“I gave up on this game's audio”: Warzone fans react to audio problems in Season 5 update; developers respond

Warzone Season 5 audio issues (image via Activision)
Warzone Season 5 audio issues have left fans unhappy (Image via Activision)

The Warzone Season 5 update dropped not long ago. As fans of the series are joining in on the action to unlock new weapons and Operators and participate in the ‘Heroes vs Villain’ community event, players have been complaining about audio problems that arrived with the latest update.

The latest Warzone update, Last Stand, is the final season update the title will receive before the release of Modern Warfare 2. Apart from the new additions and changes, the game has been suffering from audio issues.

Missing footsteps and audio cues from players dropping in with their parachutes are some of the major problems observed by users. Warzone is currently plagued with audio issues, and it seems to be a major concern for gamers.


Players complain about audio problems plaguing Warzone Season 5

Audio is an integral part of any game and can make or break the gaming experience for users. In a multiplayer title like Warzone, proper audio cues can be crucial in determining the outcome of an engagement.

Redditor u/The_Dude1692 posted his complaints and opinions about the audio issues in the game. The user calls the audio in the game “a joke.”

They stated that audio in the world from loot boxes spread around the map emits louder sounds compared to other crucial audio cues within the game. This can affect gamers as they won’t be able to hear what they actually need to be hearing.

Another Redditor, u/Barold1988, expressed his problems with the audio in the title. He stated that the audio in the game was inconsistent.

The user suffered from audio issues while playing, but whenever he got on the spectator mode, he could hear every sound in the game perfectly as it's supposed to be.


In this clip posted by u/pnokmn, he gets taken down by a player who was just in his vicinity, yet the game refused to provide him with the audio cue. He received no audio from the other user ziplining to the top, and neither could he hear footsteps as the enemy pushed toward him.


This Reddit user reported similar issues. He complained about people running up to him but not receiving audio from their movement. They claimed to hear random reload noises out of nowhere and could not seem to hear any shooting noises of the enemies near him.

He also stated that the audio had been quite bad for a while, but the recent update spoiled the experience even further.


Another user then stated that the title suffers from audio volume level imbalances. He seems to be able to hear all the sounds in the game with a boosted volume level but not the enemy footsteps, which is the most crucial audio cue of all.

He cannot even seem to hear his teammate's voice comms.


Another clip showed the missing footstep audio in the new Gulag. As the enemy ran up to the gamer, he could not hear any sounds until it was too late, and the enemy was right in his face.

Players have said that they can hear all the other sounds. They can clearly hear users running around and spectating the game from the rafters, but not the sound cue from the opponent, the only sound that matters in that 1v1 scenario.

Sadly, this is a common problem in the game, and Reddit is flooded with gamers complaining about the same.

However, the developers have heard (no pun intended) the complaints and responded.


Developers’ response to audio problems

The developers, Raven Software, noticed the issues players were facing concerning audio and were quick to respond.

They stated that they have identified the problem, especially with the missing audio in Gulag, and are investigating the same. So a possible fix might be in order in a few days.


The final season of Warzone isn't without issues and has received praise and complaints. The latter ranges from weapons to technical problems, which are not uncommon to hear from the community.

The developers are taking notice of this and working to change things for the better.

As mentioned in the Call of Duty blog, Warzone will also receive a mid-season update soon, which should fix all the issues plaguing the game. With the developers focusing on new audio technology and improvements with Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, problems like these would hopefully be less.

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