Quietest Video Game Consoles (Controllers)? Games That Can Be Played without Sound?

[MeadowLane22]

I have had to become homebound and am looking for things to keep myself busy and distracted.

I'd like to get a gaming console but am wondering which one is the quietest? Which console has the quietest controllers?

I have especially bad reactivity to any digital audio so I'm going to have to play games with no sound at all. I used to play games like Call of Duty in the past but I think it would be difficult to play that with no sound, as directional hearing is an important part of those games. A game like Rocket League comes to mind where sound wouldn't be necessary.

Does anybody have some good game suggestions that can be played without sound?

 

[Theezy]

I got an Xbox One S which is a virtually silent console (speaking as someone with severe, housebound hyperacusis). The only catch is the controller is pretty clicky which can be too much on a bad day. Can you handle typing on a clicky keyboard?

Otherwise I think I've heard the PlayStation controllers are quieter if you think that noise will be bothersome.

Good luck, gaming can be a great hobby to keep the mind occupied in this situation IMO.

Regarding games without sound. I had a massive Minecraft kick, I had never played it until a few months ago but its surprisingly relaxing, and definitely don't need sound.

I've played shooters like Warzone and Halo on very low sound which has been fine, but I'm sure the headset with directional sound would be a bit of an help at times. Rocket League, FIFA, and any sports games are fine without sound too.

 

[DeanD]

I'd stay away from Xbox personally, the controllers are renowned for being noisy - I've taken my controller apart and removed the vibrating motors, and put rubber bands around the joysticks - but the buttons are incredibly noisy and clicky.

The PlayStation controllers are a little quieter.

I play a lot of FIFA online with no sound. It's fine for me.

I also own an RG351 which is a handheld emulator device that can play tons of retro games. The controller d-pad and buttons aren't too loud either.

The RetroPie on a Raspberry Pi is great too as you can hook that up to a TV, and can get relatively cheap and quietish controllers.

I'm more of a sports game fan which I find are easier to play without sound or commentary without losing much of the gameplay.

 

[haha ear go eeee]

Does anybody have some good game suggestions that can be played without sound?

Minecraft is pretty great, you can turn on directional captions if you want. The Last of Us remake has a lot of accessibility features as well, you can totally play the game on mute.

 

[cjbhab]

I could recommend the Nintendo Switch. I play a lot of games with no sound. Lots of classics on there. Plus you can carry it wherever you want in the house, so that is convenient.

 

[ZFire]

Nintendo Switch and its Lite variation are excellent consoles. Xbox Series X/S consoles are shockingly whisper quiet too. So I definitely recommend going with that. I suggest subscribing to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a monthly gaming service that offers a wide selection of games for you to try out. There are lots of games they offer on that service that can keep you entertained.

The PS5 is decent, but you can run into issues with high pitch coil whine if you're playing high CPU and GPU intensive games.

Does anybody have some good game suggestions that can be played without sound?

Slay the Spire (on Game Pass), Fall Guys (free to play), Stardew Valley, Enter The Gungeon, and Monster Train (on Game Pass) all come to mind.

I'd stay away from Xbox personally, the controllers are renowned for being noisy - I've taken my controller apart and removed the vibrating motors, and put rubber bands around the joysticks - but the buttons are incredibly noisy and clicky.

The latest Xbox consoles (Series X/S ) give you the option to turn off vibrations/haptic feedback features on the controller.

Here's a tutorial on how to disable vibration on the Xbox controller. PS5 vibration and haptic feedback can be disabled too.

If you're using the Xbox controller on Windows PC, I found this tutorial on Xbox support website on how to disable vibration:

Note Rumble doesn't work when playing games on a PC while the controller is connected through Bluetooth.

1. If you don't have it already, download the Xbox Accessories app from the Microsoft Store.
2. Plug your controller into your Windows device, open the Xbox Accessories app, and then select Configure.
   • For an Elite Series 2 controller, select the configuration profile that you want to change. If you only see default configurations, select New profile > Edit > Vibration, and then move the sliders to adjust the vibration.
   • For an Xbox Wireless Controller, select the configuration profile that you want to change. If you only see default configurations, select New profile, and then select Turn on vibration to turn vibration on or off.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

Former Shooter Addict here. I had to change it up due to tinnitus. I'm OK with soft volume but I think a couple of these current games I've been playing would still be fun without sound.

- Elden Ring
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Assassin's Creed

Most games these days are designed with the hearing impaired in mind so subtitles are well done.

I play on the PS5 and the controllers are nice and quiet IMO.