Surround sound on Xbox and Switch
How to get surround audio out of an Xbox or a Switch, and what each supports.
Both consoles support surround, but they take different routes and support different formats. Here is what each can do.
Xbox Series X and S
Xbox has the broader audio support of the two, including Dolby Atmos for games — something PlayStation does not offer.
Go to Settings > General > Volume and audio output. Set HDMI audio to the option matching your setup, and check Bitstream format if you are passing audio to a receiver or soundbar — choose the format your equipment supports.
For headphones, Xbox supports several spatial audio options including Dolby Atmos for Headphones, which you enable through the Dolby Access app. Windows Sonic is the free built-in alternative and works on any headphones.
If you connect through a television with eARC, make sure eARC is enabled on the TV and that its audio output is set to bitstream rather than stereo — the TV defaulting to stereo is the most common reason surround does not arrive.
Nintendo Switch and Switch 2
The Switch 2 supports surround output when docked, through its HDMI 2.1 connection.
On the console, go to System Settings > TV Output and set the TV sound option to Surround Sound rather than Stereo. This setting only applies while docked; in handheld mode the console outputs stereo.
The original Switch supports surround output too, but the setting is easy to miss and ships on stereo, so plenty of people never enable it.
Nintendo''s audio support is the most limited of the three platforms — there is no Atmos for games — but basic surround works and is a clear improvement over television speakers.
What applies to both
Check the TV first if you are routing audio through it. Enable eARC, set the output to bitstream, and confirm the correct HDMI port.
Match the format to your equipment. Setting a console to a format your receiver does not support usually produces silence rather than an error message, which makes it look like a wiring problem when it is a settings one.
Headphones are the easiest route to positional audio on any console, and need no extra equipment.
See our guide to connecting a home theatre to PS5 for the PlayStation equivalent.