Audio Issues on PC: Laggy and Crackling Incoming Voice Chat

  • NobalChase
    Castaway

    Hi everyone,

    I recently purchased Sea of Thieves on PC and have been loving the game so far. However, I’m experiencing a frustrating audio issue that I need help with.

    Here’s the situation:

    I installed the game on my D drive. I have an alienware m17
I play with friends across platforms (PC, PS5, Xbox).
My outgoing audio works perfectly fine—other players can hear me clearly.
The problem is with incoming voice chat: whenever I receive audio from other players, it’s laggy and crackly, making communication really difficult.

    I’ve tried adjusting my in-game audio settings, but the issue persists. My internet connection seems stable, and I haven’t had any other problems with game performance.

    Has anyone else encountered this problem? Are there specific settings, updates, or troubleshooting steps I should try? I just bought the game, and I don’t want this issue to ruin my experience.

    Thanks in advance for your help!

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  • RealStyli
    Vanguard
    Insider

    The one thing I can think of that might cause this is a samplerate mismatch.

    You don't say whether you're on Win10 or Win11. On Win10, right-click on the speaker icon on your taskbar and go to "Sounds" to open the Sound Control Panel. Open the Playback tab and find your device. You can right-click on a device to set it as Default Device and/or Default Communication Device. If you have separate devices for normal listening and communication, consider using just the one.

    In any case, right-click again on the device that you set for Communication and go to Properties. Under the Advanced tab and Default Format, set it to 48000Hz (16 bit, 48000Hz is fine, but 24 bit, 48000Hz preferably).

    If you are using two different devices, just make sure the samplerate for the Communication device matches that of your normal default device.

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