Playing games on your PC using a DualShock 4 PlayStation controller is amazing. You get to use a controller made by Sony on a PC.
However, using the PS4 controller on a PC might lead to some complications with sound or audio. If you’re playing a game that requires you to communicate with others, you’ll definitely get a bad gaming experience.
I’m an IT graduate who loves gaming, and as someone who’s owned a PlayStation for over two years, I’ll help you learn the reasons behind the no-sound issue and how to fix it.
Contents
Initial Troubleshooting
First, you have to ensure that you know what the problem is. Is your controller spoiled? Are your audio devices working? Does the game you’re playing support such a controller? Answering these will make it easier to see where the problem is.
To check whether the game has sound. Disconnect your controller and start the game using a keyboard and mouse only.
If it works with sound, you know that your controller is the one with issues. If it doesn’t, you know that either your audio devices are not working or your settings are at fault.
Next, change the settings on your PC to play audio through the correct device. If you share a PC with someone else, they might have disabled sound.
Finally, if you find that you only have audio issues with a single game, back up your save folders and try to reinstall the game since something might have gone wrong during its installation.
Plug In PS4 Controller to PC No Sound: Causes and Fixes
Below is a list of possible reasons along with recommended fix solutions.
1. PS4 Controller Identified as an Audio Device
The first reason you might not be getting any sound is your PC identifying your PS4 controller as an audio device. This usually happens when you connect your PS4 controller using a micro-USB controller.
Your PC will channel audio to your PS4 controller, but since the PS4 controller is not a sound device, you won’t hear any sound from your desired audio device.
But fear not, this is easily fixable.
How to Fix It:
Simply click on the speaker icon at the bottom of your screen. You’ll see all audio devices connected to your PC. Select your desired audio device.
For example, If you’re using external speakers, click Speakers/Headphones. You will now hear the game sounds from your external speakers.
2. Poor Connection
A poor connection from your USB cable might be the issue behind your sound woes. The problem could be that the cable is loosely connected, or your USB devices are malfunctioning.
How to Fix It:
Ensure that your USB cable is firmly attached to your PC and controller and in case of USB malfunction, use a different USB port.
In addition, a damaged USB cable might also affect your game’s sound quality. Therefore, it’s always advisable to use good, undamaged ]cables when using a wired PS4 controller.
3. Incompatible Games
Some PC games and applications are not compatible with the DualShock 4. So the issue might not be your system but rather the games themselves. So you should do a quick search to ensure that the game you intend to play is compatible with the PS4 controller.
How to Fix It:
To learn how to fix this issue, check the Bonus Tip section below.
4. Outdated Audio Drivers
Updating your audio drivers fixes a lot of issues, including sound issues. Therefore, ensure that you’ve checked whether your PC has the latest drivers. You can easily do so by heading to the settings and clicking on Driver updates.
If there are updates, select them, and your PC will install them. To avoid updating your updates manually, change the settings on your PC to allow for automatic updates.
5. Signal Interference
This issue comes about when you are using more than two wireless devices. In this case, a wireless PS4 controller and wireless headset or speakers.
The Bluetooth signals from the two devices might interfere with each other leading to poor audio quality or no audio at all.
Connecting two or more Bluetooth devices on your PC might affect the performance of the devices.
How to Fix It:
Use one wireless device, either the PS4 controller or speakers/headset. You should connect the other device via the wired method.
6. Faulty Audio Devices
Your audio devices could be faulty or could have been disabled. Ensure that your PC’s audio devices are working and check whether the audio service is enabled.
How to Fix It:
To check whether audio is enabled, press the Windows key + R and type services.msc on the run window.
In the services window, select Windows Audio and double-click it to reveal its properties. Set Startup Type to Automatic, and under Service status, click Start to start the service. Finally, save your changes by clicking Apply and selecting OK.
If that doesn’t work, test whether your audio devices work with other applications before starting the game.
If it still doesn’t work, you should disconnect the PS4 controller and try gaming using the keyboard and mouse. If there’s still no sound, then your audio device could be the problem. To fix this, change your audio device.
Bonus Tip: Install the DS4 Windows Utility Program
If you want the best experience with a PS4 controller, you need to install the DS4 windows Utility program. This program makes your PC view the PS4 controller as an Xbox controller. This vastly improves the performance of the DualShock 4 controller.
In addition, since the PC views it as an Xbox controller, you can play more games.
To download the program, head to its official site and download and install it. Choose either a 32-bit (x86) version or a 64-bit (x64) version depending on your Windows system.
It will download as a Zip file, and after extracting files to your PC, launch the DS4Windows program and install it.
After installation, connect your PS4 controller to your PC via Bluetooth or Micro-USB cable and restart the DS4Windows program. Once fully connected, you can minimize the DS4Windows and start gaming.
If there’s still no sound and your PS4 controller is working perfectly, and you have installed the DS4 Windows Utility program, backup your saved files and reinstall the game with the audio issues. Reinstalling the game may include updates that would solve your sound issues.
Conclusion
In summary, If you have trouble getting audio while playing games on your PC using a PS4 controller, you should check your devices first to ensure that they work correctly. Also, ensure you check in-game sound settings since someone may have disabled sound.
If you still don’t get sound, you should switch from a wireless to a wired connection of your PS4 controller since your Bluetooth signals could be faulty.
Finally, you could install the DS4Windows utility program to ensure that your PC recognizes the PS4 controller.
I hope this guide has helped you solve your no sound issue. Leave a comment below if the solutions above helped you.
