Quick answer

[Official] Start in the game: update 3.5.0 changed microphones to muted by default. Turn voice input on, explicitly unmute, and reselect the intended microphone and output device. Then check Windows microphone access for desktop apps.

[Corroborated community report] Players separately report no audible voice, voices that flash as if muting/unmuting, and volume behavior that feels inconsistent. These are symptom categories, not proof of one cause.

This is an unofficial review draft verified on 2026-08-12. No audio session was personally reproduced for this draft.

Classify the symptom

  1. Ask another player which of these they hear: nothing at all, a very quiet voice, chopped or flashing voice, or only one player's voice.
  2. If nobody hears you, treat it as an input/mute/permission path. If you hear nobody, treat it as output/device selection. If voices flash or cut in and out, record it as a choppy-voice symptom instead of repeating input checks indefinitely.
  3. Test in a fresh room with one other player. A crowded room adds variables and does not isolate the microphone path.
  4. After changing one setting, leave the menu and test again. Do not change input, output, volume, and Windows defaults simultaneously.

Game and Windows checks

  1. Confirm the current Steam build, then open the game's voice settings.
  2. Turn Voice Input on and explicitly unmute the microphone. This is important because update 3.5.0 changed the default mute state.
  3. Select the intended microphone and output device again. Check that the device is not muted in Windows or by a physical headset switch.
  4. In Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone, and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Microsoft documents these permissions for Windows desktop applications.
  5. Close other applications that may hold exclusive audio focus, then restart the game once. This is a low-risk isolation test, not a confirmed game fix.

Version history and limits

[Official] The announcement stream records that update 3.5.0 muted microphones by default. The older draft evidence also records prior voice-label/rework changes, but the current public stream does not provide a universal repair for today's choppy/no-audio reports.

[Community report] A July discussion describes correct input/output settings but no audio and constant voice-chat flashing; another June discussion describes voices sounding as though players repeatedly press mute. A third discussion tracks volume behavior. These reports corroborate recurrence, not a shared ping threshold or guaranteed network fix.

[Unverified] Do not promise that changing region, disabling a firewall, opening ports, changing bitrate, or replacing a headset will solve the issue. The reviewed sources do not establish those actions as universal fixes.

What to include in a report

  1. State whether the problem is send, receive, choppy audio, or volume reset.
  2. Include game/update label, Windows version, microphone and output device names, mute state, and whether Windows shows microphone activity.
  3. State whether the symptom occurs in a one-player test room, public room, and private room if tested.
  4. Attach a short recording only if it does not expose personal voice data you do not want to share.