So far, not much is known about Among Us VR. Innersloth has indicated that the game will only use the Skeld map at the beginning and that Among Us VR will use the original game’s old player cap of 10, but exactly what tasks, emergency meetings, and Imposter sabotages look like are all mysterious. VR hardware could shed some light, however, especially the fact that many VR headsets come equipped with microphones. For a long time, communication has been a limiting factor in Among Us that players have to work around. If every player has a mic in Among Us VR, then its communication could be a major step up over the base game.

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Among Us VR’s Potential Chat Changes

In normal Among Us, there are no means for players to hear one another. Twitch streamers and other Among Us fans have worked around this when playing with friends by getting into a Discord call together, but this doesn’t solve the lack of audio for anyone who wants to play with strangers. Multiplayer without a premade party means relying on the text chat during meetings and game setup in Among Us or alternatively using the Quickchat wheel introduced in early 2021. These systems work fine, but in a social deduction game like Among Us where players are pressed for time and communication needs to be quick, clear, and concise, audio is far better than text.

Normal Among Us may not have been built on in-game audio, but it’s possible that Among Us VR will be different. PlayStation VR, Steam VR, and the Oculus Quest 2 have microphones built into the headsets, meaning every Among Us VR player is equipped to use voice chat by default. In other words, Innersloth can work with Schell Games and Robot Teddy to make Among Us VR built on audio communication by default, rather than relying on text again. If audio is a core part of the game, then discussing potential Impostors and exchanging information with other Crewmates will be far simpler and more practical in Among Us VR.

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It should be noted that building audio into this version of the game opens up lots of other gameplay possibilities. For instance, one of the most popular Among Us mods is proximity chat, which allows players to hear each other in-game, but only when they’re standing close to one another. Proximity chat makes stealth much more complicated in Among Us since players have to manage their audio much more carefully. Among Us VR could introduce proximity chat as a default setting and potentially explore other audio-based ways to modify the game.

Improving Core Tenets of Among Us

Admittedly, putting voice chat in Among Us VR would mean Innersloth has to consider a potential new set of chat safety measures, but it’d be worth the effort. If young players can still use Quickchat in Among Us VR instead of voice chat, then they still have a reliable tool for engaging with the game. Voice chat would go a long way to distinguish Among Us VR from the original Among Us, greatly encouraging players to try diving into games with people whose tactics they don’t know. The immersion of VR already does a lot to enhance the Among Us experience, but voice chat through VR headsets could be what really sells the game.

Among Us VR is in development for PC and PSVR.

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