Big Walk supports built-in voice chat and text chat. A microphone is not required, but both systems intentionally change with distance and the environment. Quiet voices, muffled speech, and blocked messages are sometimes part of the game rather than a technical problem.
How Proximity Chat Is Supposed to Work
Players standing nearby should hear each other clearly. Voices fade as the group separates, echo in some spaces, and become muffled through barriers. Soundproof glass can block speech completely. Walkie-talkies carry communication over longer distances.
Text chat follows similar rules. Text from a distant player becomes difficult to read, soundproof barriers can block it, and a walkie-talkie can carry it. Voice and text players can use the same session together.
Check the Microphone Inside Big Walk
Open Settings, choose Audio, and watch the Microphone Activity indicator while speaking. If it moves, the game is receiving your voice. If it does not move, check the selected input device, cable, hardware mute switch, headset boom position, and operating-system microphone permission.
Look at Mute Mode as well. When it is set to Hold, the required button must be held while speaking. Check the moderation menu in case the player was silenced by accident.
PS5 Microphone Checks
Press the microphone button on the DualSense controller and confirm the orange mute light is off. Open the PS5 sound settings, select the intended input device, and adjust the microphone level. Also make sure Mute Game Voice Chat is disabled. A PlayStation party can take attention away from game chat, so leave the party while testing.
Switch 2 Microphone Checks
Switch 2 has a built-in microphone. Open System Settings, choose Audio, and test the current input. Raise the input volume if the activity is too low. Temporarily disabling noise suppression can help identify whether the filter is cutting off a quiet speaker.
Fix Echo or Hearing a Voice Twice
Echo normally comes from another player's speakers feeding game audio back into an open microphone. Ask the group to mute one person at a time until the echo stops. That player should use headphones, lower speaker volume, or move the microphone farther from the speakers.
People playing in the same room can also hear each other directly and through the game with a delay. Separate rooms and headphones provide the intended experience.
Fix Voices Dropping Out or Becoming Too Quiet
First, move close to the speaker and remove walls between the characters. If the voice returns, proximity chat is working normally. If nearby voices still cut out, restart the session after checking for game updates.
Network problems can affect voice and movement together. Close heavy downloads or streams, move closer to the router, or use a wired connection. The host's connection and frame rate affect the session, so the host should lower graphics quality if the game is running poorly.
Some launch-day players reported unusually quiet voices even at close range. No universal fix has been confirmed. Complete the checks above, then contact House House support at help@bigwalk.game if the problem continues.
Can You Play With Text Chat Only?
Yes. House House says the game can be completed through built-in text chat. The limitations remain intentional, so do not expect to read a teammate through every wall or from the other side of the island.
Read why Big Walk discourages Discord before moving the group to an outside call. It explains which parts of the experience disappear when everyone can communicate globally.
