The Outlast Trials is the latest first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. The game was recently released on May 18, 2023, via early access for Microsoft Windows. It is the third installment in the Outlast series, serving as a prequel to the first two games, and features test subjects in a mysterious Cold War experiment. After the launch, many reported issues of the audio not working or the sound cutting out. If you’re also one of the victims, then follow this troubleshooting guide to fix the Outlast Trials audio not working or the crackling sound issue.

Fix: The Outlast Trials Audio Not Working or Crackling Sound Issue
Affected players reported on Reddit that while playing on the console, the headset turned on, but they barely heard anything else. It seems like everything gets muffled and mixed with lower volume. It ruins the gameplay experience and nothing else. At the same time, some players have also mentioned that there is no issue with the headphones except for the speakers.
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1. Repair Game Files
First, you should try repairing the game files in the Epic launcher or Steam client to check whether the problem has been fixed. Sometimes having some issues with corrupted or missing game files can be there. To do so:
- Open up Steam > Go to Library.
- Right-click on the Outlast Trials game.
- Click on Properties > Go to the Local Files tab.
- Select Verify Integrity of Game Files…
- This process will start to be verified and may take some time to complete.
- Once done, close the Steam client, and restart your computer to apply changes.
2. Disable 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.
- You must 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.