big Picture Mode | SteamOS devices named in the announcement |
|---|---|---|
| UI scaling | Announced | Announced |
| High contrast | Announced | Announced |
| Reduce motion | Announced | Announced |
| Screen reader | Valve recommended Big Picture Mode for desktop screen-reader use; the new setting itself was marked SteamOS-only | Announced, with focused-item reading and pitch, speed, and volume controls |
| Color filters | Not listed for Big Picture Mode in the announcement | Announced: grayscale, brightness inversion that preserves colors, and full color inversion |
This is the availability described in the June 2025 beta post, not a verified current feature matrix.
What each setting does
UI scaling
A slider adjusts text size, making interface text larger or smaller.
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High Contrast Mode
Valve described this mode as making text and buttons easier to distinguish from their backgrounds.
Reduce Motion
This setting disables animations and page transitions.
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Screen reader
The SteamOS screen reader reads the item currently in focus. Its pitch, speed, and volume can be adjusted, and Valve said it can be toggled with a button shortcut. The announcement’s shortcut was represented by icons, so the exact button combination is not reproduced here.
Color filters
The SteamOS filters listed were grayscale, brightness inversion that preserves colors, and full color inversion. Valve said they affect both Steam and games.
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Rank #3
- Operating System: SteamOS 3.0
Which devices and users did the announcement cover?
Valve named Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go S as SteamOS devices for the new SteamOS-specific settings at the time of the announcement. The post did not establish whether support later expanded to other devices.
For desktop users who need a screen reader, Valve directed them to Big Picture Mode, describing it at the time as Steam’s best-supported desktop screen-reader experience and as better suited to keyboard navigation. Steam Support describes Big Picture Mode as designed for use with a TV and game controller; desktop users can still use it as the mode Valve recommended for this purpose. See Steam Support’s Big Picture mode overview.
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- Valve partnered with AMD to create a specialized APU optimized for handheld gaming, and Valve says the chip will deliver performance to run AAA gaming titles.
- The Steam Deck is outfitted with a 7-inch touchscreen, and two trackpads under the control sticks that allow gamers to operate games never designed outside of mouse and keyboard capabilities.
How to interpret the beta status
The source is explicitly a Steam Client Beta announcement dated June 18, 2025. It establishes what Valve announced for that beta and the environments it named, but does not verify whether every setting subsequently reached the stable client or whether device support changed. If you do not see a listed setting, the announcement alone cannot establish whether it is absent from your current setup or has since moved or changed.
Valve’s separate June 12, 2025 announcement said more than 5,000 applications had added accessibility-support details to their Steam store pages. That figure concerns store listings, not the number of devices, settings, users, or beta participants. See Valve’s announcement about showing accessibility support to Steam users.
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