All the Xbox Games With Proximity Chat

Game ZXC

By Jessica Barnes

Published Feb 15, 2022

While some players prefer to experience games alone, playing their way through a campaign or an array of story missions without outside influence, others like to experience games as a group. Over the last two decades or so, multiplayer has really come to the forefront of video games thanks to technological advancements and cultural trends. This could be in the form of an MMO, co-op with a few close friends, or just a multiplayer experience with complete strangers. The Xbox platforms offer plenty of options for how gamers can engage in and encounter multiplayer features, with text or voice chats, or even just pings to help players communicate.

One feature that has proved popular on Xbox consoles is proximity voice chat. Being able to talk with friends and strangers can be a crucial function of some games, especially ones where players will need to strategize and coordinate. Some games have different approaches, like only allowing gamers to chat to people they've added to their friends list, or just their squads, or just one person at a time after they've been specifically selected. However, proximity chat is something different – it blends real life with video games and only allows players to interact with those that are within voice range in-game. This may offer a tactical advantage to teammates, but it also means enemies could potentially listen in as well if they're close enough. While not all games that have a voice chat function use this feature, there are some Xbox titles that have utilized it in interesting ways.

How Proximity Chat Can Be Used In Games

There is no doubt that proximity chat can be a useful feature, especially for titles where gamers need to play as part of a squad. Games like Rare's pirate adventure Sea of Thieves need players to work together if they're crewing a ship. Using voice chat is a quick and efficient way for gamers to give orders, flag problems, and plan for things like attacks, especially when sailing a ship can require plenty of hands on deck. Sea of Thieves also uses proximity chat, which means that while gamers can communicate with their allies, enemies can also listen in and participate. This could lead to humorous results as foes trade threats as they face down enemy ships, and could also be used to purposefully mislead antagonistic players with false information.

Some titles, like the social deception and survival game Project Winter, have optional voice and proximity chat. Like most PC games, the Xbox port has a push-to-talk system for players to engage in proximity chat. For a game in which communication is key, having multiple methods for players to talk to each other is important. When gamers only wish to communicate with those close to them rather than the entire party, then proximity chat is an incredibly useful feature. For survivors to escape and win the game, they need to work together, but if a traitor is suspected to be among them, then isolating some of the communication becomes vital to their success and also offers some challenging risks since anyone could be listening in.

Xbox Titles With Proximity Chat

From Friday the 13th: The Game to Bethesda's online RPG Fallout 76, proximity chat can be both a help and a hindrance in a variety of instances. In Friday the 13th, counselors need to work together to escape Camp Crystal Lake and the murderous clutches of Jason Voorhees. While proximity chat allows gamers to find each other and collaborate to create a means of escape, it also means that the player controlling Voorhees is alerted to others nearby and can more easily hunt them down when they're a party to their plans.

While some games use proximity chat successfully and serve to help players, others can lead to hilarious consequences. In the hugely popular online social deduction game Among Us, YouTuber KSI accidentally revealed his identity as the killer in a proximity chat blunder that immediately lead to his in-game downfall. While proximity chat wasn't initially a feature of the game, modders have since added it to further round out the gameplay and lead to more humorous hijinx like KSI's accidental unmasking.

Here are the games available on Xbox that currently feature proximity chat: