Riot is finally bringing Team Voice Chat to League of Legends

League of Legends players may soon be able to coordinate with their teammates without relying entirely on pings and text chat. In Riot Games' latest Dev Update, the developer announced that it is expanding voice chat beyond premade parties, allowing players to communicate with everyone on their team. The long-requested feature is set to begin rolling out in North America and Oceania with Patch 26.20, alongside a new Honor-based access system and a collection of voice customization options. The announcement was part of a wider update covering Season 3 Act 2, ARAM: Mayhem, Ranked 5s, and League Classic. Here's everything you need to know: Team voice chat is finally expanding beyond premades Image via Riot Games League currently supports voice chat only for players grouped in a premade party. Under Riot's new system, players will be able to join voice communications with their entire team, bringing the game closer to the communication tools available in many other competitive multiplayer games in the industry. The developer says it's implementing several improvements to support the rollout, including better noise cancellation, faster connections, and improved stability. The company also emphasized that moderation remains a major focus, especially as more players gain access to voice communications. To help manage player behavior, the ability to speak in team voice chat will be tied to a player's Honor level. Only players with Honor 3 and above can use the function. Riot added that it plans to continue improving the Honor system so it better reflects in-game behavior. The update also introduced voice skins, a new feature that lets players modify how their voice sounds while speaking in chat. Riot says all voice skins are being designed to remain clear and understandable, even during hectic teamfights where communication is most important. For now, the feature will launch only in North America and Oceania as the developer plans to expand voice chat to additional regions once it is confident it can properly support moderation and technical requirements. The voice chat releases with Patch 26.20. Season 3 Act 2 is all about music, and ARAM: Mayhem is joining the party Image via Riot Games Music will be a major theme of Season 3 Act 2, according to the developers. Riot teased that the first musical reveal will arrive on Sept. 9, kicking off a season that places a special spotlight on music across League's content. It could be the KDA song that was found by fans online. That theme will extend to ARAM: Mayhem, which is receiving a new set beginning in Patch 26.2. Riot says players will encounter musical acts when they spawn into games, creating match-to-match variety similar to Arena's Guests of Honor system. The new Mayhem set will also introduce additional Augments and a separate set of in-game missions that offer rewards outside the normal Mayhem progression track. A lot of existing skinlines will also feature their own music players, so you can look forward to some like Bees, Arcade and more. While Riot hasn't fully revealed the musical content yet, the connection between Act 2 and ARAM: Mayhem suggests music will be one of the defining themes of League's next seasonal update after the current one ends. Image via Riot Games The Dev Update also included a number of smaller announcements across multiple League experiences. Ranked 5s is returning in Patch 26.18 following its initial June-to-September run. The next season will feature improvements based on player feedback, including a new strategic draft phase that lets teams view information about opponents before making picks and bans. Queue windows are also being extended with earlier start times and later end times each weekend. Rewards from the first Ranked 5s season will be distributed in the same patch. League Classic continues to receive updates as well. Riot has completed its first Council vote, with results expected soon. The mode is also getting brighter lighting, updated map textures, increased IP and XP gains, two additional Rune Pages for all players, a second daily win bonus, and reduced rune prices. Several Demacian champions are joining Classic in Patch 26.18, including Poppy, Xin Zhao, Shyvana, Galio, and Fiora. Graves and three additional Bilgewater champions are scheduled to arrive in the following patch. The developer also announced that applications for the League Partner Program are now open. For many players, however, the biggest takeaway from the update is the arrival of full team voice chat. After years of requests from the community, League may finally be entering a new era of communication, assuming Riot's rollout goes according to plan. Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy