Getting a group going
Voice chat is not working
Talking is the mechanic, not a convenience layer on top of it, so it is worth fixing before the session rather than playing around it.
What is going wrong?
Pick the closest match. Steps come from the developers' troubleshooting FAQ; the order is ours, putting the likeliest cause first. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
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Open Settings and look at Microphone Activity. It shows whether the game is picking up any sound at all, which splits the problem in two: if the meter moves, the game hears you and the issue is elsewhere; if it does not, the microphone is the problem.
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Check the Mute Mode setting. If it is set to push-to-talk and you are expecting open mic, you will look muted to everyone else.
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Check that the microphone is physically plugged in, and that any hardware mute switch on the headset or cable is off.
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If you are in a group call outside the game, that app may be holding exclusive control of the microphone. Close it. Note that the developers ask you not to use outside voice chat anyway.
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Open Settings › Audio and check the volume levels there before touching anything else.
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Confirm other applications are producing sound through the same output device. If they are silent too, it is a system audio problem rather than a Big Walk one.
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Remember that voice in Big Walk is positional. If everyone is far away, or there is terrain between you, quiet is the intended behaviour rather than a fault.
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This is almost always a microphone picking up voices coming out of a speaker, so each person is transmitted twice.
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Switch to headphones. The developers name this as the fix.
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If more than one of you is in the same physical room, that is the other cause, and the FAQ notes the game does not work with everyone in one room.
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The FAQ attributes intermittent voice to networking rather than audio settings, so start there.
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Close programs that are using bandwidth: downloads, streams, cloud backups.
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Move closer to the router, or use a wired ethernet connection if you can.
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If other players also look like they are teleporting or moving erratically, that confirms it is the connection.
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You can still play the entire game. The developers say the in-game text chat has the same features as voice and that you can finish the whole game with it without missing out.
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Know that text carries the same limits as voice on purpose. It will not be readable to someone far away or on the other side of soundproof glass, and it works with items like walkie-talkies. Text replaces voice; it does not exempt you from the distance rules.
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Tell your group before you start so they use in-game text rather than drifting onto an outside voice call, which would leave you out entirely.
Why the game keeps you off Discord
Big Walk asks you not to use outside voice chat, and it is worth understanding that this is a design position rather than a technical restriction. Challenges are built around taking your voice away, splitting you up, or forcing you through a megaphone or a walkie-talkie. An external call routes around all of that. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
The FAQ puts it bluntly, calling talking outside the game “not allowed”, but there is no enforcement of any kind. In the developers' own words, the game “won't stop running or punish you, but you'll miss out on the most interesting parts of the game.” Their summary is the clearest argument for playing it their way:
“It'd be like playing charades but everybody gets to talk.” Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)
If the problem is joining rather than hearing
That is a different failure with different causes: stale join codes, friends lists that were never going to work, a host who has not started yet. We have split it onto its own page rather than bury it in an audio troubleshooter.
Quiet is sometimes correct
Before you troubleshoot, rule out the game working as intended. Voice is positional: how loud, muffled or echoing someone sounds depends on where they are and what is between you. A teammate going quiet as they walk over a ridge is the feature, not a fault. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab) Wikipedia (secondary source, opens in a new tab)
Common questions
Why can nobody hear me in Big Walk?
Check Microphone Activity in Settings first, since it shows whether the game is receiving any audio. Then check the Mute Mode setting, that the microphone is plugged in, and that no hardware mute switch is engaged.
Can you play Big Walk without a microphone?
Yes. The official FAQ says the in-game text chat has the same features, and the same intentional limitations, as voice chat, and that you can play the whole game that way without missing out. Text is range-limited exactly like voice: it will not reach someone far away or behind soundproof glass.
Why do voices echo in Big Walk?
The usual cause is a microphone picking up other players coming out of a speaker, transmitting them a second time. The developers recommend switching to headphones.
Why does Big Walk voice chat keep cutting out?
The official FAQ attributes intermittent voice to network problems rather than audio settings. Close bandwidth-heavy programs, move closer to the router, or use a wired connection.
Still stuck
The developers run a support address for problems this page does not cover: help@bigwalk.game. Big Walk (House House) (primary source, opens in a new tab)