The gaming industry is always coming up with new and exciting ways to play games. Rather than relying simply on thumb and finger dexterity and reflex speed, more games are starting to bring another factor into play — the human voice.
Voice recognition in gaming can come in two main forms — either by recognizing any sound that comes through your microphone or interpreting players’ speech patterns into specific words or phrases to control an element of the game. This can result in some uniquely exhilarating or terrifying moments of gameplay — from barking commands to your troops in combat or having to stay completely silent to hide from monsters in a horror game like Alien: Isolation.
Updated by Sachi Go on February 15, 2023: There are plenty of fun games, both old and new, with voice recognition continuing to make waves with all kinds of players. Whether you’re looking for nice gameplay mechanics or you just want to try a different kind of game to spice up your library, you’ll find tons of titles that make use of your mic in an active way without the need for multiplayer. Check out some more great games controlled by voice.
19 Lurking
Lurking has a very interesting premise that makes it stand out among games that use your microphone. Although it already has a newer spiritual successor in Stifled, it still comes out as the superior title because it really leans into its mechanics well.
In this tense horror adventure, you are in pitch-black darkness and the only way you can see your surroundings is by sound. You can throw objects or use your mic to create sound waves that show your environment, much like a bat. The only problem is that there are enemies that, yes, lurk around and track your movement using sound, too.
18 Scream Go Hero
Scream Go Hero is basically like Stick Hero, but instead of building stick bridges to get to the next platform, you control your hero’s jump by screaming. How high and far they go depends on how loud you go. Tiny jumps call for soft grunts while long stretches will require a sustained note that could earn you a Grammy.
Thankfully, you can just scream as loud as you want with no regard for how you sound. As long as you get to the next platform, you’re good to go! It’s a truly fun experience, as long as you don’t have angry neighbors. This is a true voice game, except you may just lose said voice after about ten levels.
17 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Those that played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in its original DS release form will know that it was possible to use the game’s voice recognition to say iconic lines like “Objection!” This wasn’t just for fun, either, as the game actually reads the command as it would if you just chose a course of action through the buttons.
In its Steam re-release, this function is not natively available. That said, it can still be restored if you dabble in some modding. It’s worth it for the drama alone.
16 There Came An Echo
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In this sci-fi, real-time strategy adventure game brings you on an intergalactic adventure through space, leading a small battle squadron of your own men against aliens.
By using voice commands to guide your squad to victory, you need to be both analytical and cautious as a full-fledged commander. 'There Came An Echo' follows the story of cryptographer Corrin Webb's struggle against unnameable enemies while finding a way to solve the mystery of his own algorithm Radial Lock. With famous voice actors like Laura Bailey involved, this is sure to be an unforgettable journey through the stars.
15 Escape The Ayuwoki
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This first-person horror voice game is essentially hide-and-seek, where the monster called the 'Ayuwoki' is basically based on a creepypasta of a horrendous parody of Michael Jackson.
After a summoning ritual gone awry, you must strive to escape from this haunted mansion whilst evading the attention of the Ayuwoki. In this game, you must stay as silent as possible in order not to be heard by the Ayuwoki. That's right, as well as being stealthy, be careful not to let it hear you breathe or hum through the microphone.
14 Welcome To The Game
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This psychological horror, hacking simulation game that launched in 2016 takes you into the darker side of the internet. You explore the deep, dark Web with the intention of finding a kidnapped girl before she is killed.
But the caveat is that you must stay as quiet as possible in order to avoid being detected by her kidnappers. In some cases, even a slight breath could send the kidnappers to your location. They'd stand behind you until it's too late for you to notice, so keeping vigilant and silent is imperative in beating this game and saving the girl.
13 The Broken Seal
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In a similar breadth to In Verbis Virtus, The Broken Seal uses the mechanics of voice commands in order to cast powerful spells. This RPG open-world action-adventure sees you battle monstrous creatures and with spells uttered with your voice.
As suggested by the game's title, a bevvy of horrendous beasts has flooded the world after a magical seal keeping them at bay broke. It's up to you to utilize all the spells in your arsenal and defeat them to restore balance to this monster-ridden world. For a game with voice recognition, it could use some work, but it's still truly satisfying to see magic come to life in VR with your command.
12 Radio General
Set in the midst of World War 2, this strategy simulation game sees you take the role of a general in charge of a military unit from your command tent. The only objects that are handed to you are a map of the area and a radio to contact your men.
Radio General is quite a challenging game since you're not on the ground to manage your men. All that's allotted to you are radio reports, where you're then expected to make quick decisions on the fly. This game really tests whether you have a mind for strategy and what it takes to be a WWII commander.
11 Bot Colony
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Set in 2021, you are an investigator sent by Nakagawa Corp to Agrihan, a private island managed entirely by the company's robots. However, the robots' behaviour has rubbed the company's directors the wrong way and that's where you come in.
The game operates entirely on voice commands and typed-in orders; for the plot to progress, you must interact with the robots by asking the correct questions. If you ask the wrong one, well, you just have to try again until you hit the mark. Bot Colony puts you in the shoes of a detective to uncover the mystery behind Agrihan's robot citizens.
10 In Verbis Virtus
This action adventure allows players to unleash their inner wizard. In this world of magic, players must use their voices to cast spells, solve puzzles, and escape horrifying demons in the dungeons. For those who play a wizard in Dungeons & Dragons, this one is for you.
This indie game from 2015 was entirely built in the Unity engine and plays similarly to what you experience with the first-person view in The Elder Scrolls series. Characters in the game look like they come straight from a World of Warcraft expansion but with a blend of dark fantasy Lovecraftian horror.
9 One Hand Clapping
This sore throat-inducing 2D platformer requires players to vocalize — whether they sing, hum, shout, or scream — into their microphone to move and jump through the levels. There are also rhythm elements to the game that means players must clap or even beatbox to defeat the silence and emerge victorious.
Players don’t need an intricate setup or even any kind of vocal talent to play — just a microphone and a sense of rhythm to play. Released in Early Access in June 2021 for PC and consoles, this cute indie game received high praise and critical acclaim, receiving many international awards when it was first announced back in 2018.
8 Tom Clancy’s EndWar
This retro tactical RTS game from the Tom Clancy franchise was first released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PSP, and Xbox 360, before eventually being launched for Windows in 2009. Players use their voices to command their armies and control units across the combat zone, a revolutionary step for RTS games of the era.
Microphones could also be used to chat via online play for multiplayer cooperative mode. However, as the fanbase moved onto newer and more advanced multiplayer, the game removed support for the co-op multiplayer mode back in 2018.
7 Hey You, Pikachu!
Before the likes of Nintendogs for the Nintendo DS, there was Hey You, Pikachu! This Pokemon spinoff game for Nintendo 64 was welcomed to the world in Japan in 1998, before releasing in North America a few years later in November 2000.
Players used the N64 hardware accessory known as the Voice Recognition Unit (VRU) to communicate with Pikachu and also guide the main character through the game’s world to collect items. The game had a fairly mixed reception from players, with a 57 percent score on Metacritic after launch. But now, it is definitely a classic and fan-favourite of the Pokemon franchise.
6 Binary Domain
One of the more modern entries on this list, Binary Domain is a third-person shooter released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows in 2012. Inspired by earlier games like SOCOM, players use their voice to say simple phrases to command their comrades through battle, such as the typical “cover me” and “fire” commands.
While this is one of the newer games to utilize full voice recognition commands, it was by no means successful. Review sites and online forums like Reddit are full of criticism for the janky voice recognition system, which sometimes would misinterpret or not even listen to player commands.
5 Odama
This unique 2006 game combined tactical warfare with pinball. Yes, you read that correctly. This was also one of the last GameCube games published by Nintendo, followed only by The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess later that year.
The bizarre gameplay set in feudal Japan requires players to use their voices to command soldiers to move out of the way of the Odama, a giant pinball that destroys everything in its path. While it was semi-popular with fans, the game overall felt hindered by the GameCube’s limited hardware.
4 Lifeline
Released by Sony and Konami for the PlayStation 2 back in 2003 for Japanese audiences, Lifeline launched for the rest of the world in March 2004. In this space RPG adventure, players used their voices primarily for commanding on-screen characters through speech recognition.
Lifeline is rather infamous for falling flat in terms of sales and reviews, with many players criticizing the unpredictable speech recognition mechanics of the games, sometimes resulting in hilariously frustrating situations. However, many fans have called this a cult classic for being way ahead of its time.
3 Phasmophobia
Popular indie ghost-hunting horror game Phasmophobia is a shining example of how modern horror games should use voice recognition to their advantage. Not only does the game recognize any sound that comes through the microphone, meaning players must hide in silence during ghost hunts, the game requires specific questions to be spoken aloud to find ghost evidence through the spirit box.
The Phasmophobia Exposition update means that solo players can still be heard by the in-game ghosts even when the push-to-talk mode is switched on. Certain ghost types like the Yokai also get angrier when more people are speaking nearby, and are more likely to hunt when sound levels get too high.
2 Seaman
This bizarre Tamagotchi-esque virtual pet game was created for the Sega Dreamcast back in 1999 (2000 outside of Japan). Using the integrated Dreamcast microphone, players must use voice commands to feed, interact with, and care for their Seaman, a fish with an eerily human-looking face.
Similar to Tamagotchi, players are required to check in with Seaman every day in real-time or risk the pet’s death. Each aspect of Seaman must be figured out by the player, with no help or tutorials whatsoever. The game earned itself a cult following for its dark humor and strange aesthetics, as well as narration from Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy.
1 Albedo
Spooky horror survival game Albedo released on itch.io, and sets players in an abandoned mansion, with only their voice to save them from the supernatural beings within. Unlike other similar horror games like Amnesia, players must exclusively use their voices to progress through the environment and interact with obstacles and puzzles.
Throughout the game, new powers can be unlocked as spells or commands and must be used wisely in order to proceed. The terrifying story deepens with each moment as players uncover more about the secrets of the manor, with players requiring an equal measure of brains and bravery to survive and escape.