How to Fix Missing Audio in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?

If audio is missing in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 while other applications play sound normally, it usually indicates an issue with DirectX components, audio configuration, or corrupted game files that prevent the game from processing sound correctly.

Why this happens:

• DirectX Dependency: Black Ops 6 relies on DirectX APIs, such as XAudio2 or DirectSound, to handle audio. If these DirectX files are outdated, missing, or corrupted, the audio processing can break down.
• Driver/Configuration Conflicts: Incorrect default audio device settings, disabled playback channels, or outdated/corrupted audio drivers might prevent the game from routing sound properly.
• Game File Corruption: Missing or damaged audio files (e.g., .wav/.ogg files) or configuration scripts can result in certain effects—or even all in-game audio—being silenced.

Let’s walk through targeted fixes for these issues.

1. Download and Install DirectX

DirectX acts as a bridge between your hardware (like your sound card) and the game, managing audio through its DirectSound component. When DirectX is missing, outdated, or corrupted, the game may not access your audio hardware correctly, leading to a no-sound issue. In other words, DirectX fails to translate the game’s audio instructions into signals that your sound device can understand.

1. Download the DirectX End-User Runtime from Microsoft’s official website using the link provided.
2. Once the download completes, open the DirectX installer and follow the step-by-step prompts to install it.
3. After installation, restart your PC to ensure the changes take effect, then relaunch the game to see if the issue is resolved.

2. Ensure Correct Sound Settings Configuration

If you have multiple audio output devices, the game might be sending sound to the wrong one. Making sure the correct device is selected can often fix the issue. Here’s how:

1. Launch Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and open the Settings menu. Then, navigate to the Audio tab to adjust sound preferences.
2. Scroll to Speakers/Headphones Game Sound Device and select your preferred audio output (for example, headphones, speakers, or a soundbar) from the dropdown menu.
   Note: If your device isn’t listed, ensure it’s properly connected and set as the default playback device in your system settings.
3. After selecting the correct device, test the audio by playing the game. If you still don’t hear any sound, double-check both the in-game volume levels and the volume settings on your device.

3. Verify the Game Files

If audio works correctly in other apps but not in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the issue likely stems from either corrupted game files. Start by verifying the game files to ensure critical sound assets (e.g., .wem files, audio drivers bundled with the game) are intact.

1. Launch Steam, Battle.net, Epic Games, or the platform where Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is installed.
2. In Steam, click Library at the top. For other launchers, navigate to your game collection.
   
3. Right-click Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and select Properties (Steam) or Game Settings (other launchers).
4. In Steam: Go to the Installed Files tab > Click Verify Integrity of Game Files.
   
   • For Battle.net Look for a Scan and Repair option in the game’s settings menu.
5. This may take 5-15 minutes. The launcher will automatically redownload or fix corrupted/missing files.
6. Restart the launcher and launch Black Ops 6 to check if the sound issue is resolved.

4. Disable Exclusive Mode

Exclusive Mode allows applications to bypass the operating system’s audio mixer and directly control your sound device. While this reduces latency for apps like media players or digital audio workstations (DAWs), it can block Black Ops 6 from accessing the audio hardware entirely if another app claims exclusive control. To resolve this, disable Exclusive Mode in your system’s sound settings:

1. Right-click the speaker icon in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar and select Sound Settings.
   
2. Scroll down to the Advanced section and click More Sound Settings.
   
3. In the Sound window, go to the Playback tab, right-click your default Speakers device, and select Properties.
   
4. Switch to the Advanced tab and uncheck the box next to Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.
   
5. Click Apply, then OK to save your changes and close the window.
6. Restart Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to see if the audio problem is resolved.

5. Reinstall the Audio Drivers

Outdated or corrupted audio drivers can disrupt communication between your game and sound hardware, leading to glitches, missing effects, or complete audio failure. This happens because drivers act as translators, converting the game’s audio signals (like DirectX or OpenAL instructions) into commands your sound card or motherboard can process.

Corruption or outdated codecs may misroute these signals, cause buffer underflows, or fail to support newer spatial audio formats (e.g., Dolby Atmos). Reinstalling the drivers resets these configurations, replaces damaged files, and ensures compatibility with the game’s audio engine.

1. Press the Windows key to open the Start Menu, type Device Manager, and press Enter to launch it.
2. In Device Manager, expand the Sound, video and game controllers section (this may vary slightly depending on your system).
3. Right-click on your audio device (e.g., Realtek High Definition Audio, Conexant Audio, or your specific hardware) and select Uninstall Device.
   
4. Check the box next to Delete the driver software for this device (if available) and click Uninstall.
   
5. Restart your computer. Windows will automatically reinstall a fresh version of the audio driver during startup.
6. After rebooting, open Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and check if the audio now works properly.

If the game still lacks audio after troubleshooting, the issue may be corrupted or missing audio assets (e.g., soundbanks, .wav/.ogg files) in the installation directory. Game engines like Unity or Unreal rely on these files to load sound effects, music, and dialogue. If they’re damaged or improperly installed, the audio subsystem may fail to initialize or play sounds entirely.

As a last resort, reinstalling the game ensures all files—including audio libraries and configuration scripts—are replaced with fresh, uncorrupted copies. This process resets registry entries, directory permissions, and dependency links that might have been disrupted during the initial installation.