diff --git a/apps/cluster/static/assets/audio/sounds.json b/apps/cluster/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
index ea6c8abbb..614753df3 100644
--- a/apps/cluster/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
+++ b/apps/cluster/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@
 		"tumble_win_5": [404000, 989.6145124716327]
 	},
 	"src": [
+		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ogg",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.m4a",
-		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ac3"
 	],
 	"config": {
diff --git a/apps/lines/static/assets/audio/sounds.json b/apps/lines/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
index ea6c8abbb..614753df3 100644
--- a/apps/lines/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
+++ b/apps/lines/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@
 		"tumble_win_5": [404000, 989.6145124716327]
 	},
 	"src": [
+		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ogg",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.m4a",
-		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ac3"
 	],
 	"config": {
diff --git a/apps/price/static/assets/audio/sounds.json b/apps/price/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
index ea6c8abbb..614753df3 100644
--- a/apps/price/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
+++ b/apps/price/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@
 		"tumble_win_5": [404000, 989.6145124716327]
 	},
 	"src": [
+		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ogg",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.m4a",
-		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ac3"
 	],
 	"config": {
diff --git a/apps/scatter/static/assets/audio/sounds.json b/apps/scatter/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
index ea6c8abbb..614753df3 100644
--- a/apps/scatter/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
+++ b/apps/scatter/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@
 		"tumble_win_5": [404000, 989.6145124716327]
 	},
 	"src": [
+		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ogg",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.m4a",
-		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ac3"
 	],
 	"config": {
diff --git a/apps/ways/static/assets/audio/sounds.json b/apps/ways/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
index ea6c8abbb..614753df3 100644
--- a/apps/ways/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
+++ b/apps/ways/static/assets/audio/sounds.json
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@
 		"tumble_win_5": [404000, 989.6145124716327]
 	},
 	"src": [
+		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ogg",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.m4a",
-		"./assets/audio/sounds.mp3",
 		"./assets/audio/sounds.ac3"
 	],
 	"config": {
diff --git a/packages/utils-sound/src/createSound.svelte.ts b/packages/utils-sound/src/createSound.svelte.ts
index 3afa12334..e61a63fe8 100644
--- a/packages/utils-sound/src/createSound.svelte.ts
+++ b/packages/utils-sound/src/createSound.svelte.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Howler } from 'howler';
+import { Howl, Howler } from 'howler';
 
 import { type LoadedAudio } from 'pixi-svelte';
 import { stateSoundDerived } from 'state-shared';
@@ -27,34 +27,107 @@ function createSound<TSoundName extends string>() {
 		// loadedAudio
 		loadedAudio = loadedAudioValue;
 
-		const howl = new Howl({
-			src: loadedAudio.src,
-			sprite: loadedAudio.sprite,
-			volume: 1,
-		});
-		// players
-		players = {
-			music: createPlayer<TSoundName, PlayMusic>({ loadedAudio, loop: true, howl, createPlay: createPlayMusic<TSoundName> }), // prettier-ignore
-			loop: createPlayer<TSoundName, PlayLoop>({ loadedAudio, loop: true, howl, createPlay: createPlayLoop<TSoundName> }), // prettier-ignore
-			once: createPlayer<TSoundName, PlayOnce>({ loadedAudio, loop: false, howl, createPlay: createPlayOnce<TSoundName> }), //  prettier-ignore
-		};
+		let destroyed = false;
+		let objectUrl: string | null = null;
+		let howl: Howl | null = null;
 
-		// audioContextState and visibilityState
 		const onAudioContextChange = () => (audioContextState = Howler.ctx.state);
 		const onVisibilityStateChange = () => (visibilityState = document.visibilityState);
 
-		Howler.ctx.addEventListener('statechange', onAudioContextChange);
-		document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityStateChange);
+		const getMimeType = (url: string) => {
+			if (/\.mp3($|\?)/i.test(url)) return 'audio/mpeg';
+			if (/\.ogg($|\?)/i.test(url)) return 'audio/ogg';
+			if (/\.m4a($|\?)/i.test(url)) return 'audio/mp4';
+			if (/\.ac3($|\?)/i.test(url)) return 'audio/ac3';
+			return 'application/octet-stream';
+		};
+
+		// Howler picks the codec from the URL extension and rejects URLs without one
+		// (e.g. blob: URLs) with "No codec support for selected audio sources." Passing
+		// the extension explicitly via the `format` option lets Howler accept the blob URL.
+		const getFormat = (url: string) => {
+			const clean = url.split('?')[0].split('#')[0];
+			const match = /\.([^.]+)$/.exec(clean);
+			return match ? match[1].toLowerCase() : undefined;
+		};
+
+		const setupPlayers = (src: string | string[], html5: boolean, format?: string[]) => {
+			if (destroyed) return;
+
+			const howlInstance = new Howl({
+				src,
+				sprite: loadedAudio.sprite,
+				volume: 1,
+				html5,
+				format,
+			});
+			howl = howlInstance;
+
+			// players
+			players = {
+				music: createPlayer<TSoundName, PlayMusic>({ loadedAudio, loop: true, howl: howlInstance, createPlay: createPlayMusic<TSoundName> }), // prettier-ignore
+				loop: createPlayer<TSoundName, PlayLoop>({ loadedAudio, loop: true, howl: howlInstance, createPlay: createPlayLoop<TSoundName> }), // prettier-ignore
+				once: createPlayer<TSoundName, PlayOnce>({ loadedAudio, loop: false, howl: howlInstance, createPlay: createPlayOnce<TSoundName> }), //  prettier-ignore
+			};
+
+			// audioContextState and visibilityState
+			Howler.ctx.addEventListener('statechange', onAudioContextChange);
+			document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityStateChange);
+
+			// apply the current volume settings to the freshly created players
+			volumeMusicEffect();
+			volumeLoopEffect();
+			volumeOnceEffect();
+		};
+
+		// Preload the audio ourselves with a Range request and hand Howler a Blob URL.
+		// Some dev servers/browsers cancel a plain GET of an audio file with a 204 (empty
+		// body -> "Decoding audio data failed"), while a ranged request returns the whole
+		// file (206). Loading from a Blob keeps Howler on the WebAudio path, which supports
+		// real audio sprites and overlapping one-shot effects.
+		const preload = async () => {
+			const srcList = Array.isArray(loadedAudio.src) ? loadedAudio.src : [loadedAudio.src];
+
+			for (const rawSrc of srcList) {
+				try {
+					const response = await fetch(rawSrc, { headers: { Range: 'bytes=0-' } });
+					if (!response.ok && response.status !== 206) continue;
+
+					const buffer = await response.arrayBuffer();
+					if (buffer.byteLength === 0) continue;
+
+					objectUrl = URL.createObjectURL(
+						new Blob([buffer], { type: getMimeType(rawSrc) }),
+					);
+
+					if (destroyed) {
+						URL.revokeObjectURL(objectUrl);
+						objectUrl = null;
+						return;
+					}
+
+					const format = getFormat(rawSrc);
+					setupPlayers(objectUrl, false, format ? [format] : undefined);
+					return;
+				} catch (error) {
+					// try the next source
+				}
+			}
+
+			// Fallback: let Howler load the source directly through the HTML5 media path.
+			if (!destroyed) setupPlayers(loadedAudio.src, true);
+		};
+
+		preload();
 
 		const destroy = () => {
+			destroyed = true;
+
 			Howler.ctx.removeEventListener('statechange', onAudioContextChange);
 			document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityStateChange);
 
-			if (players) {
-				players.music.howl.unload();
-				players.loop.howl.unload();
-				players.once.howl.unload();
-			}
+			if (howl) howl.unload();
+			if (objectUrl) URL.revokeObjectURL(objectUrl);
 		};
 
 		return {