A clip of the Chinese League of Legends client having actual, in-game voice chat in solo queue is making the rounds on social media. Does this mean LoL is finally getting voice chat for solo queue? Here’s what you need to know.
While voice chat has long existed in League of Legends as a feature, it only works with people you’re partied with. Though it’d take some extra infrastructure to make it connect to allies automatically, it’s not a huge leap technologically for Riot to include it.
Clips from Chinese League of Legends display allies using an in-game voice chat service to communicate with their teammates in solo queue. Does that mean we can expect League to get voice chat outside of China soon?
Is Riot testing LoL voice chat in China?
The short answer is no, Riot has not implemented voice chat in China, nor are they testing integration. These clips are real, but the ability to talk with people in your matches is tied solely to Tencent-owned WeGame, a catch-all game launcher for some of China’s most popular games.
WeChat is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, with the majority of texting, calling, video calls, and even transactions being conducted via this app. If you live in China, chances are you use WeChat on a daily basis, and WeGame is directly connected to it.
As a result, it wasn’t too difficult for Tencent to implement their own third-party version of a voice service. It functions entirely separate from the game itself.
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UPDATE VOICECOMMOKAY I just gave it a try now and turns out you can mute, adjust volume and also report people individually ! https://t.co/CRw6CRTFaG pic.twitter.com/VZJyIJQvYg
— Alex | 皮达 🇨🇳 (@lol_dango) November 28, 2024
Because Tencent is so heavily ingrained in the way LoL functions in China, it’s possible to even report players via the service if you’re being verbally abused by teammates.
However, this doesn’t mean it’s coming to other countries any time soon. While Tencent owns majority share in Riot Games at this point, WeGame only exists in China at the time of writing. It came to other markets in the late 2010s, but Tencent ultimately pulled the plug after their service failed to compete with Steam.
That doesn’t mean voice chat will never come to League of Legends for those living in countries that don’t support WeGame, but more that it isn’t currently in Riot’s plans to make talking with your teammates a key part of the LoL experience.
There are a lot of exciting things coming to LoL in 2025, but voice chat isn’t one of them.
