Team Voice Chat is set to release within the League of Legends client in Patch 26.5. Originally revealed by notorious LoL leaker LeagueOfLeaks, the story was then confirmed by those on the PBE, with a setting to enable Team Voice Chat being found in the game’s settings.
This system applies to your in-game team, not your pre-made party. Party voice chat already exists in League of Legends. Curiously, the new toggle appears under the “When I join a Party” tab. It is off by default, meaning players must choose to opt in.
Team Voice Chat on PBE
The feature is currently live on the PBE and is expected to launch with Patch 26.5, although Riot has not formally confirmed the release window. For those worried about yet more negative abuse in LoL, LoL dataminer SkinSpotlights found code for “Voice Coms Abuse” as a report feature. Suggesting that moderation tools will be in place. Players will be able to switch between Team and Party voice chat during a match.
Voice Chat is a long-anticipated feature for League of Legends, though not everyone has been looking forward to it. In a game so heavily focused on team play, however, it feels like somewhat of a requirement. Games such as Riot’s own Valorant and CS2 all have the feature, though for CS and Valorant, it is on by default.
That said, League of Legends does feel like a different beast. LoL is often a game people play while doing something else, a show, YouTube, or a Podcast. It will be interesting to see how the feature is used. Other games have tried to implement such features in the past; World of Warcraft did, and while the feature is still in the game, it’s very underused in random group settings.
The impact will likely depend on rank. At higher elo, coordinated voice communication could offer a real edge. In lower ranks, some players may simply choose to leave it disabled.