What is One Special Day?
Games changing lives
Snap up some amazing games in our in September and October promotions and power up the lives of gamers with physical disabilities!
NEW FOR 2025! Sign up for our 25km London walking challenge – it’s One Special Walk!
Your support will help SpecialEffect bring magic moments to physically disabled gamers right across the world!
Support us on Friday 4 October as a partner, purchaser or enabler, and you’ll be helping our specialist teams to create bespoke control setups for hundreds of physically disabled gamers each year. You’ll also be enabling us to further our expertise to develop freely-available accessibility resources and solutions for players and developers across the globe.
Let's level the playing field!
Grab some fantastic titles in our One Special Day Sale on Steam in September and our Mobile Games Promotion on Friday 3 October, and you’ll be helping us level the gaming playing field for many hundreds of physically disabled people every year. You’ll also be enabling us to pass on what we learn to the games industry all over the world, making their products easier to use for as many people as possible.
Let's level the playing field!
Grab some fantastic titles in our One Special Day Sale on Steam in September and our Mobile Games Promotion on Friday 3 October, and you’ll be helping us level the gaming playing field for many hundreds of physically disabled people every year. You’ll also be enabling us to pass on what we learn to the games industry all over the world, making their products easier to use for as many people as possible.
September: One Special Day Sale on Steam
Buy any of the fantastic featured games in our September Sale (dates TBA) and help us change lives. Titles in 2024 included Subnautica, Vampire Survivors, Gang Beasts, No Man’s Sky, Bluey: The Video Game and Kingdom Rush Vengeance.
16-22 September: One Special Day Sale on Steam
Purchase any of the fantastic featured games throughout 16-22 September including Subnautica, Vampire Survivors, Gang Beasts, No Man’s Sky, Bluey: The Video Game and Kingdom Rush Vengeance – and us level the playing field for gamers with physical disabilities. The sale kicks off at 6pm BST on Monday 16 September.
Friday 3 Oct: Mobile Promotion
Snap up some mouthwatering mobile titles and content on 3 October and help us bring some magic gaming moments to disabled gamers around the world! Titles in 2024 included Angry Birds, Subway Surfers, Hay Day and The Baby in Yellow.
Friday 3 Oct: Mobile Promotion
Snap up some mouthwatering mobile titles and content and help us bring some magic gaming moments to disabled gamers around the world!
Friday 3 Oct: it's One Special Walk!
Grab your walking boots and challenge yourself to stride across London in a day! Sign up now for One Special Walk 2025 on Friday 3 October, a tough 25km East-West route that stretches right across Greater London. It’s certainly no walk in the park, but the route winds through a rich tapestry of London’s diverse landmarks and is packed with activations, rest stops and photo opportunities! A shorter 13km route starts and finishes at the same point as the full route – both are wheelchair accessible.
Making it One Special Event!
Thank you to everyone involved with the fabulous timetable of One Special Day activities and studio events that have already contributed over £50k of donations! These include auctions, game sales, quizzes, golf days, football matches and challenge events from companies including Rocksteady, NDreams, EA, Barclays and Skillsearch. Many creators will also be engaging with One Special Day through a ‘Showcase for OSD’ streaming event to support the Steam initiative.
More about One Special Day
Based around one very special day in October every year, companies from all sectors of the games industry come together to raise vital income for the gamer’s charity SpecialEffect and show the world how games can change lives for the better.
The initiative is called One Special Day, and this year it’s being celebrated on Friday 3 October. The support of our partners – and their communities – enables us to help the thousands of physically disabled people every year who ask for our assistance.
The most significant way in which partners contribute to One Special Day is by the donation of a day’s revenue from one or more of their games. Support is also given through company pledges, participation in our One Special Day Mobile and Steam sales, revenue from sales of in-game items/DLC/merch, or staff fundraising events.
Since its inception in 2016, One Special Day has raised over $2.5M of vital funding to help people with physical disabilities in the UK and all over the world play to the very best of their abilities.
More about One Special Day
Based around one very special day in October every year, companies from all sectors of the games industry come together to raise vital income for the gamer’s charity SpecialEffect and show the world how games can change lives for the better.
The initiative is called One Special Day, and this year it’s being celebrated on Friday 4 October. The support of our partners – and their communities – enables us to help the thousands of physically disabled people every year who ask for our assistance.
The most significant way in which partners contribute to One Special Day is by the donation of a day’s revenue from one or more of their games. Support is also given through company pledges, participation in our One Special Day Mobile and Steam sales, revenue from sales of in-game items/DLC/merch, or staff fundraising events.
Since its inception in 2016, One Special Day has raised over $2.5M of vital funding to help people with physical disabilities in the UK and all over the world play to the very best of their abilities.
How your support will change lives
We’re so grateful to you for buying games, and a huge thank you to our amazing games industry partners. We don’t charge for any of our help, so your support is vital in enabling us to help disabled gamers enjoy the magic of video games.
You’ll be helping our specialist teams to create bespoke control setups for hundreds of physically disabled gamers each year, and you’ll also be enabling us to further our expertise to develop freely-available accessibility resources and solutions for players and developers across the globe.
How your support will change lives
We’re so grateful to you for buying games, and a huge thank you to our amazing games industry partners. We don’t charge for any of our help, so your support is vital in enabling us to help disabled gamers enjoy the magic of video games.
You’ll be helping our specialist teams to create bespoke control setups for hundreds of physically disabled gamers each year, and you’ll also be enabling us to further our expertise to develop freely-available accessibility resources and solutions for players and developers across the globe.
"It's so liberating for me!"
Sam has motor neurone disease, and we’ve helped him to maintain his gaming as his condition has progressed. He’s now playing many of the titles he loves like Fallout and Civilisation just by using his eyes, thanks to eye-gaze software customised by our therapists.
“No matter what MND throws at me,” he said, “SpecialEffect come up with solutions to allow me to still play games, which has been fantastic.”
"It's so liberating for me!"
Sam has motor neurone disease, and we’ve helped him to maintain his gaming as his condition has progressed. He’s now playing many of the titles he loves like Fallout and Civilisation just by using his eyes, thanks to eye-gaze software customised by our therapists.
“No matter what MND throws at me,” he said, “SpecialEffect come up with solutions to allow me to still play games, which has been fantastic.”
"It’s too good to be true!"
Rodney has cerebral palsy that affects the left side of his body, but a customised controller setup and ongoing support from our team has enabled him to experience the joy of playing games with his family.
“We’ll now just get together and play games,” he said. “I just want to thank you guys, it’s great!”
"It’s too good to be true!"
Rodney has cerebral palsy that affects the left side of his body, but a customised controller setup and ongoing support from our team has enabled him to experience the joy of playing games with his family.
“We’ll now just get together and play games,” he said. “I just want to thank you guys, it’s great!”
"If SpecialEffect didn't exist, I wouldn't be able to play games"
We’ve been helping Kolo play games since 2020, spreading the controller load between her hands and feet to reduce her hand fatigue.
“The impact, not just on my ability to engage with my friends and be on a level playing field with other people, but also the impact on my mental health has been absolutely phenomenal,” she said.
"If SpecialEffect didn't exist, I wouldn't be able to play games"
We’ve been helping Kolo play games since 2020, spreading the controller load between her hands and feet to reduce her hand fatigue.
“The impact, not just on my ability to engage with my friends and be on a level playing field with other people, but also the impact on my mental health has been absolutely phenomenal,” she said.
