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How to Switch Between Party and Game Chat on PS5

Use the PS5 control center’s voice chat card to select an active Party or game voice chat. Find out why game chat may be missing and where to check audio settings.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To switch chats on PS5, press the PS button, open the voice chat card in the control center, then select the active party or game voice chat you want. You can only select a game chat when the game provides one and it is active.

Switch between Party and Game voice chats

  1. Press the PS button on your controller to open the control center.
  2. Select the voice chat card. Sony also describes the chat switcher as a drop-down menu on this card.
  3. Browse the active voice chats you belong to, then select the party or game voice chat you want to use. Choose the chat itself; you do not need to end one chat just to switch to another.

The available chats depend on what you have joined or started. If a game voice chat is not listed, it may not be active—or the game may not offer in-game voice chat.

Party chat and game chat: what changes?

Chat type Where it starts Who you talk to Availability and features
Party voice chat Game Base on the PS5 Members of your party Party voice chat features are not all compatible with game voice chat. Sony names Share Screen and Share Play as examples of features that are not compatible with game voice chat.
Game voice chat Within the particular game; the steps to start it vary by game Players in that game’s voice chat Some games do not have in-game voice chat. Without an active game chat, there is no game-chat option to select in the PS5 switcher.

These are separate chat contexts, so pick the one that fits the conversation: Party for your Game Base party, or game voice chat for the channel provided by the game. Sony’s guide, How to use party voice chat on PS5 consoles, notes that game support and startup steps vary by title.

If the chat is selected but you cannot hear or be heard

Check where chat audio is playing

Go to Settings > Sound > Audio Output and select the output device you intend to use. Sony’s troubleshooting guidance also lets you choose what audio is sent to headphones. If the issue is that chat is too quiet compared with game or other console audio, use the voice chat card’s balance control to adjust the relative levels; that control does not switch chat types.

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Check microphone input and mute

Go to Settings > Sound > Microphone to choose an input device and adjust microphone level. Also check the controller’s mute button: it can mute or unmute the DualSense controller’s built-in microphone.

A headset is optional for basic voice input because the DualSense controller has a built-in mic. Sony notes that not all audio devices work with the console, so check compatibility if a connected device is not available as an input or output option.

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For these audio checks and the voice chat card’s controls, see PlayStation Support’s Troubleshoot voice chat issues on PS5 consoles and How to change audio output on PS5 consoles. The menu labels can change with system software, and game chat behavior depends on the game.

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