Big Walk launched to strong reviews (94 Metacritic), and its proximity voice chat — the game’s core communication feature — had one widely reported bug at launch. Good news: the quiet voice bug is now fixed in patch 1.4.8. Here is the official status, what changed, and remaining workarounds.
Current status (as of August 11, 2026)
| Issue | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Friends’ voices too quiet (proximity voice) | Fixed in 1.4.8 (Aug 6, 2026) | House House Steam news, Aug 6, 2026 |
| Audio desync on 10+ player parties | Acknowledged | Developer statements |
| Matchmaking timeouts during peak hours | Acknowledged | Developer statements |
| 1.4.8 patch (voice fix) | Released — see update tracker | Steam, Aug 6, 2026 |
The quiet voice bug — now fixed
In a game built around talking while walking, many players reported at launch that friends’ voices were barely audible even standing next to them, while other games sounded fine.
Official acknowledgment (via Steam news, August 5, 2026):
KNOWN ISSUE: We understand that some people are having a problem where their friends’ voices are too quiet in the game. Sorry about this! While Big Walk is built around players getting quieter when they are farther away, we can see that for some setups, players’ voices are much quieter than intended even when very close by. We’re working to put out a fix as soon as we can.
The fix (August 6, 2026): House House shipped the first post-release patch, Version 1.4.8, on Steam. It fixes the issue where some players’ voices sounded quieter than intended. The studio also confirmed the quiet-voice design is intentional: voices should get quieter as you move away — the bug only affected players who were close but still too quiet.
The issue also caught the press: PC Gamer (“Big Walk is already fixing its biggest complaint”) and TheGamer both covered the story on August 5, 2026.
If voices still sound quiet after 1.4.8
After updating, these official FAQ checks solve the issue for many setups:
- Check mic input level first: Open Settings > Audio and confirm “Microphone Activity” bounces when you talk. If not, your mic isn’t reaching the game.
- Raise input volume at the system level (device settings, not in-game) — Big Walk currently has one master slider, and it can be hard to hear voices over ambient sounds.
- Keep the mic close to your mouth — the game models distance, so a lapel mic two feet away behaves very quietly.
- Check mute states: your device mute switch, Settings > Audio > Mute Mode (if “hold”, you must hold the button), and the moderation menu (make sure no one is “silenced”).
- Use headphones to avoid echo/speaker feedback, and confirm no one is playing through speakers that the mic is picking up.
- Lower the master volume a notch while testing voice levels — reviews note the ocean and ambience can drown out quiet players.
What we track
- The official update tracker (/updates/) — we update it the moment a build ships.
- This page is refreshed whenever House House or Panic post new announcements (Steam news / bigwalk.game FAQ).
Want to avoid the voice issue entirely? Read our proximity chat guide for comms alternatives, or check online requirements for platform-specific setup notes.