As a long-time Fortnite player and content creator focused on improving gameplay, I’ve learned that effective voice chat is an essential tool for success in Battle Royale squad matches. Communicating verbally with your teammates allows quick callouts of enemy locations, loot distribution, coordinating attack strategies, and more. However, voice chat can be confusing to set up for new players.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll explain step-by-step how to enable voice chat in Fortnite on all platforms, optimize your settings, use push-to-talk vs open mic, communicate effectively with random squad fills, and troubleshoot issues.
Table of Contents
Enable Voice Chat in Your Game Settings
The first step is making sure voice chat is enabled in your Audio settings:
PC:
- Open the Settings menu (cog icon in top right corner)
- Go to the Audio tab
- Under Voice Chat, set it to “Push to Talk” or “Open Mic”
PlayStation:
- Press the PS button and go to Party > Party Settings
- Go to Allow Your Voice to be Shared and set to “All”
Xbox:
- Open the guide by pressing the Xbox button and select System > Settings
- Select Account > Privacy & online safety > Xbox live privacy
- Allow communication and multiplayer
Nintendo Switch:
- Open the menu with the +/- buttons
- Go to the Audio section
- Set Voice Chat to “On”
- Ensure Voice Output and Input Device are set correctly
Mobile:
- Open the game settings
- Go to the Audio section
- Enable Voice Chat
I recommend enabling push-to-talk over open mic so you can control when your voice is transmitted.
Optimize Your Voice Chat Settings
To ensure voice chat works properly and sounds clear, optimize these key settings:
- Set voice chat input/output device to your headset or mic/speakers
- Adjust voice chat record volume so your voice is loud and clear
- Enable voice chat push-to-talk and set a comfortable keybind
- Reduce in-game sound effects volume so voice chat is more audible
Running a mic check by talking out loud while in the lobby will help you tweak volumes before battle.
Communicate Effectively with Squad Fills
When playing with random teammates, good communication improves coordination and winning chances:
- Let teammates know you have a mic and are willing to communicate
- Call out spare shields/heals and useful weapons you find
- Ping locations to suggest desired landing spots and movement
- Describe enemy player counts and locations when engaging
- Announce when pushing, retreating, or flanking enemies
- Congratulate good plays and don’t blame teammates for mistakes
Staying positive, not over-talking, and listening to your squad will create better teamwork.
Troubleshooting Voice Chat Issues
If you can’t hear or be heard in voice chat, try these tips:
Can’t hear voice chat audio:
- Check headset/mic connectivity and volume levels
- Re-launch the game and re-enable voice chat
- Switch to different voice chat input/output devices
- Update audio drivers and game to latest versions
Can’t transmit your voice:
- Ensure voice chat input device set properly to mic
- Check mic not muted and volume input levels
- Try push-to-talk instead of open mic (or vice versa)
- Restart the game and test voice again
Voice cutting out:
- Improve internet connection stability
- Adjust voice chat record volume higher if too quiet
- Switch to a different voice server region
Voice echo:
- Lower output volume to reduce speaker echo
- Ensure other players are wearing headsets to limit ambient noise
