Excelling in the field isn’t just about quick reflexes and killer aim. You’ll also need to keep your ears open. Whether it’s coordinating with a team for a well-timed assault or knowing when to mute the chatter and focus on your mission, getting familiar with audio controls can be a game changer.

Head to Settings > Audio > Voice Chat. You’ll be able to adjust your microphone, toggle Party Voice chat both in-game and out, and Edit Voice Chat Key Bindings for an even higher level of control.

Having problems with voice chat? Read on.

Basic checks in VALORANT client settings

Before adjusting hardware, first make sure that voice chat settings in the client are set up correctly:

1. Hit the gear button at the top of the client and click through Settings > Audio > Voice Chat.
2. Enable Loopback Test to test your mic.
   • If you can hear your voice in this test, this group of settings is fine.
   • If you can't hear yourself, update the following settings and try the Loopback Test again:

     Output Device

     Choose your preferred headphones/speaker

     Input Device

     Choose your preferred mic

   Still can't hear yourself? See the next section, Troubleshooting devices and peripherals. Once your Loopback Test is successful, check your Party Voice Chat and Team Voice Chat settings next!

3. Ensure that at least one of these is enabled:

   Party Voice Chat

   Voice chat with your party (players you started matchmaking with). 

   You can use push-to-talk (PTT) or set it to automatic voice activation. PTT requires you to hold a button to open the voice channel and be heard; U is the default keybind.

   Team Voice Chat

   Voice chat with your whole team. This setting is enabled by default, but Team Voice Chat is push-to-talk (PTT) only; V is the default keybind.

   PTT is the default

   Just so you know, when you install VALORANT, Party Voice Chat and Team Voice Chat are both enabled by default, but they're PTT by default. So if this is your first time attempting voice chat, try holding U (to speak to your party) or V (to speak to your whole team) and say hey.

4. If PTT is still not working in game, exit all other programs that might be using your mic, and restart VALORANT.

   Clashing PTT Key Bindings

   If you have another voice/communication app open, check that it's not using the same key binding for PTT as VALORANT. Try changing your PTT key binding in VALORANT settings or on your other open apps, so that multiple apps aren't using the same PTT key binding.

Troubleshooting devices and peripherals

If you can't hear your voice through your speakers/headset in the Loopback Test, try these tips: 

Check your devices and peripherals:

1. Make sure your headset and microphone aren't muted.
2. Check that your volume isn't super low. Check both your:
   • Physical volume control on your headphones
   • Computer's volume setting
3. Test on another app (e.g., an audio conferencing app, or play a video to test output) to ensure that your mic and headset are properly plugged in.

Adjust your Sound settings:

1. Right-click the speaker icon in your Windows system tray and click Sounds.
2. Go to the Recording tab and check that your primary mic is set as Default Device. Check that the capture indicator bar on the right moves as you speak.
   • Select that primary mic and click Properties. On the Advanced tab, in the Exclusive Mode area, clear/disable the Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device checkbox.
   • Set the sample rate to 16 bit, 44100Hz. Click OK.
3. Go to the Playback tab and check that your preferred speakers or headset is set as Default Device. (To verify, you can play some audio and check the indicator bar.) Click OK.

From your Windows taskbar, search Microphone privacy settings and enable Allow apps to access your microphone.

Port Forwarding / Opening Router Ports

If your Loopback Test is working, you've ensured that your PTT keys are not conflicting with another voice/chat application's PTT key bindings, and voice chat is still not working in game, you can try opening ports on your router.

For a tutorial, see Port Forwarding and then use the list of ports in VALORANT: How to Set Up Port Forwarding to open to your computer's default gateway IP address.