Chat

Communication is as important as your aim and tactics in this FPS. It’s a critical element of every successful team play in VALORANT.

In this handy guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the game’s comms features, from how to uncensor VALORANT’s chat and see all the “bad” words, to fixing voice chat issues, making hearts in text chat, and more.

Read on, agent.

Chat profanity filter

“Kids and grown-ups love it so”… and that’s exactly why Riot Games censor chat in VALORANT by default. But for mature or less sensitive players who want no protection from profanity, this PG barrier can be a prime pain in the a*$.

Lucky for you, it’s easy to turn off the filter and uncensor VALORANT chats (or customize them).

How to uncensor VALORANT chat

To disable the VALORANT profanity filter and uncensor your chat:

1. Launch the game.
2. Load the Settings menu.
3. Click on Controls, then Communications.
4. Scroll down to the Explicit Language Filter and select Off.

Now your censor is fully off, you’ll see all the bad words in your VALORANT chat.

How to set up “Muted Words” censoring

It’s not all-or-nothing with VALORANT’s profanity filters. You can create a Muted Words List of specific words you don’t want to see in the in-game chat, for a more customized experience.

You’ll find this just after the Explicit Language Filter (found in Settings > Controls > Communications).

Just type in a word or phrase you don’t want to see and hit “Enter”. Repeat as needed.

Chat delays

Enemy agents are inbound. Timing is everything. You dash out a chat message to your team… 2 minutes later it appears… and its timeliness is gone… it’s not relevant anymore.

You’re not the only player who’s torn their hair out over this kind of chat delay.

Tactical communication is crucial in VALORANT. Without strong comms between your team, what hope do you have of defeating your opponents?

So, why is my VALORANT chat delayed?

Often, chat delays are due to low internet speeds or problems with your connection.

Occasionally, it’s because VALORANT doesn’t have the right permissions, or it’s down to issues with your DNS server configuration.

How to fix chat delays

Luckily, you can usually fix chat delays by restarting your router.

If that doesn’t work, try running the game as an administrator (right-click the game icon > click “Run as administrator”).

You should also make sure VALORANT is fully updated with the latest version.

If you’re brave enough for a more technical chat delay fix, try flushing the DNS:

1. Type “cmd” into the computer Start Menu search bar.
2. Type “ipconfig/flushdns” into the window that appears.
3. Hit “Enter”.

And if all else fails, a simple restart of your computer can be all you need to put those anguished cries of “why is my chat delayed?!”* to rest.

Try any or all of these to fix chat delay issues and get back to kicking butt, agent.

*yes, this is a censored version of the more commonly expressed sentiment.

Voice chat

We’ll say it until we’re blue in the face – communication is crucial in VALORANT. Most successful players prefer voice chat to text, for the obvious strategic advantage it brings.

Some players use VALORANT’s own in-game voice chat, and others use apps like Discord for their comms. Here, we’ll help you with both in the most no-nonsense way possible.

How to stream VALORANT voice chat on Discord

Since the Riot Client handles VALORANT voice chat, streaming the game to Discord isn’t enough to open up voice chat comms channels.

There’s a few steps involved in sorting this out, but we’ll walk you through it as simply as we can. So, here’s how to enable voice chat on Discord:

1. Load VALORANT in windowed mode

Here’s how: Open Settings. Open the Video tab. Open the Display Mode menu and select Windowed Fullscreen. Click Apply.

Or, you can shortcut into windowed mode by pressing Alt + Enter.

2. Turn on voice chat settings in VALORANT

Here’s how:

1. Open Settings, then Audio.
2. Open the Voice Chat menu.
3. Turn on both Party Voice Chat and Team Voice Chat.
4. Set Party Voice Activation Mode to Automatic.

3. Use Discord to share your screen

Here’s how:

1. Open Discord and load your desired server.
2. Open the Voice Channel and click the Share Your Screen icon.
3. Select to share the VALORANT window.
4. (optional) Return to VALORANT and revert back to the Fullscreen Display Mode.

Note: Some players suggest using the Discord web version is more effective than the desktop app when streaming VALORANT voice chat.

4. Check Discord’s audio settings

Here’s how:

1. Open Settings, then Voice & Video.
2. Perform a Mic Test check.
3. Scroll down to Advanced Settings and enable “Use an experimental method to capture audio from applications”.
4. (optional) Turn off Noise Suppression, Echo Cancellation, and Advanced Voice Activity.
5. Restart Discord, then begin your stream again.

How to fix voice chat in VALORANT

Fixing voice chat is usually fairly simple, but it can take a bit of patience to figure out what’s wrong. Here’s a few things you can try to fix yours:

Check audio settings

In VALORANT, you’ll find this in Settings > Audio > Voice Chat.

On Discord, you’ll find it in Settings > App Settings > Voice & Video.

Unless you don’t use Discord, it’s worth checking both of these for errors:

• Make sure the Input and Output devices are correct and have volumes turned up loud enough to hear.
• Perform a Mic Test.
• Make sure any Push-to-talk settings are switched off – you’ll have better luck using automatic settings here.

Check VALORANT’s platform status

It’s possible that Voice Chat is temporarily down. If it is, you’ll see a red or yellow exclamation mark in the top left corner of your home screen while in-game.

Setting Party Voice Activation Mode to automatic has been known to fix this (find this setting in Settings > Audio > Voice Chat.

Check your computer audio settings

If you’ve tried to fix voice chat in VALORANT’s settings with no luck, the problem could be your computer settings instead.

1. Open your sound settings (Settings > System > Sound).
2. Check that your audio Input and Output devices are correct.
3. Check that all relevant volume controls are turned up.

Text chat

If you don’t have access to a mic, you’ll need to rely on text chat to communicate in-game. There are two types of text chat: All Chat and Team Chat.

Here’s everything you need to know about both:

❓ How to type in Team Chat

VALORANT players can enter Team Chat mode by hitting “Enter” – then just type your message and hit “Enter” again to send.

❓ How to type in All Chat

Just hold “Shift”, then press “Enter”, then type and send your message (usually some form of light-hearted sass for the other team).

Alternatively, type /a to change to All Chat mode.

❓ Is Team Chat better than Voice Chat?

Generally, no. Most serious VALORANT players prefer Voice Chat.

That said, there are times when Team Chat can be more tactical. Say you don’t want to disturb your teammates or risk them not hearing enemy footsteps nearby – using Team Chat to type your callout could be the perfect move for this scenario.

Our best advice? Use both depending on the situation.

❓ How to make a heart in VALORANT chat

You can send emojis via in-game chat by holding Alt and pressing a number. Make a heart in VALORANT’s chat with Alt + 3.

❓ How to copy chat text

In VALORANT chats, copy/paste can be a bit confusing but it is possible.

First, familiarize yourself with these shortcuts:

• Cntrl + A - select all
• Cntrl + C - copy
• Cntrl + V - paste

To copy chat text in VALORANT, you’ll need to use these shortcuts. It gets tricky because you can’t see what text is highlighted in the chat box.

As a function, it’s quite limited, but it is possible. Play around with it and see.

❓ How to disable enemy chat

Whether they’re spewing toxicity all over the chat or you want to keep your focus laser-tight, sometimes disabling the enemy chat is a great idea.

And it couldn’t be easier to do:

1. Press “ESC” in-game.
2. Find the Match tab.
3. Click to “mute enemy text chat".