BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive have developed an all-new cat adventure video game called ‘Stray‘ in a cyberpunk exploration journey where a lost & alone stray cat will have to reveal the mystery and find the way home. This night city roaming gameplay has become quite popular within a week of its release.
Reports show that the game audio doesn’t work or causes crackling issues while playing audio. If you’re also one of the victims, then follow this troubleshooting guide to fix the Stray audio not working or the crackling sound issue.
According to the reports, the terrible audio listening experience is disappointing with this new patch update. However, it’s worth noting that there will be a new update patch to fix this issue, which may take some time to release publicly. So, most of the bugs or game issues should be resolved easily. Meanwhile, the chances are high that you’re encountering the audio issue, and there are some workarounds, too.
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How to Play STRAY on Low End PC | Low End Optimization Config
Fix: Stray Audio Not Working or Crackling Sound Issue
Affected players reported on Reddit that while playing on the console, the headset turned on, but barely heard anything else. It seems like everything gets muffled and mixed with lower volume. It ruins the gameplay experience and nothing else. Some players have also mentioned that there is no issue with the headphones except for the speakers.
1. Repair Game Files
First, you should try repairing the game files in the Steam client to check whether the problem has been fixed. Some issues with the corrupted or missing game files can sometimes be there. To do so:
- Launch Steam > Click on Library.
- Right-click on Stray from the list of installed games.
- Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
- Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
- Once done, restart your computer.
2. Disable the Nahimic Audio Driver
Nahimic is an Audio Driver your PC manufacturer selected to give you an optimized audio experience on laptops, motherboards, and more. It is a trusted driver designed to optimize and tune the audio performance on your computer.
- It would be best to go to Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and head to Startup.
- Now, disable the Nahimic audio driver from the list.
- Finally, restart the computer to check whether the problem has been fixed.
3. Update Audio Drivers
It’s worth mentioning that Realtek Audio Driver users can head over to this article link to easily download and install the latest version of the audio driver for your specific motherboard or laptop model. Additionally, you can follow the steps below to update the active graphics driver on your Windows computer.
- Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
- Now, click on Device Manager to open it > Double-click on Sound, video, and game controllers.
- Right-click on the active or problematic audio device > Select Update driver.
- Click on Search automatically for drivers > Wait for the process to complete.
- If an update is available, the system will automatically check for it and install it.
- Once done, make sure to reboot the system to apply changes.
4. Reinstall Audio Drivers
Possibly, the audio driver on your computer has been corrupted or missing for some unexpected reason. Now, if you’re also feeling the same, make sure to reinstall audio drivers on the PC by following the steps below:
- Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
- Now, click on Device Manager to open it > Double-click on Sound, video, and game controllers.
- Right-click on the active or problematic audio device > Select Uninstall device.
- Click on Uninstall again to confirm the task > Wait for the process to be completed.
- Once done, make sure to restart your computer to apply changes.
- After the reboot, the Windows system automatically reinstalling the missing audio driver or device (if connected).
However, if it doesn’t get installed by the system automatically, then note down the computer model number or the motherboard model number and directly visit the official manufacturer’s website to download & install the latest audio driver.
5. Remove Stray Config
You should try removing the Stray Config file on your PC to check for the issue and whether it has been fixed or not. To do so:
- Head over to the File Explorer (This PC) > Go to the C: drive (where you’ve installed the game).
- Now, go to the specific directory – username\documents\Stray\settings and delete the Stray config file.
- Once done, reboot your PC to apply changes.
6. Check Wires of Audio Output
Make sure to check out the audio output device and wires whether they’re properly connected & plugged into the valid port or not. It’s quite a simple thing yet effective because sometimes users may forget or do mistakes a lot.
7. Disconnect Other Peripherals
It’s also worth mentioning to disconnect other peripherals to check for the issue again. Just try using a minimum number of external USB devices to ensure what’s actually causing the issue.
8. Test Out Other Speakers or Headsets
Make sure to test out other speakers or headsets with your computer while playing the Stray game to check if there is an issue with your existing speaker or headset.
9. Power Cycle your PC
Sometimes performing a power cycle your PC can fix multiple issues with the game. To do so:
- Make sure to power off the PC and unplug the power cable.
- Wait for around a minute or so and then power on the computer to check for the issue.
10. Turn Off Windows Sonic or Spatial Sound
If your desktop or laptop has the Windows Sonic or Spatial Sound feature then make sure to disable it by following the steps below:
- Click on the Start menu > Go to Settings > Click on System.
- Now, click on Sound > Select Related settings.
- Go to Sound Control Panel and select a playback device.
- Next, select Properties > Select Spatial sound.
- In the Spatial Sound format, select Windows Sonic for Headphones.
- Finally, select Apply, and reboot the PC to change effects.
11. Reset BIOS
If in case resetting the overclock feature won’t work for you, ensure to try resetting the BIOS/UEFI menu as well. Using the same process, boot into the BIOS/UEFI menu. Then find the BIOS Settings Reset or Default BIOS Setup and select it to confirm. Once done, restart your PC.
12. Update BIOS
Plenty of shortcuts and in-depth tutorials are available online to safely update your Windows system BIOS/UEFI according to your motherboard brand without any issue. Just like the Windows update, BIOS update is also useful and necessary to perform to fix plenty of crashes or errors.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.