A lot of the time, the most effective “gaming headset” isn’t a headset in any respect. Whereas many individuals have a look at gaming headsets as their very own area of interest, they’re in the end simply headphones with a growth mic, some fancy branding and (normally) an inflated price ticket hooked up. Whereas the final high quality of these headsets has improved over time, a great pair of conventional wired headphones — which, sure, nonetheless exist — nonetheless are inclined to ship richer, extra detailed sound. If it’s essential chat with buddies, you may all the time hook them as much as a devoted microphone and obtain superior audio high quality there as effectively.
That mentioned, it’s an more and more wi-fi world, and we all know that many individuals simply need the comfort of a headset with a mic in-built. So, after researching the market and testing dozens of contenders over the previous couple of years, we’ve rounded up the most effective gaming headsets and headphones for gaming that we’ve tried. Each ought to make your recreation time just a little extra pleasing, whether or not you play on a PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC or Nintendo Change.
Desk of contents
Greatest gaming headphones for 2025
Greatest gaming headsets for 2025
Different gaming headsets we have examined
Word: It is a collection of noteworthy gaming headsets and headphones we’ve put by way of their paces, not a complete record of all the things we’ve ever tried.
PlayStation Pulse Elite (and Pulse Discover)
The PlayStation Pulse Elite is an inexpensive various to the Turtle Seashore Atlas Air for PS5 homeowners, because it lets you change quantity, swap between totally different EQ presets, regulate the game-to-chat combine and mute the mic proper from the console’s native UI. It’s much like the way in which AirPods combine with iPhones. This pair additionally allows you to connect with a second machine over Bluetooth on the similar time, and the planar magnetic drivers — a rarity for $150 headphones — do an honest job of reproducing smaller particulars. The sound profile as a complete is narrower and extra uneven within the bass and treble than the Atlas Air, nonetheless, whereas the all-plastic design is comfy however flimsy-feeling. It additionally doesn’t do a lot to dam exterior noise, regardless of being closed-back, and the management buttons are awkward to succeed in.
We additionally examined Sony’s in-ear model of those headphones, the PlayStation Pulse Explore, however discovered it too uncomfortable to put on over prolonged classes. That one is proscribed to roughly 5 hours of battery life, too.
Astro A50 (Gen 5)
The Astro A50 (Gen 5) is successfully the identical headset because the A50X, simply with none HDMI ports on its base station. It prices $80 much less, so it’s a worthy various to the Audeze Maxwell in the event you primarily play on one platform and desire a superior microphone. However the skill to mechanically change between consoles is the factor that makes the A50X price shopping for within the first place, in order that comfort continues to be price paying for in the event you recreation on a number of units.
Corsair Virtuoso Professional
The Corsair Virtuoso Pro is one other one of many few devoted gaming headsets with an open-back design. It has a comparatively darkish sound with principally underemphasized treble and elevated upper-bass, although the highs are clearer right here than they’re on the Astro A40, and it nonetheless delivers a wider soundstage than most gaming headsets. We most popular this signature over Astro’s pair with some video games, although in others it felt much less balanced. The Virtuoso Professional’s mic is decidedly much less muffled than the A40’s however nonetheless sounds pretty skinny, so it’s merely first rate in comparison with the broader headset market. Its headband adjustment mechanism feels low-cost, too, and you’ll’t detach the mic with out swapping cables out solely. Its spherical, breathable ear cups and manageable weight do make it simple to put on, although, and it comes with a sturdy journey case for defense. In the end, it’s an honest purchase, however it’s onerous to justify over the extra featured and easier-sounding Atlas Air.
HyperX Cloud Alpha Wi-fi
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless can final effectively over 300 hours at reasonable volumes, which is remarkable and by far the most effective of any wi-fi mannequin we’ve examined. It’s gentle and never too comfortable on the pinnacle, and its highly effective bass lends an actual sense of pleasure to in-game motion. But it surely blunts extra element than the Atlas Air, Maxwell and A50 X, and its mic isn’t pretty much as good. A number of users have additionally reported latency issues when utilizing the headset with HyperX’s Ngenuity software program, and there’s no Xbox, Bluetooth or wired audio help. Nonetheless, if battery life is paramount, you could possibly look previous all of that.
Logitech G Professional X 2 Lightspeed
If the Audeze Maxwell is out of inventory, the Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed is one other high quality wi-fi headset price contemplating. It sounds higher than the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, with satisfying however extra managed bass and extra correct mids, and it’s lighter on the pinnacle than the Maxwell. Logitech charges its battery life at 50 hours, however we discovered it to final for much longer at reasonable volumes. Nonetheless, much like the Astro A50 X, a dip within the treble makes it sound darker and extra veiled than the Maxwell, and it doesn’t have any HDMI-switching methods to fall again on. Its mic additionally sounds much less pure than these of the Maxwell, A50 X and Cloud Alpha Wi-fi. Plus, whereas it may possibly join over a USB dongle, Bluetooth or a 3.5mm cable, it may possibly’t pair to 2 units without delay like Audeze’s and Astro’s pairs. Our greatest difficulty is the worth: Worth-wise, it’s in one thing of a no man’s land at its MSRP of $250. It’s a wonderful alternative if it dips beneath $200, although.
Razer BlackShark V2 Professional
The wi-fi Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is tremendously comfy and has a great mic, however its boomy sound is much less refined and detailed than the Audeze Maxwell. As a closed-back headset, it additionally lacks the width of the Atlas Air. There’s no help for wired audio both.
Logitech G535 Lightspeed
The Logitech G535 is an impressively gentle (0.52 kilos) and comfortable wi-fi headset that’s usually obtainable for $100 or much less. It has a comparatively impartial sound signature: not flat, however not beholden to massive, thumping bass. It will probably make particulars within the mids sound skinny, and if something it might use just a little extra sub-bass, however it’s an agreeable pay attention general. Nonetheless, its mic is not particularly full, and its 35-or-so-hour battery life is a big drop from our high suggestions. It doesn’t work with Xbox’s wi-fi protocol or Bluetooth both, and it forces you to crank the quantity to succeed in a listenable degree. However in the event you don’t need to spend a ton on a wi-fi headset, it’s a wonderful worth.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X
Xbox homeowners who desire a extra inexpensive wi-fi headset than the Audeze Maxwell might do worse than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X. It’s one other bass-forward pair, and its mic is akin to that of the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi. It gives a number of connectivity choices, together with Bluetooth and a 3.5mm cable. Whereas it is marketed for Xbox, it may possibly additionally connect with PCs and PS5s. Its 30-ish-hour battery life is effectively in need of the Maxwell and Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, nonetheless, and its uneven treble could cause issues like in-game dialogue to sound masked in sure titles.
SteelSeries sells a less expensive Arctis Nova 5X mannequin with longer battery life, although we’ve not been in a position to check that one but, and it would not help wired connections.
HyperX Cloud Alpha
The wired HyperX Cloud Alpha usually goes for $80 or much less, and at that value it’s an honest center floor between the Cloud Stinger 2 and Astro A40 in the event you actually desire a closed-back gaming headset. It’s previous, however its plush earpads and headband are comfortable, and its removable mic, whereas not very good, continues to be higher than the one on the A40. Its treble is underemphasized, nonetheless, and once more it sounds extra “in your head” than Astro’s pair.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Professional
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a snug wired-only headset with a noticeably clearer mic than the Astro A40. It additionally comes with a helpful DAC that makes it simple to regulate the headset’s EQ and game-to-chat combine on the fly. Nonetheless, its closed-back design can’t present the identical enveloping sense of width, and its default sound can sound piercing within the treble. It’s additionally pricier, sometimes hovering within the $200 to $220 vary.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Professional Wi-fi
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is basically much like its wired counterpart however provides a satisfactory degree of lively noise cancellation. Having the ability to hot-swap battery packs and connect with a number of units without delay can be good. It’s not as handy for multi-console play because the Astro A50 X, although, and it is normally not less expensive than the Audeze Maxwell, which sounds higher, has a superior mic and lasts longer on a cost.
Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Professional
There’s nothing significantly unhealthy concerning the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro: It makes use of the identical drivers because the DT 900 Professional X, its velour earpads are comfortable and its mic works effectively. It’s simply onerous to suggest spending $300 on a wired-only headset when the Audeze Maxwell gives wi-fi performance and equally wonderful sound — with barely much less spiky treble and extra even bass — for a similar value. The MMX 300 Professional’s mic isn’t removable both, and the closed-back design retains it from sounding as huge because the DT 900 Professional X.
HyperX Cloud III Wi-fi
The HyperX Cloud III Wireless is comfortable and might last as long as 120 hours per cost, however it sounds much less dynamic than the older Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, with weaker bass response. Like that pair, it additionally lacks a 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth audio help and Xbox compatibility. The Cloud Alpha Wi-fi nonetheless will get almost 3 times the battery life, too, so it stays a greater purchase in order for you a wi-fi headset for PS5 or PC gaming within the $150 vary.
Sennheiser HD 490 Professional
The Sennheiser HD 490 Pro are studio-focused open-back headphones that additionally work effectively for gaming. They arrive with two units of ear pads, one which barely elevates the bass and one other that bumps the midrange, although they ship spectacular width and element both manner with out pushing too onerous in a single path. They’re additionally a pleasure to put on over lengthy intervals, each lighter than the DT 900 Professional X and fewer stiff than the HD 560S. That mentioned, they’re normally priced near $400, and their sound profile is extra of a pleasant various to our high picks than one thing clearly extra pure or resolving. Most individuals don’t must pay the premium.
Greatest gaming headsets and headphones: What to search for
Evaluating headphones is a very subjective train, so calling one pair absolutely the “finest” is one thing of a idiot’s errand. At a sure level, whether or not you are an audiophile or not, all the things turns into a matter of style. For many, a headphone with a large soundscape and powerful imaging efficiency — i.e., the power to place sounds appropriately, so you may extra exactly inform the place footsteps and different gameplay results are coming from — will present probably the most immersive gaming expertise, the type that makes you’re feeling like your head is inside a given scene.
For that, you desire a high-quality pair of open-back headphones. That’s to say, an over-ear pair whose ear cups don’t utterly seal off the ear from air and outdoors noise. These are inherently horrible at isolating you from exterior sound and stopping others from listening to what you’re enjoying, so in the event you usually play video games in a loud surroundings, their advantages shall be blunted. However in a quiet room, the most effective open-back pairs sound considerably wider and extra exact than extra frequent closed-back fashions.
Extra up for debate is how a great gaming headphone ought to sound. In order for you one thing that’ll show you how to in aggressive multiplayer video games, you could favor a headphone with a flatter sound signature, which’ll hold a recreation’s combine from being overly boosted in a single path and is much less more likely to masks the smaller particulars of what’s occurring round you. A barely brighter sound, one which pushes the higher frequencies a tad, can also work. Open-back headphones nearly by no means have big sub-bass, so that you hardly ever have to fret about low-end sounds muddying up the remainder of the signature. On this gentle, the truth that an amazing quantity of gaming headsets are closed-back and bass-heavy appears counterintuitive.
Plenty of folks love bass, although. And in the event you do not actually care about aggressive play, some additional low-end can add a contact of pleasure to motion scenes or rousing soundtracks. You continue to don’t desire a pair that enhances the low-end too onerous — as many gaming headsets do — however the level is that what makes a pair “immersive” to at least one individual could sound boring to a different.
Latest updates
April 2025: We’ve up to date this information to make sure our suggestions are nonetheless correct and eliminated our testing notes for the Beyerdynamic MMX 200, which is now not obtainable. Trying ahead, we’ve our eyes on a number of different headsets and headphones for our subsequent replace, together with the Sennheiser HD 550, Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro, ASUS ROG Delta II, Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X and Turtle Beach Stealth 600 (Gen 3).
January 2025: We’ve regarded over this information to make sure our picks are nonetheless correct and added notes on a number of extra headsets we’ve lately examined, together with the PlayStation Pulse Elite, Astro A50 (Gen 5) and Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Professional.
November 2024: We have up to date this information with a brand new advice for the most effective devoted gaming headset, the Turtle Seashore Atlas Air, and reorganized our picks accordingly. We have additionally added notes on different gaming-friendly headphones we have examined, together with the Sennheiser HD 490 Professional and Razer BlackShark V2 Professional, and eliminated a few write-ups on headsets which are now not obtainable.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-gaming-headset-130006477.html?src=rss
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