Phasmophobia’s voice recognition system relies on a bridge between your hardware’s input and the game’s language processing engine. Even with recent updates, Windows “Default Communication Device” settings and regional language packs often conflict with the game’s detection. This guide focuses on forcing the correct audio API and ensuring your Windows environment is “primed” for the ghost to listen, effectively fixing the “Spirit Box is not responding” issue once and for all.
Hardware Compatibility & Expectations
- Microphone Input: High-gain microphones (like Blue Yetis or XLR setups) can sometimes “clip,” making it hard for the engine to understand speech.
- Non-English Speakers: The engine is highly sensitive to the Windows Display Language. Even if you speak English, your OS language can cause recognition failures.
- Headset Users: Wireless headsets (Logitech/Corsair) often have “Virtual Surround” features that distort the frequency of your voice, confusing the recognition engine.
Backup and Preparation
Before editing system-level speech settings, ensure the game is closed.
- Exit Phasmophobia.
- Unplug and replug your microphone to ensure it is correctly seated.
- Open your Windows Sound Control Panel (mmsys.cpl).
Key Configuration Steps
Unlike other games where you edit a .ini file, Phasmophobia requires a mix of Windows Speech Privacy settings and localized language data.
1. Windows Speech Privacy
You must allow desktop apps to access your microphone and speech services:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.
- Ensure Microphone Access and Let desktop apps access your microphone are both toggled to ON.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Speech and turn on Online Speech Recognition.
2. Language Pack Configuration
If you use the “English” voice recognition in-game, you must have the specific pack installed on Windows:
- Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region.
- Click Add a language and install English (United States).
- Click the three dots
...on the English pack, go to Language Options, and ensure “Speech” is downloaded and installed.
In-Game Settings vs. System Config
Once your Windows environment is set, adjust these specific settings inside Phasmophobia:
- Voice Recognition Mode: Toggle between Vosk and Windows. (Vosk is generally more stable for modern PCs).
- Voice Sensitivity: Do not set this to maximum. 60-70% is the “sweet spot” to prevent background noise from being interpreted as white noise.
- Push to Talk: Ensure this is set to ON if you have a noisy environment, as the ghost can hear “Global” noise if you use Voice Activation.
Key Troubleshooting Parameters
| Problem | Solution | Impact |
| Spirit Box stays on “—“ | Change Recognition to Vosk | Bypasses Windows Speech API entirely. |
| Ghost never hunts when called | Re-calibrate Mic in Windows | Ensures the “Threshold” isn’t too high. |
| “Voice Recognition: Error” | Install US English Speech Pack | Provides the necessary libraries for the game. |
| Audio cutting out | Disable “Exclusive Mode” | Prevents other apps from “stealing” the mic. |
Troubleshooting & Common Fixes
- The “Alt-Tab” Bug: If you Alt-Tab out of Phasmophobia, Windows may lose “Focus” on the microphone for that app. To fix this, click the Phasmophobia icon in the taskbar to return to the game instead of using Alt-Tab.
- Exclusive Mode Fix: In Sound Control Panel > Recording > [Your Mic] > Properties > Advanced, uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.” This prevents the game from locking up the mic.
- Steam Admin Mode: If recognition still fails, right-click Steam and Run as Administrator. This gives Phasmophobia higher permission to access Windows Speech services.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes. If you are using “Voice Activation,” the ghost hears everything. If you are using “Push to Talk,” the ghost can still hear your local noise during a hunt, even if you aren’t pressing the button.
Why does the Spirit Box say “Nothing Detected” immediately?
This is actually a good sign! It means the game successfully heard you, but the ghost simply didn’t want to answer. If it stays on the frequency numbers without a response, that is when your mic is not working.
Does this work on the VR version?
Yes. However, VR users must ensure their OpenXR Runtime is set to “SteamVR” and that the “SteamVR Microphone” is set as the default recording device in Windows.
Conclusion and Expected Results
By aligning your Windows Speech settings with Phasmophobia’s requirements, you remove the barrier between you and the paranormal. You can expect instant Spirit Box responses, reliable Ouija Board interactions, and a ghost that finally reacts when you shout its name.