Warzone 2: Proximity Chat Strategies and Fixes

Call of Duty: Warzone 2's Proximity Chat can be a useful feature, but it won't do you much good if you don't know how to use and fix it.

Call of Duty Warzone 2
Photo: Activision Blizzard

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Depending on your feelings regarding listening to your Call of Duty opponents, Warzone 2‘s Proximity Chat will either be the game’s best or worst features. Regardless of your feelings, you’re going to want to know how to use (and occasionally fix) that feature.

Let’s start with the basics. To enable proximity chat in Warzone 2, you don’t need to do anything. Proximity Chat is automatically enabled in Warzone 2. Unless you’ve played with the game’s settings (more on that in a bit), you’ll be able to “enjoy” Proximity Chat out of the gate.

Please note that Proximity Chat is different from Warzone‘s “Death Comms.” In the previous version of Warzone, you’d hear a snippet of audio from anyone you killed, and they could hear a snippet of your audio after killing you. Proximity Chat, meanwhile, is exactly what it sounds like. It allows you to both speak and listen to any other players who are nearby.

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So, if you sneak up on an opposing player, you’ll each be able to hear what the other is saying. While that can be useful for identifying nearby opponents, that same system can quickly give away your own position. Indeed, that’s a big part of the reason why chatty players and squads want to disable Proximity Chat as soon as possible. Well, that and the fact that Call of Duty players can tend to be a bit…oh…let’s say “annoying.”

Here’s how you disable Proximity Chat in Warzone 2.

  • Open the “Settings” menu
  • Choose the “Audio” section found on the left side of the screen. It’s indicated by a speakers icon.
  • Look for the “Proximity Chat” option and turn it to “Off.”

Please note that you can also toggle “Last Words Voice Chat” on and off, which is the feature that allows you to hear and share a few words when you die. For that matter, you can also disable Voice Chat entirely. In case you’re wondering, disabling Voice Chat will disable Proximity Chat as well. That means that you can choose to say quiet while still listening to other players. Nice try, though.

You should also know that some players are reporting that Proximity Chat doesn’t seem to be working for them at all in Warzone 2. If you’re encountering some form of that issue, here are a few things you can try.

  • Make sure the proper audio input/output devices are selected in Warzone 2‘s “Audio” menu.
  • Make sure you do not have “Push-to-Talk” enabled. If you do have that feature enabled, make sure you are using the right key to enable voice chat.
  • Make sure your audio device is working properly and is being recognized by your platform of choice.
  • If you’re playing on PS5, be sure that you didn’t accidentally hit the built-in mute button included in the DualSense’s design.

If you’re really looking to make the most out of proximity chat, I highly recommend enabling push-to-talk. That will allow you to still listen to other players via Proximity Chat but only have them hear you if you push the talk button. At the very least, it helps cut down on embarrassing instances of someone listening in on your conversations without you knowing.

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