Ok, we have to freaking figure this out - where does the subtitle option belong?

As a checkbox on the menu page.

Easily Settings > Display > Subtitles.

I feel this because you are looking to Display the subtitles. I understand why people would want it under language, but language to me is toggling foreign languages. I don't believe it goes in sound at all since it's not sound.

I think it should be in under gameplay, personally.

The simplest answer.

Language or Sound

Devs who put it under gameplay are literal monsters.
I always check sound first because to me it's a replacement for sound. It's writing the sounds of the game for you.
Language isn't too bad depending, some games let you have audio be one language, text another language and subtitles a third language, so I think it fits that area sometimes. I have zero fault with peoples logic of putting it under display, I just think it fits better under sound so I check there first.

I would prefer for them to just ask me when I start a new game. Aside from that, under sound settings is the first place I check.

Just put it in sound. It's where you would adjust in game voice volume anyway.

I also really don't think it's a huge deal having to back out of one menu and into the other if you look in the wrong place.

I'd say either Sound or Display. Reason for Sound is sometimes I'll turn down a game if I want to chat with friends or listen to music and I'd like the subtitle option to be there so I can turn them on as I turn the sound down. Which is technically what subtitles are for, aren't they? For people that maybe can't hear at all or have hearing impairments which is related to Sound more than Display.

Display also makes some sense, but settings in this section usually are about brightness and resolution, etc. which doesn't really scream "subtitles" to me. Even if subtitles are "displayed" on screen.

100% sound. Get outta here with any of that other ish.

@sin4profit: While I would like that very much, it just opens the floodgates for weirdos like the inverted nutbags to start demanding the same right, which would be utter chaos.

I absolutely love how clearly the first 3 posts illustrate issue. On topic though it really has to be under sound.

The perfect solution is Settings > Subtitles. Have it be its own thing from now on.

However, saying it should be anywhere other than Display is just wrong.

Sound
Do you want to hear the subtitles? No.

Gameplay
Increase game difficulty by removing subtitles? No.

Language
What language do you want? English, French, German or Subtitles? No.

Display
Do you want to display the subtitles? Yes.

Audio/Sound, anything else is just pure nonsense!

Settings - Sound - Subtitles

I clicked the wrong option but it's this one.

I voted for language because it has to do with a displayed language, but I can see a case for a few of these.

That's probably why there is no consensus on this. Maybe it will forever be in limbo.

Hitman (2016) did it right. It's own option in the menu. No confusion

Just make it its own option on the menu like HITMAN.

And they should always be on by default.

Who says a setting can only occur once? Put it in all of the above.

(But really: Settings -> Subtitles)

@zolroyce: ah man did I laugh just a little too hard at that or what.

My one comment is that I don't think it should be in sound because it doesn't affect any of the sound options. It's a purely visual option.

Display. You toggle whether the subtitles are displayed on the screen or not . as a non native English-speaker, subtitles are never a sound option for me. I just want to hear and read the words simultaneously.

Probably under "accessibility," if the game has that.

Other than that, sound. It helps convey the sound better. Therefore, sound makes the most sense. Why is it ever in gameplay, though?? Mind-boggling.

My bluray and other media playback devices have a setting for having subtitles turn on by default. Why game consoles don't do this for games is beyond me.

For those who would prefer to toggle them in-game they should be under Language settings.

Rant incomming. I dont care. Hide subtitles wherever you want but STOP the nonsense of throwing you straight into a long playing session without an ability to adjust settings first. The latest game adapting this rookiemistake of gamedesign is For Honor. I dont wanna play the first 30min of a game in windowed low graphics mode in the wrong language AND unsubtitled PLEASE. Is there noone at Ubisoft that has played a game before and know what they are doing?

Settings -> Settings -> Extra Settings -> Other -> Advanced Graphics -> Subtitles -> Hidden Menu -> Minigame -> Subtitles

obviously the only way.

I'm glad most people are choosing the correct answer.

Why do subtitles have to only be in one setting menu? It's not like there's limited room. The option should be available in all the relevant menus. It should also be set on a system level and be adjustable on the fly on the system level (like when the Xbox snaps or you hold down the PS button and access the system menu.) Subtitles are clearly one of the most commonly changed options. If you get a phone call or whatever you may want to put them on quickly and there is no reason to leave it up to every shitty dev to figure out how to integrate it into their crappy unintuitive menu system. Microsoft, you want to make WIndows more attractive to gamers? Allow for this kind of gaming system setting in an "Xbox Windows Gaming" menu or whatever.

It's Ubisoft. Be thankful that the settings aren't locked behind a microtransaction.

In all seriousness this is probably a console-first design thing, where the language and such are set on a system level so this generally isn't as much of an issue, and a lot of game designers are enamored with movies and the idea of the late title card (which the GB folks enjoy too.) That being said, I think for all versions there should be a settings menu before anything else starts. I have never once been like "Gee I'm glad this game started straight up before giving me a title screen and settings options." It's not immersive or cool, it's just irritating and stupid.

They should be in Display but are almost always in Sound for some reason. You can't hear subtitles, people. It's always been a display situation.

The reason is simple. You go to sound to change the volume. Often subtitles are turned on when the sound is turned down. It makes sense to have them in one place, because subtitles are a substitute for the vocal track (though some people use both.)

Display is generally for technical stuff like resolution and gamma levels.

@pilgore: Should invert axis and look sensitivity be in Display Settings?

I voted display for logic reasons, but on second thought Sound does make more sense for useability reasons. If I'm adjusting the volume I would expect to toggle subtitles too.

If it has a "Language" section, it should be there.

If not, then Settings -> Audio.

The only reason to have subtitles on is if you can't hear or understand what people are saying in the game. Therefore it pertains to the audio experience, aka Sound.

Language or its' own submenu/checkbox are acceptable places too.

It has zero to do with picture quality therefore not relevant to display or graphics. Even if you argued the subtitles are part of the HUD I've never seen a single game offer you more varied choices on them vs on/off. So that choice is primarily driven by evaluating your audio needs, not your visual ones.

You'd have to be smoking something to think it belongs under gameplay.

as a sidenote, it'd be nice if every game kept a transcript log you could check in the pause menu if you miss a word or two. I strongly prefer to play with subtitles off, but I'll end up missing some stuff sometimes if the audio mix is bad (sfx too loud vs dialogue etc) or there is unexpected background noise (someone talking to me etc).

As a simple menu option on the pause is best option. However I believe it should be settings-sound-subtitles of we are to debate its positioning otherwise. Whilst yes it is a visual representation of information on screen I do not believe it belongs in display it's not a graphical settings as such. It's a sound setting it's simply an additional way for us to get this sound (all be it in text form)

I voted Display but I'm cool with it being under Sound too.

Language, I guess.

Having separate options for Display and Graphics, like in the poll, confuses me much of the time. I'll be looking in Graphics for the resolution, V-sync or AA, not realizing it's in Display. So I'd rather not have Display.

If I made a PC game, it wouldn't even have separate menus. PC players are normally sitting at desks, a few feet from their monitor, so there would be no need for huge options and separate menus. I've just spent a few hours putting together the picture below.

Obviously, the end product would need to be rearranged according to the graphical options, categories for the in-game manual and what’s actually achievable. I’m not a game developer, so I have to use a lot of guesswork. But I think it would work.

@paulmako: No that's in Controls.

@bigsocrates: I don't see how subtitles are a substitute for a vocal track or how they're related to volume specifically.

This all feels very pedantic anyway, every game or even blu-rays and dvd's have different labels for different settings. In the end, doesn't really matter. It could be in sound or display or language.

Why menu dive? Every game should just toggle subtitles via a dedicated button or key.

I've thought about it (Well, with audio options, not subs), but the problem is that a player would press the subtitle button by accident and then not know how to turn them back on, or they'd wonder why they're off, because they never use that button. If you only use it once, it doesn't need to be in-game.

Sound, because it's sound-related.

Display is for graphical options.

If there's a language option (rare) it should be under that. Why? Mainly because, for example, you want to be able to go JP voice, ENG subs, etc - and it still fits the general theme of "language".

In the 95% of the cases where there isn't a Language setting, it should be under Sound, so I'm happy with that winning too.

Peeps who think it should be under display have an argument I can understand, but... no. I know you see subtitles, but they're about what you're hearing (i.e. they're there to supplement the audio not the graphics).

I just feel that this only holds true for english speaking countries. I like to think that i have a decent grasp on the language , but since i grew up with english media being subtitled, i will always want subtitles to read along. It's never a sound issue for me.

@ezekiel said:

Ahh, but if the button were standard - the same thing we're trying to do with the menu option - then the person would know. It's easy enough to just put a reminder at the bottom of the default menu as well.

It should be directly under Settings/Options as its own thing. A checkbox that once you select it, a previously greyed out language selection lights up on you choose which language you want the subtitles. That's the only way to eliminate confusion. It doesn't definitely belong under sound because it often has nothing to do with sound. Some people like having the voice over and subtitles at the same time.

It should be standard that you can pause a cutscene and then toggle subtitles on/off on that screen, otherwise it should be in the sound options. Subtitles are an addition, compliment, or replacement for sound-- not display, gameplay, or anything else. Putting it under language would be fine too, but I rarely see that listed as an option in menus regardless.

@sinusoidal: I would be all for it on PC, but consoles have a limited amount of buttons. Let it die even had to use the two sides of the DS4 touchpad to fit it's buttons.