Table of contents

Hearthstone took some of the stardust of the World of Warcraft game and created some virtual majesty of its own. Five years after launch, the collectible card game remains a fan favourite, still generating loads of fun and revenue alike. Everyone is happy.

Well, almost everyone. Some users complained bitterly about no sound being heard during gameplay. This is not a mere case of the sound being distorted or lower than expected. It simply doesn’t exist. This has made some users give up on the game altogether: the lack of sound is a dealbreaker.

As with everything else that affects programs on Windows, there are workarounds. This guide explains how to fix No Sound in Hearthstone on a Windows PC.

 How to Fix No Audio in Hearthstone

 There is no doubt that the inability to play audio in Hearthstone is a huge turn-off to many. The developers won’t be too happy about this development either as they invested a lot of time and resources in the game’s sound. With the solutions presented here, you should be able to get the audio in your favorite collectible card game working again. You can work your way down the list in the order presented or simply jump to a fix of your choice.

  • Check Your Audio Hardware

Chances are you have an external audio device connected to your computer. This can be external speakers, headphones, earpieces, or another sound device. You should check that the issue with playing audio in Hearthstone doesn’t originate from your hardware.

Loose connections can cause errors in sound output. You should check that the USB plug is inserted appropriately at both the hardware and computer ends. Verify that the device has been connected via the correct port. If the port is meant for another kind of device, it won’t work.

If the device is wireless, check that it is actually connected to your computer. It should be visible in the list of devices connected through Bluetooth. You might have to re-enable the connection.

There is a chance that your sound device has been disconnected while the system is still set up to output audio through it. If that is the case, you might not be able to hear sound through the built-in speakers. You might have to disable your sound device as the default audio output medium if Windows doesn’t automatically do that when it’s disconnected.

  • In Windows 10, open the Settings app.
  • Select System.
  • Select Sound.
  • In the right pane, under “Choose your output device”, your currently selected audio medium will be displayed.
  • Click the down arrow to expand the option and select your speaker from the list.

You can also use this option to manually switch to your external device if sound isn’t coming through it even after you’ve connected it. You can click the speaker icon near the right edge of the taskbar. It’s next to the clock icon. The audio device currently in use will be displayed. Right-click the down arrow to expand it and select the device you wish to use.

Also, don’t forget to check that the volume is actually set to a reasonably high level. Press the appropriate volume keys on the computer or click the speaker icon and adjust the volume slider to give a higher output. Some headphones and external speakers have dedicated volume controls. Use them and check if they make a difference.

  • Check Your Sound Card Drivers

The most crucial component of the audio experience is the sound card embedded in your computer. It produces the sound that Windows decodes with the help of sound card drivers. Provided there’s nothing wrong with the sound card itself, your issue with playing audio in Hearthstone often lies with the audio drivers.

The sound driver works in tandem with Windows and the sound card to produce the sound you hear when you plug in your external device or simply turn on the volume on the PC. Because of its critical job, any kind of issue with the driver can adversely affect audio quality or result in zero audio output.

To prevent this or solve the issue when it arises, it is advised you update the driver to the latest version. You should update regularly with the correct audio driver so that audio works properly on your computer.

You can update your device manually, with Device Manager or through automatic update software. The first option requires you to visit the manufacturer’s website and find the correct driver for your device. With Device Manager, you can simply find the device and update its drivers through Windows. An automatic driver update, however, saves you hassle and lets you bring your drivers up to date with a single click.

  • Update Manually

This isn’t too hard to do, but keep in mind that choosing the right update package is of paramount importance. If not, you risk causing more problems and solving none.

You need to know the manufacturer of your sound card and the model of the hardware. The version number of the current driver should also be obtained. With this information, proceed to the manufacturer’s website and download the required driver package. You might need to unpack the files before you can install them.

Provided the downloaded driver is the right match for your sound card and the operating system, double-click the file to begin installation and follow the onscreen prompts.

  • Update with Device Manager

Instead of manually searching, you can let Windows find and install the missing drivers for you. Device Manager contains a list of hardware devices on the system and allows you to update, roll back or uninstall the drivers depending on your needs.

This method is useful if you have external audio devices and you wish to update the drivers for those as well. Under the correct node in Device Manager, each piece of hardware is listed, and you can simply select one and update it individually.

  • Press Win Key+X and select Device Manager.
  • In the Device Manager window, find the Sound, Video and Game Controllers node and click it once to expand the entry.
  • Find your sound card and right-click it.
  • Select Update Driver Software.
  • In the next window, click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

Windows will install the latest version of the given driver. If it tells you that you have the latest version but you know otherwise, you can download the latest one from the manufacturer’s website and place it somewhere convenient. Then, return to Device Manager, right-click the device, select Update Driver, click the “Browse my computer for driver software” option, and find the downloaded driver. Windows will install it for you. This method helps Windows verify that the manually downloaded driver is safe. If it isn’t, the installation will fail.

You can update drivers for your audio devices with Device Manager as well. Just find each one under Sound, Video and Game Controllers and repeat the steps above.

  • Update with Auslogics Driver Updater

If you’d rather skip the manual search for the correct drivers, you can use the automatic update method to install the latest versions of your drivers without stress. You don’t even need to be aware of the make and model of your sound card and external audio devices. The driver update software will do all the legwork for you.

Auslogics Driver Updater scans your computer once to determine the hardware and connected devices and quickly finds the required drivers for them. The information is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner so that you can quickly carry out your desired action. It only displays the latest drivers recommended by the hardware manufacturer for the precise device model and compatible with your operating system. All you have to do is click the required button to update your driver.

By paying a few bucks, you unlock the functionality to update all your devices at a go. You just need to click the green Update All button, and Auslogics Driver Updater goes to work on your behalf.

For the best results, before you launch the software, ensure all your external devices are connected and visible to Windows.

After the update is completed, reboot your system and check that you can now hear the audio in Hearthstone.

  • Close All Interfering Applications

It has been repeated ad nauseam how other open applications and background processes can interfere with your current program. Some of the applications and games even inform you at launch that it’s best to close everything else for a better experience. If you keep getting audio issues in Hearthstone, it’s time to follow this instruction to the letter. It should help if you have limited memory or you have an inordinate number of processes taking up space in the background.

First, close Hearthstone and make sure it’s not running in the background. Next, right-click the icon of each open application on your taskbar and select Close. Of course, a few of them might still keep running in the background.

So, use the Windows Tools menu (Win Key+X) to open Task Manager and check for processes that are taking up a significant amount of memory, CPU and disk space. Right-click each offending process and select End Task.

Now, launch Hearthstone once more and play it. You should be able to enjoy its glorious sound effects.

It’s inevitable that your computer gets slower over time. As junk files accumulate and the memory becomes invaded by unnecessary programs and your processor ages, the system simply can’t be as fast as when it was new. With Auslogics BoostSpeed, you can clear all the junk and speed-reducing issues on your computer and enable the system to perform better.

  • Verify the Integrity of Game Files

Corrupted game files mess up something or other in the gaming experience. That is, if the game even works at all in spite of the damage. Sometimes, it’s a visual element that is affected, sometimes, it’s the sound that goes missing. Fortunately, Blizzard has foreseen such issues and the developers incorporated a scanning tool into the app to check whether the game files have a problem.

  • Launch the Blizzard application.
  • Find your game and click it.
  • Click the Options drop-down arrow to expand that menu.
  • Select Scan and Repair.
  • You will get a notification that the process you’re about to initiate will temporarily pause any ongoing game. Click Begin Scan.

The Blizzard repair tool will begin the extensive scan of all Hearthstone files. It may take a while, so be patient. If it finds any issues, it will attempt to fix them. This may require a repair update, which the app will automatically begin installing.

Once that is done, launch Hearthstone and enjoy your game with the accompanying sound.

  • Adjust Game Compatibility

Hearthstone was launched more than half a decade ago. Naturally, it won’t take full advantage of the Windows 10 environment the same way later games do. It usually runs in compatibility mode, which adjusts the game settings. The compatibility mode is usually set to Windows 8.

If you’ve been running it in compatibility mode for an earlier version of Windows like XP or Vista, this might be the source of your audio issue. The latest version of the Battle.net application no longer supports either Windows version. In theory, this means that it’s not ideal if the app remains set to compatibility mode for XP or Vista.

So, try changing the compatibility settings and see what happens.

  • Close every game you’re playing via the Blizzard app. Close the app as well and end all processes in Task Manager.
  • Right-click the app launcher and select Properties.
  • Go to the Compatibility tab.
  • Remove the tick next to “Run this program in compatibility mode for”.
  • Click Apply.
  • Click Okay.

Try playing Hearthstone now and check that everything works, including the sound.

If you want to test out compatibility mode for Vista or XP, you might have to downgrade the Battle.net app, but that will lock you out of numerous new features in the latest versions, so it is not recommended.

If you’re still getting issues, return to the Compatibility tab and click “Run compatibility troubleshooter”. Follow the onscreen instructions and run the game with the settings automatically selected for you. This should fix the issue.

  • Restore Game Settings to Their Defaults

We are getting into desperation territory here. But, simply put, if at this point the issue hasn’t been fixed, any other thing worth trying should be tried.

Restoring the in-app settings to their defaults will at least tell you whether the changes you made have anything to do with the audio issue in Hearthstone.

  • Launch the Battle.net app and select the Settings option from the main menu.
  • Click Sound & Notifications.
  • Click Reset to Default at the bottom of the window.
  • You will get a confirmation prompt. Click Reset.
  • Next, Select the Voice Chat option from Settings.
  • Click Restore to Defaults and click Reset on the confirmation prompt.
  • Click Done at the bottom right to save your changes.

Now relaunch the game and test whether the sound has returned.

You can also go into the Hearthstone menu and restore all sound settings to their default values as well.

  • Reinstall the Game

Sometimes, the game files are corrupted, but the Battle.net internal repair tool doesn’t manage to find the corruption. In that case, you might have to remove the game and reinstall it. This gets rid of the damaged files so you can start once more with a clean installation.

  • Launch the Battle.net app.
  • Find your game in the game list and click on it.
  • Select Options.
  • In the expanded menu options, select Uninstall Game.
  • When the confirmation dialog pops up, click Yes, Uninstall.
  • Exit the Battle.net app and relaunch it.
  • Download Hearthstone and play the game.

  • Reinstall the Battle.net Application

If nothing else works, this might be the ultimate fix.

Go to Control Panel and change the View by mode to Category, then click the “Uninstall a program” link under Programs. Find the Blizzard Battle.net application in the program list, right-click it and select Uninstall. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

Now, reinstall the program and play Hearthstone. The sound and everything else should work just fine.

After perusing this guide, you’ll know what to do if you cannot hear game sounds in Hearthstone on Windows 10. If you know of additional solutions we might have overlooked, don’t hesitate to let us know about them in the comments.