FACEIT Brings Half-Time Voice Chat Back for CS2, Starting a One-Week Test
FACEIT is bringing back voice chat during the half-time break for Counter-Strike players, with a one-week test planned to start in early August. The change follows a vote where 79% of participants backed enabling voice communication between teams for the switch-over period.
What’s changing on FACEIT
Players will be able to use voice chat during the match break when teams swap sides. The feature is returning to FACEIT in the same spirit as it existed in older versions of Counter-Strike.
Vote result: half-time voice chat approved
The decision was made after community voting. In total, 106,647 votes were cast, and 79% voted in favor of enabling half-time voice chat.
Test schedule and how it works
FACEIT will run the feature as a timed test at the start of Season 9:
- Voice chat opens at the half-time break.
- Voice chat closes when the sides switch.
- The test runs for one week.
- The live window is scheduled for August 5–12.
Potential moderation updates: auto-mute under consideration
FACEIT is also considering an option to automatically mute voice chat during those few seconds, depending on how the test performs and how the community responds.
Related context: ban policy and chat behavior
FACEIT recently updated its ban policy rules around chat behavior, allowing “trash talking” as long as it isn’t abused. The half-time voice chat test is being introduced in the wake of that broader policy shift.
