Looking for the best gaming headset can be tough. Whether you’re going for the all-in-one, buying for a console or even looking to find a pair of headphones that works across consoles and PC, we’ve dug through some of the best to find the right ones for you.
Despite its lofty price of $350, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is our pick for the best overall gaming headset, according to our own Dylan Horetski. Getting full marks from us, the Arctis Nova Pro dominates with its cancelling microphone, sleek design and most importantly, sound quality.
With around 22 hours of battery life and compatibility with consoles, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is an incredible investment to make for yourself.
You can buy the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro here:
Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox
Read more: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review: The king of gaming headsets?
Recommending the best budget gaming headset is a little tricky, as the need for an all-in-one featured piece of kit outweighs the potential for saving some cash. Microphones, high-quality audio and various other bits and bobs like wireless connectivity push ‘budget’ from what you’d be considering at around $50 or below to something under $100.
There’s also the fact that gaming headsets, for the most part, are still a niche product. There might be hundreds available and you might see your favourite esports stars or even Twitch streamers using them, but for the most part, if you want to go truly budget, you’d need to consider a whole other set-up.
So let’s see what we can get for less than $100 and as always, be on the lookout for deals. A lot of these headsets will dip below $100 very often in sales like Prime Day.
Razer’s peripherals might be a little divisive in some areas, but the good word from those around us is that these headphones are well worth the price of admission. They have over the ear for comfort, with a small microphone in front for easy chatting. The microphone features noise cancelling, allowing you a clear line of communication with minimal background noise coming through.
Razer’s gimmick with the audio is that it puts immersion, with a 7.1 surround sound and THX Spatial Audio to get the edge on enemies in certain competitive titles like Call of Duty.
The wireless signal operates on 2.4GHz, with 16 hours of battery life to boot. However, it still does charge with a micro-USB cable, so it’s time to dig through for those in your cupboard.
Corsair’s bulky beasts will not hurt your head after a long period of time, thanks to the generous cushions that surround your ears and the top of your head. The rim is a sturdy, solid piece of plastic without much give, making these incredibly reliable.
On the side, the microphone can be muted with just a touch of a button and is built with sturdy materials. It features 7.1 surround sound audio, as well as integration with Corsair’s RGB lighting software if you’re already in the ecosystem. However, those on newer M1 Macs will find that the 7.1 audio does not work, rendering these a no-go for those wanting to use their Macbooks as one of their gaming devices.
If you’re after a real budget headset, it might be worth sacrificing the wireless nature of the more expensive entries and going all-in on wired. Wired headsets have the benefit of being able to control the audio coming from your PC or console, as you’ll be able to place interfaces or DACs in between to boost audio if it happens to be too quiet.
The Logitech G432 supplies you with a wired setup, with decent audio at the price range. The microphone also provides good quality for chatting, but don’t use it for anything more. There’s volume control on the back for easy tuning, with a lightweight frame and fake leather cups on the earphones that won’t get too sweaty over hours of game time.
Turtle Beach has been around for so long. Remember when they used to be one of the only viable options outside of the included flimsy piece of plastic in the Xbox 360 box?
Either way, there’s a reason they’ve lasted as long as they have and it’s because they’re just downright reliable. The Gen 2 versions of the Stealth 700 offers up not only a sleeker, refreshed design but also a few new features over the originals.
It does remove noise cancellation from the Gen 1, but the upside is the cups help drown out the sound that’s coming in thanks to the thick pads around the edges. This comfort is backed up with a microphone that flips up to activate muting and 20-hour-long battery life.
There’s a small USB dongle that comes with it for direct connections without the hassle of Bluetooth, but supposedly you can use both Bluetooth and use the wireless connection at the same time. This dongle is used for consoles.
Make sure you get the right one though. The Xbox and PlayStation 5 versions offer different methods of connectivity.
This time, the G Pro X are our next recommendation. These provide a solid 7.1 channel surround sound, which is boosted by the included USB sound card to unlock a whole host of features on a PC.
This includes BlueVoice, their post-processing for the microphone to ensure you sound as clear as day, despite what you might be doing. De-essing and compression without the real need to think, it’s always good to have good quality audio on hand.
If you’re a professional and moving around between PCs, the external sound card that comes with the headset will actually save your presets, so you won’t need to tune them every single time.
The headset is compatible with everything, as it is wired. This means you get the added benefit of it working across all your consoles, with some of the settings you stored on the USB sound card coming through. If however you only use the included jack on the controller, you won’t get any of the benefits.
SteelSeries, again? Look, just because the new hotness is out, doesn’t discount the excellent previous models. Headsets and headphones rarely ‘go out of date’. The core feature, the listening bit improves only because of the added gimmicks around it.
If the quality of the audio isn’t going to dissipate and the overall quality of the headset isn’t either. That’s why, while they still rule the shelves, the SteelSeries 9X is still a worthy option.
On the Xbox version, you can connect to your console ‘like a controller’, which leaves the Bluetooth ready to be paired to another device to mix your music and game audio. It helps that they look relatively clean too, providing great sound when just out and about listening to music.
SteelSeries also claim the microphone is the same used by aircraft carriers to reduce noise coming in from outside of your voice. There’s also solid 20-hour battery life, ensuring that you won’t need to charge this gaming headset after every session.
Audeze is usually the type of brand you’d see recommended in and around audiophile forums and such. Their main range of music-focused headphones is absurdly good, with their transition to gaming being a little bit of a bumpy ride.
The included microphone is poor, people have reported that the build quality isn’t exactly on point and to get the most out of them, you’d have to consider moving away from the wireless Bluetooth to get down with a DAC to boost the audio.
It also drops the previous Audeze gaming headset’s main gimmick, the 3D virtual sound, in favour of supplying a 2.4GHz connection. This makes, for ease of use, the Penrose the better option to use if you’re on a console. It’s compatible with the PlayStation and Xbox consoles as the 2.4GHz dongle that comes with it can be popped in to avoid using Bluetooth.
So why would we recommend something that isn’t exactly perfect in the premium section of our top recommendations?
Audeze makes some of the best headphones, despite the faults, the quality is incredible. Inside the Audeze headset is the patented planar magnetic drivers, which are 100mm in size. This provides you with an increased volume, bass response and just an overall better audio experience.
These planar magnetic drivers are included in the Penrose headset and provide an excellent gaming experience. What about the Mobius though?
While the quality difference is minimal in the audio department, the extra features in the audio department are where it matters. The Penrose can use Dolby Atmos and DTSX virtual surround sound, but these just don’t compare to the bespoke 3D Virtual Sound.
The issue here is that the Mobius is only compatible with the PC, which is great for PC players, but absolutely useless on the console front. However, the 3D Virtual Sound is incredible and well worth the entry fee of the extra $100. Though it’s totally understandable if that’s too rich for your blood.
Bose, is one of the favourites in the audio business for a reason. Impressive audio is backed up with quality in every other department. While not strictly for the audiophile, these will be more than enough for any discernible gaming enthusiast trying to get the most out of their games.
These are quality headphones, which if you’ve ever been within listening distance of a pair of Bose headphones, you’ll already know of. Now condensed into a gaming headset, you not only get the best of both worlds. High-quality audio with minimal compromise and a wonderfully constructed headset.
The thing with the Bose headphones is that Bose has almost perfected noise cancellation, allowing you to focus on your game rather than hearing the blaring fan from your PC or even those pesky other people around you.
While the price is steep, know that you’re going to get one of the best listening experiences outside of Audeze’s high-end headphones.
Bose isn’t really keen on the specs being released in detail. Seriously, their website has no specs for these.
Ever wanted a spaceship on your head? Now you can. The Astro headphones, outside of Turtle Beach, have been staples of many, many gaming setups. Their tech and quality offer some of the best headsets for you to game with.
The additional feature here is the included Dolby Atmos button, that turns on the virtual surround sound to give you a new dynamic for your audio. It’ll simulate a 3D location, but milage will vary depending on the game itself.
There are around 15 hours of battery life, along with individual toggles on the headset itself to control the volume of the voice chat or game. The headphones also have swappable cups so you can choose material or fake leather.
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