Will Riot add voice chat to LoL?

gabhernandez Published 22/12/2024

Communication can make winning LoL matches easier but does the game support voice chat?

League of Legends came out in 2009, and Riot Games has brought constant changes to the game since. From new champions to quality-of-life features, someone from ten years ago would find it hard to believe it’s the same game. Arguably the most requested feature is voice chat among teammates, something that’s fairly common in most competitive online games.

With increased competitiveness among fans and the requirement of constant communication among teammates, especially in higher ranks, fans may wonder if League of Legends lets players speak with others in the game. If not, what’s the best way players can communicate with teammates?

Does LoL have voice chat?

League of Legends doesn’t have voice chat and there aren’t confirmed plans to add the feature.

Different Riot representatives gave varying answers when asked about adding voice chat in LoL. From saying there’s no plan to add it to claiming the team is “reviewing” whether to add the feature, fans don’t have an official and concrete answer.

Ping in League of Legends

Riot’s other game Valorant has native voice chat, so the company isn’t inherently against it. Many fans claim that Valorant requires quick and responsive callouts, while players can quickly communicate with pings in League of Legends. The problem with this is that players may miss or misinterpret pings.

As for typing in the text-only game chat, the option is impossible in a team fight, and players have varying typing speeds. The jungler could have already ganked the bottom lane by the time the mid-laner finished typing the callout.

The most common problem when mentioning adding voice chat to League of Legends is the potential for harassment. LoL already has a reputation for being toxic, and Riot doesn’t want to risk it worsening for the tactical advantage voice chat would give.

Using voice gives the offenders “ammunition” against other players, whether from their tone, accent, or language fluency. While League of Legends may get voice chat eventually, it would likely come with heavy moderation and heavier penalties for offenders.

Best platforms to voice chat with friends in LoL

The built-in League party voice chat and Discord are the best platforms to voice chat with friends in League of Legends.

While League of Legends doesn’t let players speak with random teammates through voice chat, those in the same party can freely communicate. All players must do is join the League of Legends voice chat to speak with each other.

There are some limitations, like a disconnected player not being able to rejoin the party or voice chat despite rejoining the match. Additionally, it doesn’t have noise suppression, so players with loud backgrounds may want a different method.

LoL party chat

Discord is the most popular platform players use to communicate with friends in LoL. The free third-party voice app is usable through the application or any browser and has built-in noise suppression.

Some players also make exclusive oice chat invite links and post them in the LoL team chat. This lets willing players join the Discord call to make voice communication seamless. Those who want to hide their identity can use Discord voice mods for extra secrecy.

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