How to fix VALORANT voice chat not working

One of the most crucial features of VALORANT is its voice chat. Unfortunately, bugs can sometimes break the feature, triggering the comms or voice chat not working error.

Communication is key in multiplayer FPS games like VALORANT. Imagine not being able to let your duo know about the camping enemy who just took you down. Unfortunately, voice chat issues are fairly common in this popular tac shooter and are often associated with server outages. But sometimes, the issue could be on your side too. If you cannot hear your friends on voice chat or everyone on your team appears muted, try these workarounds to fix the voice chat or comms error in VALORANT.

How to fix voice chat/comms not working in VALORANT

Restart the game

If your voice chat glitched out mid-match, wait for it to finish and then restart VALORANT. This usually fixes any temporary hiccup in the system and reinstates comms immediately. If this doesn’t work, ask your friends in your party to restart the game too. It’s a headache, but it’s the only way at times.

Check if you’re using the right audio devices and settings

If you use multiple audio devices on the same platform, ensure you’re using the right one for VALORANT. On PC, you can check this from the Sound settings: Open Settings app, go to System, and then Sound. On console, you need to check your audio device settings depending on whether you’re on PlayStation or Xbox.

Make sure you aren’t on mute. If you’re using push-to-talk, the default chat setting, make sure you’re using the right key to activate your microphone. You can check this in-game under Settings > Audio > Voice Chat.

Check if the microphone you’re using is functional

Try using your microphone in a different environment. If it’s not working in any other game or program, you may need to try complex workarounds to fix a potential hardware issue.

On PC, you can adjust the sound settings to fix a possible hiccup that Riot has identified with VALORANT. Just follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app and go to System > Sound. Scroll down and choose More sound settings.
2. Go to the Recording tab and check that your primary microphone is set as Default Device.
3. Now, speak something and check if the capture indicator bar on the right moves as you speak. 
4. Select your primary microphone and click Properties. 
5. On the Advanced tab and in the Exclusive Mode area, clear/disable the Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device checkbox. 
6. Set the sample rate to 16 bit, 44100 Hz, and click OK.
7. Go to the Playback tab and check that your preferred speakers or headset is set as Default Device. 
8. Check if your microphone is working now by saying something. Apply the settings and click on OK.

Contact Riot Support

If nothing seems to work, the issue is likely internal. Most of these hiccups are widespread, so you can ask whether your friends or random teammates on the server are facing the same problem. If yes, it’s best to wait for Riot to fix the actual trigger. You can use Discord or any other third-party voice chat platforms until then.

If you can’t wait, you can always message Riot Support to notify them of the problem and have them help you with anything you need.