In this article, we’re going to discuss the 6 best games with proximity chat that are available to play in 2024.
Proximity chat is a voice chat feature that allows all players near you in-game to hear what you are saying on the mic. The sound generally fades out as your in-game distance from the speaking player increases, sometimes being modified or muffled when it passes through obstacles like doors or walls.
When applied successfully, this not only increases immersion but is a great opportunity for player interactions such as making truces, trading information, eavesdropping, and playful banter.
Be advised that outside of controlled lobbies or servers, this isn’t an option we recommend for children. Although many communities are generally positive and respectful, some are not, and it is not uncommon to have a player you are pitted against use proximity chat to hurl obscenities or mean-spirited insults.
At its best, however, proximity chat can be responsible for great gaming moments that may end up as some of your most memorable.
6. Rust
Rust is a multiplayer survival game by developer Facepunch Studios. It was released in 2018 and currently has a very positive review rating on Steam.
In many ways, this game follows the classic survival formula. You start naked in the wilderness and begin bashing trees with a rock to gather resources for crafting and building stronger tools and bases in an attempt to survive.
This game is a hardcore player vs player experience, and you’ll be right if you feel like everything on the island is out to kill you. Among other dangers, you’ll have to contend with wild animals and manage your hunger and thirst, but the most danger is always presented by other players
You’ll complete PvE events and scavenging to gain scraps and unlock new building blueprints. This is important as it will increase your power and help you defend yourself from the island’s other inhabitants.
If players can kill you, they will be able to loot everything from your body, making the PvP element of the game not only the most dangerous but also the most potentially lucrative activity.
Rust isn’t for everyone but provides a chaotic hardcore survival experience that some gamers love, and others may want to try at least once. The game’s proximity voice chat adds another layer of tense or potentially hilarious interaction to an already over-the-top experience.
Play on: PlayStation 4, PC, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Xbox One, Mac
5. Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is an open-world action and adventure game by developer Rare. It was released in 2018 and currently holds a very positive review score on Steam.
This game is a huge sandbox about living out your swashbuckling pirate fantasies online. You’ll traverse the seas in search of buried treasure and battle foes with saber and pistol.
There are plenty of choices for how to spend your time in the game based on the type of pirate you want to be. You can go fishing, go on cargo runs, fight mythical creatures from the depths, and participate in player vs player ship combat, just to name a few.
Different activities level up your reputation with the game’s various Trading Companies, which will grant bragging rights and new cosmetic items.
Sea of Thieves is most enjoyable when interacting with other players, and proximity chat only adds to the fun. Some of the best moments for proximity chat come when using the “Speaking Trumpet” item to project your voice toward enemy ships for lively banter, earnest questions, or declarations of war.
Board an enemy ship, shout out bold threats or quick-minded quips, and give those salty dogs a reason to remember your name.
Play on: Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S
4. V Rising
V Rising is an online multiplayer survival roleplaying game that launched into early access in 2022 and quickly sold over a million copies. It currently holds a very positive review score on Steam.
You play as a recently reawakened vampire who must drain the blood of the living to gain back their strength. Different types of blood provide various temporary buffs or persistent abilities if they come from one of the unique enemy types.
You’ll build and upgrade a castle and craft weapons, equipment, and armor while harvesting resources like trees, ore, and crystals. Additionally, slain enemies will drop resources according to their creature type.
This and the blood from unique enemies form the core of the game’s leveling and progression system instead of the traditional character experience points that are the standard for many RPGs.
V Rising is a refreshing and creative combination of game genres. It should be of special interest to fans of vampires, survival games, and RPGs. The game has both player vs player and player vs environment servers.
We advise you to pick carefully, and if you opt for PvP, be ready to have your castle raided by other vampires. Regardless of the server you choose, proximity chat is a great way to converse with other players who might want to party up or have useful information.
Play on: PC
3. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is a free-to-play battle royale FPS game by developers Raven Software and Infinity Ward. It was released in 2022 and currently holds an 80 out of 100 score on OpenCritic, with 91% of critics recommending it.
This game franchise has had years to polish its fast-paced gameplay and is stuffed full of game modes and weapon customization options. It also features cross-platform play, meaning you can play with friends gaming on different systems than you.
The battle royale mode features huge maps and the possibility that the traditional single safe circle may split into three separate safe circles for a time. This means mobility is of high importance, and you’ll want to make use of travel options on roads and waterways to find a good position before time runs out.
In addition, there’s a new DMZ (demilitarized zone) extraction mode in the game. This mode is great for shorter play sessions and features competitive PvE, which can be a welcome change of pace from the usual 20-ish minute battle royal matches.
Overall, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is a welcome addition to the franchise, adding new maps, game modes, and customization to an already successful formula. Being able to overhear enemy combatants giving away their position by talking about you or broker shaky alliances and tossing jokes back and forth during combat is a great new addition that, for the most part, only adds to the fun.
Play on: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2. Hunt: Showdown
Hunt: Showdown is a multiplayer PvPvE first-person shooter game by developer Crytek. The game was released in 2019 and has a 77 out of 100 on OpenCritic.
The game is set in the year 1895. You play as a Hunter tracking down supernatural monsters in the Louisiana Bayou. You can team up with one or two other Hunterse to form a team as you look for clues to track down your monstrous quarry.
Other teams of Hunters are tracking down the same targets, so you’ll need to move quickly and carefully to be successful.
Smaller monsters populate the map, and while they don’t pose much of a threat by themselves, the sound caused by fighting them can alert enemy players to your location.
If you and your team are the first to collect the bounty from your target the other Hunters will be in hot pursuit to try and kill you and claim the bounty for themselves. This gives intensity and tension to the missions as you first hunt your target and then try to make it to extraction while competing players do everything in their power to stop you.
Hunt: Showdown is a refreshingly creative take on the FPS genre with simple but enjoyable combat, moody art, and clever use of in-game sounds. Monsters, barking dogs, and breaking twigs can all make your location known and put you in danger.
It is in this context that the proximity chat shines. Be careful on the coms, or the other Hunters might just hear you coming.
Play On: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
1. Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is a cooperative online paranormal horror game by developer Kinetic Games. The game was launched into early access in 2020 and currently holds an overwhelmingly positive review score on Steam.
You and your friends play as a group of ghost hunters with up to four players. Your objective is to identify what type of ghost is haunting the area by using a variety of equipment to collect evidence. The problem is your presence is likely to upset the paranormal entity you’re trying to discover.
This game does a great job of being creepy, with dark rooms, slamming doors, and crackling communication over radios. If you aren’t using the radio, the game has proximity chat, adding to the overall immersion of being a group of ghost hunters wandering through a haunted house and hearing the fading voice of your companions from another room.
Anger the ghost enough, and it’s likely that you will, and it begins to “hunt”. You’ll have to decide to hide or to run, but be careful as the ghost is attracted to movement, light, and sound. While the hunt is active, you won’t be able to open the door leading out of the haunted building to safety.
Lose communication with one of your friends, and you may not know if it’s because they are hiding from a hunting ghost or because they are already dead. Dead players will no longer be able to communicate via in-game voice chat, but they will still be able to hear their teammates.
Phasmophobia is a great multiplayer co-op experience that effectively uses proximity voice chat to add to the immersion and make ghost hunting with your friends delightfully creepy, landing it at number one on our list.
Play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
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