diff --git a/frontend/src/scripts/feedback-hud.ts b/frontend/src/scripts/feedback-hud.ts
index c71836a..63d1058 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scripts/feedback-hud.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/scripts/feedback-hud.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ function killConfirmed(victimName?: string, streak = 1, charge = 0) {
   }
 }
 
-
 function resetFeedbackHud(): void {
   root?.remove();
   root = undefined;
diff --git a/frontend/src/scripts/objects/game-object-container.ts b/frontend/src/scripts/objects/game-object-container.ts
index 947922e..c6d1c17 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scripts/objects/game-object-container.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/scripts/objects/game-object-container.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import {
   RemoteCallsForObjects,
   UpdatePropertyCommand,
 } from 'shared';
-import { FeedbackHud } from '../feedback-hud';
 import type { Game } from '../game';
 import { serverTimeline } from '../helper/server-timeline';
 import { localCharacterPredictor } from '../helper/prediction/local-character-predictor';
diff --git a/frontend/src/scripts/sound-handler.ts b/frontend/src/scripts/sound-handler.ts
index cdab0d6..fb47b49 100644
--- a/frontend/src/scripts/sound-handler.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/scripts/sound-handler.ts
@@ -8,37 +8,51 @@ import { options } from './options-handler';
 export const Sounds = { hit: 'hit', shoot: 'shoot', click: 'click' } as const;
 export type Sound = (typeof Sounds)[keyof typeof Sounds];
 
-let sounds: Record<Sound, HTMLAudioElement>;
+const sounds: Partial<Record<Sound, AudioBuffer>> = {};
+const maxVoices = 16;
+const voices = new Set<{ source: AudioBufferSourceNode; gain: GainNode }>();
+let context: AudioContext | undefined;
+let initialization: Promise<void> | undefined;
 let isAmbientPlaying = false;
 const ambient = new Audio(ambientAudio);
-let initialized = false;
+let ambientInitialized = false;
 
-async function initializeSound(src: string): Promise<HTMLAudioElement> {
-  const snd = new Audio(src);
-  snd.muted = true;
-  await snd.play().catch(() => undefined);
-  snd.pause();
-  snd.muted = false;
-  snd.currentTime = 0;
-  return snd;
+async function initializeEffects() {
+  try {
+    context = new AudioContext({ latencyHint: 'interactive' });
+  } catch {
+    return;
+  }
+  const audioContext = context;
+  // Unlock during the initiating gesture, before any network or decode work.
+  void audioContext.resume().catch(() => undefined);
+  await Promise.all(
+    Object.entries({ hit: hitSound, shoot: shootSound, click: clickSound }).map(
+      async ([name, src]) => {
+        try {
+          const response = await fetch(src);
+          if (response.ok) {
+            sounds[name as Sound] = await audioContext.decodeAudioData(
+              await response.arrayBuffer(),
+            );
+          }
+        } catch {
+          // Missing audio must not interrupt gameplay or prevent other effects loading.
+        }
+      },
+    ),
+  );
 }
 
-async function initialize(
-  onPlayKeypress: () => unknown = () => null,
-  onPauseKeypress: () => unknown = () => null,
+async function initializeAmbient(
+  onPlayKeypress: () => unknown,
+  onPauseKeypress: () => unknown,
 ) {
   ambient.muted = true;
   ambient.volume = 0.5;
   ambient.loop = true;
-  // Unlock every audio element during the initiating click, before awaiting any one.
-  const ambientReady = ambient.play().catch(() => undefined);
-  const [hit, shoot, click] = await Promise.all(
-    [hitSound, shootSound, clickSound].map(initializeSound),
-  );
-  sounds = { hit, shoot, click };
-
-  await ambientReady;
-  initialized = true;
+  await ambient.play().catch(() => undefined);
+  ambientInitialized = true;
   ambient.onpause = onPauseKeypress;
   ambient.onplay = onPlayKeypress;
 
@@ -49,32 +63,65 @@ async function initialize(
   }
 }
 
+function initialize(
+  onPlayKeypress: () => unknown = () => null,
+  onPauseKeypress: () => unknown = () => null,
+): Promise<void> {
+  if (!initialization) {
+    initialization = initializeEffects();
+    // Streaming music can take much longer to load than the short effects.
+    void initializeAmbient(onPlayKeypress, onPauseKeypress);
+  }
+  return initialization;
+}
+
 function play(snd: Sound, volume = 1, playbackRate = 1) {
-  if (!initialized || !options.soundsEnabled) {
+  const buffer = sounds[snd];
+  if (!context || !buffer || !options.soundsEnabled) {
+    return;
+  }
+  if (context.state !== 'running') {
+    void context.resume().catch(() => undefined);
     return;
   }
 
-  const pooled = sounds[snd];
-  const isBusy = !pooled.paused && !pooled.ended;
-  const audio = isBusy ? (pooled.cloneNode(true) as HTMLAudioElement) : pooled;
-  if (!isBusy) {
-    audio.currentTime = 0;
+  // Delayed network packets can deliver many effects together. Keep their audio work bounded.
+  if (voices.size >= maxVoices) {
+    const oldest = voices.values().next().value!;
+    oldest.source.stop();
+    oldest.source.disconnect();
+    oldest.gain.disconnect();
+    voices.delete(oldest);
   }
-  audio.volume = clamp01(volume);
-  audio.playbackRate = playbackRate;
-  void audio.play().catch(() => undefined);
+
+  const source = context.createBufferSource();
+  const gain = context.createGain();
+  source.buffer = buffer;
+  source.playbackRate.value = playbackRate;
+  gain.gain.value = clamp01(volume);
+  source.connect(gain);
+  gain.connect(context.destination);
+  const voice = { source, gain };
+  voices.add(voice);
+  source.onended = () => {
+    if (voices.delete(voice)) {
+      source.disconnect();
+      gain.disconnect();
+    }
+  };
+  source.start();
 }
 
 function playAmbient() {
   isAmbientPlaying = true;
-  if (initialized) {
+  if (ambientInitialized) {
     void ambient.play().catch(() => undefined);
   }
 }
 
 function stopAmbient() {
   isAmbientPlaying = false;
-  if (initialized) {
+  if (ambientInitialized) {
     ambient.pause();
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/sound-handler.test.ts b/test/sound-handler.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..074dbde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/sound-handler.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+const { options } = vi.hoisted(() => ({ options: { soundsEnabled: true } }));
+vi.mock('../frontend/src/scripts/options-handler', () => ({ options }));
+
+class FakeAudio {
+  static instances: FakeAudio[] = [];
+  static ready: Promise<void>;
+  muted = false;
+  paused = true;
+  ended = false;
+  currentTime = 0;
+  volume = 1;
+  playbackRate = 1;
+  loop = false;
+  onpause?: () => unknown;
+  onplay?: () => unknown;
+  constructor(public src: string) {
+    FakeAudio.instances.push(this);
+  }
+  play = vi.fn(() => {
+    this.paused = false;
+    return FakeAudio.ready;
+  });
+  pause = vi.fn(() => {
+    this.paused = true;
+  });
+  cloneNode() {
+    return new FakeAudio(this.src);
+  }
+}
+
+class FakeSource {
+  buffer: unknown;
+  playbackRate = { value: 1 };
+  onended?: () => void;
+  connect = vi.fn();
+  disconnect = vi.fn();
+  start = vi.fn();
+  stop = vi.fn();
+}
+
+class FakeAudioContext {
+  static instances: FakeAudioContext[] = [];
+  state = 'running';
+  destination = {};
+  sources: FakeSource[] = [];
+  gains: ReturnType<FakeAudioContext['createGain']>[] = [];
+  resume = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
+  decodeAudioData = vi.fn(async (data: ArrayBuffer) => ({ data }));
+  constructor() {
+    FakeAudioContext.instances.push(this);
+  }
+  createBufferSource() {
+    const source = new FakeSource();
+    this.sources.push(source);
+    return source;
+  }
+  createGain(): {
+    gain: { value: number };
+    connect: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+    disconnect: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+  } {
+    const gain = { gain: { value: 1 }, connect: vi.fn(), disconnect: vi.fn() };
+    this.gains.push(gain);
+    return gain;
+  }
+}
+
+const load = () => import('../frontend/src/scripts/sound-handler');
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.resetModules();
+  options.soundsEnabled = true;
+  FakeAudio.instances = [];
+  FakeAudio.ready = Promise.resolve();
+  FakeAudioContext.instances = [];
+  vi.stubGlobal('Audio', FakeAudio);
+  vi.stubGlobal('AudioContext', FakeAudioContext);
+  vi.stubGlobal(
+    'fetch',
+    vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true, arrayBuffer: async () => new ArrayBuffer(8) })),
+  );
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+describe('sound playback under a slow connection', () => {
+  it('reuses decoded audio without making media players or requests for overlapping shots', async () => {
+    const { SoundHandler, Sounds } = await load();
+    await SoundHandler.initialize();
+    const players = FakeAudio.instances.length;
+    const requests = vi.mocked(fetch).mock.calls.length;
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < 80; i++) SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot, 0.7, 0.8);
+
+    expect(FakeAudio.instances).toHaveLength(players);
+    expect(fetch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(requests);
+    const context = FakeAudioContext.instances[0];
+    expect(context.decodeAudioData).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+    expect(context.sources).toHaveLength(80);
+    expect(new Set(context.sources.map((s) => s.buffer)).size).toBe(1);
+    expect(context.sources.every((s) => s.start.mock.calls.length === 1)).toBe(true);
+    expect(context.sources.every((s) => s.playbackRate.value === 0.8)).toBe(true);
+    expect(context.gains.every((g) => g.gain.value === 0.7)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('allows loaded effects to play while music or another effect is still loading', async () => {
+    FakeAudio.ready = new Promise(() => {});
+    vi.mocked(fetch).mockImplementation(async (src) =>
+      String(src).includes('hit.mp3')
+        ? new Promise(() => {})
+        : ({ ok: true, arrayBuffer: async () => new ArrayBuffer(8) } as Response),
+    );
+    const { SoundHandler, Sounds } = await load();
+    void SoundHandler.initialize();
+    await vi.waitFor(() =>
+      expect(FakeAudioContext.instances[0]?.decodeAudioData).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2),
+    );
+    SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot);
+    expect(FakeAudioContext.instances[0].sources[0].start).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+  });
+
+  it('drops effects that are not ready instead of replaying a backlog after loading', async () => {
+    let resolve!: (response: Response) => void;
+    vi.mocked(fetch).mockReturnValue(new Promise((r) => (resolve = r)));
+    const { SoundHandler, Sounds } = await load();
+    const ready = SoundHandler.initialize();
+    for (let i = 0; i < 80; i++) SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot);
+    expect(FakeAudioContext.instances[0].sources).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    resolve({ ok: true, arrayBuffer: async () => new ArrayBuffer(8) } as Response);
+    await ready;
+    expect(FakeAudioContext.instances[0].sources).toHaveLength(0);
+    SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot);
+    expect(FakeAudioContext.instances[0].sources).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it('bounds overlapping voices and disconnects both stolen and finished sounds', async () => {
+    const { SoundHandler, Sounds } = await load();
+    await SoundHandler.initialize();
+    for (let i = 0; i < 80; i++) SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot);
+    const context = FakeAudioContext.instances[0];
+    const stopped = context.sources.filter((s) => s.stop.mock.calls.length > 0);
+    const active = context.sources.filter((s) => s.stop.mock.calls.length === 0);
+    expect(active.length).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+    expect(active.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(16);
+    expect(stopped.every((s) => s.disconnect.mock.calls.length === 1)).toBe(true);
+
+    const last = context.sources[context.sources.length - 1];
+    last.onended?.();
+    expect(last.disconnect).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(context.gains[context.gains.length - 1].disconnect).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+  });
+
+  it('initializes only once and respects the sound toggle and volume limits', async () => {
+    const { SoundHandler, Sounds } = await load();
+    await Promise.all([SoundHandler.initialize(), SoundHandler.initialize()]);
+    expect(FakeAudioContext.instances).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(fetch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+    const context = FakeAudioContext.instances[0];
+    expect(context.resume).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    options.soundsEnabled = false;
+    SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot);
+    expect(context.sources).toHaveLength(0);
+    options.soundsEnabled = true;
+    SoundHandler.play(Sounds.hit, 2);
+    expect(context.gains[0].gain.value).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps playback harmless when audio is unavailable or an asset fails', async () => {
+    vi.mocked(fetch).mockRejectedValue(new Error('offline'));
+    const { SoundHandler, Sounds } = await load();
+    await expect(SoundHandler.initialize()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+    expect(() => SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot)).not.toThrow();
+    expect(FakeAudioContext.instances[0].sources).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.stubGlobal('AudioContext', undefined);
+    const unavailable = await load();
+    await expect(unavailable.SoundHandler.initialize()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+    expect(() => unavailable.SoundHandler.play(Sounds.shoot)).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});