A hidden PS5 setting puts the speaker's name on screen during party chat. Here's how to switch it on, move it out of the way and tame a noisy mic.
Your PS5 can now show the name of whoever is talking in party chat, but you have to switch it on. Press the PS button, open the Voice Chat card, choose More, then Display Who's Speaking, and turn on Display Names. It works on both the PS5 and PS5 Pro.
Sony added the feature in its September 16, 2026 system update. You can also choose where the name tag appears, so it doesn't block a game's map or health bar.
Your volume choice for each player is saved for future chats too.
To see who is talking on PS5, open the Voice Chat card in Control Center, choose More, pick Display Who’s Speaking and turn on Display Names. From then on, the name of whoever is speaking pops up on your screen during party chat, on both the PS5 and the PS5 Pro.
Sony added the setting in its September 16, 2026 system update, but it’s switched off by default and buried a few menus deep, so many players still don’t know it’s there. In a party of up to 16 people, it’s the easiest way to finally work out who has the echoing mic or the barking dog. Here’s the full walkthrough, plus the limits Sony doesn’t mention.
You need to be in a PlayStation party first, because the speaker tag only works there. If you’re not in one, start one like this:
Once you’re chatting, turn on the speaker tag:
That’s it. The name of each person speaking now appears on screen in real time. To hide it again, follow the same steps and switch Display Names off.
In the same Display Who’s Speaking menu, there’s a Position setting that lets you pick where the speaker tag sits on screen. Use it to keep the names away from the parts of a game you need to see, like a mini-map, ammo count or health bar.
A good rule of thumb: check where your most-played game puts its own interface, then park the tag in an empty corner. If you switch between games a lot, you may want to change it now and then.
Don’t expect much else to tweak. There are no options for making the tag bigger, smaller or see-through. Xbox has let players adjust both the position and transparency of its party overlay since May 2017, so PlayStation is still a step behind here.
Spotting the culprit is half the job. The other half is the per-player volume control, which lives in the same Voice Chat card.
The best part is that your choice sticks. The PS5 remembers that player’s volume in later chats too, so you won’t need to fix it every time you play together.
If Display Who’s Speaking is missing, your console probably hasn’t installed the September update. To check:
The same update also switched on Enhance PSSR Image Quality by default for PS5 Pro owners, which uses Sony’s newer upscaling for sharper images, even in games built for the older version. You can turn that off under Settings, Screen and Video, then Video Output, if you prefer the old look.
The September update also added a Community Activity widget to the Welcome Hub, the customizable home area of the PS5. It has two views that help when your group can’t agree on what to play next.
Sony hasn’t said exactly how it ranks the Top 10 list, so treat it as a rough guide to what’s busy rather than an official chart.
If you remember seeing speaker names before September, you’re not imagining it. Some players reported having the option as early as November 2025 and posted screenshots, while others never saw it, and a few said it disappeared after showing up.
Sony hasn’t explained how that early access was handled. It may have been a limited test, but that is a guess. The September 16 update is simply when the feature became official and appeared in the release notes for everyone.
The speaker tag is built for PlayStation party chat, and that’s the only place Sony officially supports it. Before you rely on it, know these limits:
The setting is off by default. Turn on Display Names under Display Who’s Speaking in the Voice Chat card, and make sure your PS5 has the September 16, 2026 update or later.
No. It’s made for PlayStation party chat. For in-game chat, look for a speaker display option in the game’s own settings.
Up to 16 players can join one PlayStation party, which is exactly when the speaker tag helps most.
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