Jamming the best gaming headset over your ears can be one of the most powerful upgrades you can make to your gaming setup. It will make pretty much every interaction with your PC just better. The impact good audio can have on your gaming experience can be huge. Surrounding yourself with a detailed soundscape—as the developers intended—will ground you in a game world like nothing else.
The headsets on this list are chosen from the dozens that the PC Gamer hardware team and I have tested. Between us, we've got decades of experience with the best and worst audio gear ever made. Considering all the options, the best gaming headset is the Razer BlackShark V3 thanks to its great audio, low latency, and reasonable price.
If you want to save some money and keep the cord, the best wired gaming headset is the HyperX Cloud Alpha. With great audio and a solid price point, it's an easy recommendation. If you prefer to spend a little less, the PowerA LucidSound LS500 is the best budget gaming headset.
August 6, 2026: The Audeze Maxwell 2 is now our top pick for the best wireless audiophile headset. I've also swapped out the wired Corsair HS55 Stereo, for the wireless PowerA LucidSound LS500 instead as the best budget headset.
June 19, 2026: I have added in a little widget to make it easier to track down all of our headset reviews of the past six years, and dropped in the EarFun Air Pro 4+ as our new pick as the best gaming earbuds.
February 11, 2026: I have added in a video element right at the top explaining just why the Razer BlackShark V3 is our pick as the best gaming headset right now. I have also added in the Audeze Maxwell 2, Logitech G522 Lightspeed, and Sony InZone H9 II headsets into our also tested list. So yes, that does mean the new Maxwell 2 has not replaced the original as our recommendation for best wireless audiophile cans.
Dave's been a wannabe audiophile since his time running Techradar's Home Entertainment channel around half a million years ago (give or take). Having tested the whole spread of different quality gaming gear, including $51,000 headphones, he's best placed to say which budget cans still sound good, and which high-end headsets are worth the cash.
Best gaming headset
✅ You want low-latency: The low-latency mode drops the connection speed to a rather spectacular 10 ms. That's a lot quicker than the HyperSpeed's usual latency at 25 ms.
❌ You want your headset in white: While the Pro version comes in white, you have to settle for black on the standard fare. I suppose it is called the BlackShark.
The best gaming headset. It's quite an accolade and we're handing it to the Razer BlackShark V3. The middle child of Razer's latest BlackShark lineup, the BlackShark V3 offers a good balance between features you might want, might need, without some of the extra fluff on the V3 Pro model that Razer hasn't quite nailed yet. It's a competitive price, in similar standing to our previous wireless pick, HyperX's Cloud Alpha Wireless.
But the BlackShark does a few things better than our previous incumbent. That's largely thanks to the new drivers and redesigned cans: both have seen improvements over the previous BlackShark generation and it really pays off in audio fidelity. Essentially, the mids are crystal clear, which is superb for picking out detail in game. The bass is also improved.
In our testing, we rate the BlackShark as one of, if not the, best sounding gaming headset around. Admittedly, audiophile headsets are a different beast altogether and we're partial to the Audeze and Beyerdynamic options for pure auditory magic, but that's high praise of any dedicated gaming headset.
It's not terrible on battery life, either, at 70 hours. It charges quick, 15 minutes for 6 hours, though you will rip through battery quicker with low-latency mode enabled. Low-latency mode keeps any lag between you and your game down to just 10 ms, beating Razer's usual HyperSpeed latency by 15 ms.
For around $100, the BlackShark V3 is an excellent choice. It does have a lot of competition, but after our time with it and the Pro version, we've come around to the more affordable option as the best iteration. Moreover, it's about as much gaming headset as most PC gamers need.
Click through to read our full Razer BlackShark V3 review.
Best budget gaming headset
✅ You’re on a budget: This has to be one of the best headsets I’ve tried that’s under $100, let alone under $70 USD.
✅ You want it simple: This headset has thrown out heaps of often unused bells and whistles to come in well under budget.
❌ You want full features: This budget headset has cut out the unnecessary extras to maintain a budget price. If you’re after fancy stuff like noise cancelling, you’ll have to pay more.
❌ You want a great mic: This headset has put the mic on the back burner. It's good enough for chat but for streaming and content creation you'll need to spend a bit more.
The PowerA LucidSound LS500 is the best budget gaming headset because it's a simple yet well-rounded bit of kit. For 70 bucks, it focuses on what you really need in a headset, offering featherweight comfort, good sound, and even a good microphone for the money.
A lightweight build makes for a comfy set of cans, if not something that feels a bit plastic-fantastic. The upside of such cheap construction is that the PowerA LucidSound LS500 weighs only 261 grams, and remains comfortable throughout many hours of play (which is more than can be said for even some more expensive options). Even better, the headband features a glasses slot so that the headphones don't press uncomfortably upon bespectacled folk.
A 70 hour battery life also helps to keep you immersed for longer; our Hope hadn't had to charge these bad boys by the time she turned in her review. For the price, that's solid performance.
As for sound, 50 mm audio drivers render both treble and bass clearly (though those addicted to bass boosted cans may find these a little lacking). The chat boom style mic is an even more pleasant surprise, though.
Enjoying fine audio pickup plus decent voice isolation, your dulcet tones will be faithfully rendered over a 2.4 GHz connection. The microphone arm is also flip-to-mute. Though at this price point, it's reasonable to expect a few quirks. Case in point, our Hope reported that this microphone arm only seemed to work for her over a dongle connection, and not over Bluetooth. But even with this quirk, the PowerA LucidSound LS500's comfort and audio chops still makes it the best budget gaming headset around.
Click through to read our full PowerA LucidSound LS500 review.
Best wired gaming headset
✅ You want a superb-sounding wired gaming headset for reasonable money: There's really no better option than the HyperX Cloud Alpha for the same cash, providing you don't want to cut the cord entirely.
✅ You need a headset for work and play: You can wear the HyperX Cloud Alpha throughout a workday and still find it comfortable enough to game in after the workday is done.
❌ You'd prefer a wireless headset: It may go without saying, but this isn't a wireless design. A wireless gaming headset is one of life's little luxuries, and if you'd prefer to pick one of those up then take a look at the best wireless gaming headset, the Razer BlackShark V3. Don't be surprised by what you find.
The best wired gaming headset in 2025 is the HyperX Cloud Alpha. While Razer's BlackShark V2 gaming headset was able to dethrone the Cloud Alpha as the best wired cans previously, it's no longer widely available in many regions. HyperX's headset, however, is easy to find and frequent discounts put this wonderful gaming headset back into the spotlight once again.
What's special about the Cloud Alpha gaming headset is how it sounds. That should be a given, right? Yet it's easy to get distracted by extraneous features that don't altogether matter much when looking for a gaming headset. The Cloud Alpha, however, is a simple beast. It delivers fantastic audio that's difficult to match for the same money.
The 50 mm neodymium drivers produce a hearty bass response, and that's key for gaming. It means you can feel the explosions or the hum of a sports car, and you get the best out of a game's soundtrack. But it's not only the powerful bass that impresses here, as this headset offers fantastic clarity and definition throughout the mids and highs.
HyperX achieves such impressive audio quality thanks to the use of a two-chamber design on the Cloud Alpha. Each earcup's driver is separated into its own chamber, which effectively reduces distortion that might muddy the bass with the mids and instead maximises articulation. The ability to deliver crisp and indulgent audio all at once is what separates the Cloud Alpha from the rest.
The Cloud Alpha also stands as the best gaming headset for its other attributes, namely that it's hella comfy. The padded earcups and headband are comfortable over long periods, and I've used this headset day in and day out without issue.
Our one complaint would be that it doesn't come with a flip-to-mute microphone, but the detachable one included is still a great quality unit and comes through loud and clear during online gaming or voice calls.
Don't be put off by how long this headset has been around. HyperX has gotten so much right with the Cloud Alpha, it doesn't need changing. That age actually helps with pricing, too, as this headset is regularly available for well under the asking price, and further discounts are plenty. For a wired gaming headset, you really can't go wrong with the HyperX Cloud Alpha in 2025. If you're happy keeping the cord, this is by far top of the list for your consideration.
Click through to read our full HyperX Cloud Alpha review.
Best mid-range gaming headset
✅ You want versatility: You don't have to settle for gaming at your desk with the Nova 3X, they're good for on-the-go or gaming handheld use, too.
✅ You're all about pastel tones: The lilac and blue colorways are to die for. TO DIE FOR.
❌ You want to connect to multiple Bluetooth devices at once: You can swap between 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connections easy enough, but using two devices at once over Bluetooth is a step too far.
Our pick for the best mid-range gaming headset is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. It's all about comfort, connectivity, and looking absolutely fabulous in purple and blue.
Beyond stellar good looks, the Nova 3X has some really superb specs for the money. These cans support both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.3, and you can switch between either connection with a push of the power button. You can't dual-wield Bluetooth devices at the same time, but for most PC gamers that shouldn't be a huge concern.
The sound profile is well balanced—banging, one might say. It's clear, detailed, and there's a subtle but not overwhelming amount of bass response to keep you immersed in the game without overwhelming the 40 mm neodymium drivers. That's something we see on a lot of gaming headsets, but the Nova 3X keeps things within reason and is all the better for it.
You can, of course, tweak the EQ in the provided application. There are a few game-specific EQ profiles, more broadly applicable EQs, and just your bog standard movie and music presets. We liked the deep bass preset, as it puts a bit of that bass response back in the picture from the balanced default, but you can play around with this to your liking. Just be warned, you can accidentally set two EQ profiles in different windows, which is not a pleasant experience.
The microphone is a detachable unit, which is a bit of a departure from SteelSeries' usual retractable microphone. That could be a positive or a negative, depending on who you are and whether you're prone to losing things. If you don't tend to misplace microphones you 'only took off for a minute', it's a good option and offers clear in-game voice chat through a slightly pitchy response. You wouldn't want to record a podcast with this headset, but then you probably wouldn't with many others, either. It's great for gaming, anyways.
The microphone also has a dedicated mute button. Handy for quickly answering the door without finding your Google Meet or Zoom call and muting there. Though it is easy to forget you've muted this way, and you might hear the dreaded 'I think you're on mute' on your return.
It's handy to be able to remove the microphone entirely. That turns this gaming headset into a more mobile unit for near-enough anything, with Bluetooth coming to the rescue to save using any sort of dongle on your smartphone. There's no play/pause button on-ear, which does limit some functionality, but otherwise it's sleek enough to not look that odd if you wear it on the bus.
Altogether, with a quick-charging battery, this gaming headset delivers everything you could need for gaming at your desktop or actually leaving the house, God forbid.
Click through to read our SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X review.
Best wired audiophile headset for gaming
✅ You want a punchy open-back profile: The MMX 330 is a gorgeous blend of punchy audio and an open-back design, which tends to be easier on the ears for critical listening. There is also a closed-back version, though we haven't tested them.
❌ You plan on being on the move: Thanks to being wired only, and having a bit of a bulky cable, it's not the best choice if you plan on taking them with you on the go.
If you're like me, you care less about gamer-specific functionality and more about stellar sound quality. Of course, as gamers, we also want this to sound great for gaming. This is where Beyerdynamic's MMX 330 comes in, as it's certainly the best audiophile headset for gaming that hasn't opted to cut the cord.
While this headset lacks some gamer-specific features, such as USB connectivity and RGB lighting, it absolutely nails the sound experience. This is thanks to a pair of STELLAR.45 drivers, which deliver superbly punchy audio despite the Pro's open-back design (which, by the way, delivers an airy soundscape that's perfect for immersive gaming audio).
There is a closed-back model available if you don't like sound leakage, but we haven't had the chance to test it personally. Still, it's got the same drivers and the same fantastic design, so it's no great stretch to think it'll be just as good.
There's little to dislike about the audio quality of this set, as it's up there with the best I've heard. We're talking fantastic separation across all ranges, even within bass frequencies, which are more of the defined variety than head-booming. And as far as gaming goes, this headset helps games to feel not just immersive but actually alive, with fantastic directional audio.
Plus, it's supremely comfortable. Thanks to velour earcup padding and a cleverly designed headband, I struggle to think of a headset that feels better against your skull than this.
It looks the part, too. Beyerdynamic's gone for a minimalistic black-and-grey design that screams audiophile suavetée (yes, I just made that word up, but it fits, doesn't it?). And it's low-power, too, meaning you shouldn't need an amp to get it up and running. Audiophile quality for the masses, who can argue with that?
Notably, this dethroned the DT 900 Pro X, also from Beyerdynamic, partially due to the inclusion of an excellent microphone that elevates these cans from audio-nerd eargasms to gaming-suitable masters. Simply wonderful to listen to.
Click through to read our full Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro review.
Best wireless audiophile headset for gaming
✅ You want the very best in gaming audio: Just as with Audeze's original headset, the Maxwell 2's planar magnetic drivers produce peerless sound quality, with outstanding clarity and depth in games, movies, and music.
❌ You don't like heavy headsets: At 560 g, the Maxwell 2 is a fair chunk of mass to strap onto your head, and certain design aspects conspire to make it uncomfortable to wear after many hours of use.
The best wireless audiophile gaming headset is the Audeze Maxwell 2, in no small part thanks to its 90 mm planar magnetic drivers. These massive drivers offer sound that our Nick says is "as majestic as ever," with peerless sound quality for both gaming and music.
Don't misunderstand, the original Maxwell headset is still great—but only if you can find it. The Maxwell 2 is more readily available and comes with the bass-intensifying SLAM system to boot.
The SLAM system essentially sandwiches a metal plate between the earcups and the rest of the earpiece, with ports to help equalise pressures. It does make for a heftier set of cans than its predecessor, but you may be willing to pay that price for a better bass response that doesn't muddy up the details of the Maxwell 2's already outstanding sound.
The Maxwell 2 also features improved AI noise reduction, blocking out background noise while never compromising your own dulcet tones. Coupled with the boom mic, this is another Audeze headset that doesn't compromise on the quality of audio going in or out. You can also detach the sizable boom arm, and rely on the decent internal microphone instead (just don't lose it like our Nick did).
All of this excellent audio is coupled with the same 1800 mAh battery as its predecessor, offering about 80 hours of up-time. That's all contained in a fairly sedate shell that eschews the usual gamer-geared trappings of RGB (though you can pop off the magnetically attached ear cup covers and swap in something a little more ostentatious if you so choose). For those serious about audio, this is a serious bit of kit.
Click through to read our full Audeze Maxwell 2 review.
The best gaming headset microphone
✅ You don't want a desk microphone: If you're a streamer or content creator, the ATH-M50x STS StreamSet is capable of fantastic mic quality without the dedicated mic.
❌ You're after a cheaper option: You could buy a gaming headset and one of the best cheap microphones for less than this all-in-one option.
It's taken a while, but manufacturers are finally starting to realise that streamers have their own specific product wants and needs. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50XSTS StreamSet understands this because it has a seriously stellar mic.
What does a streamer need that your average gamer doesn't? A quality mic. And this StreamSet headset more than delivers on the mic quality. We're not talking about your average high-quality headset microphone here. No, we're talking a full-on cardioid condenser mic.
Cardioid condenser mics are found in stand-alone models like the ones your favourite gaming influencers use in their streams and podcasts. The ATH-M50XSTS StreamSet packs one of these bad boys into the itty-bitty end of a headset boom arm.
This is no gimmick, either, as Hope found out in her testing. This flexible, flip-to-mute mic delivers microphone audio that helps your videos and streams sound professional, and that's an impressive party trick.
It's a great headset on the overall audio front, too. While it might not quite muster the audio chops of the MMX 330 Pro, it gets pretty damn close, with clear, well-balanced audio that sounds great in games and out of them. It looks good, too, sporting a decidedly non-gamery, somewhat minimalistic aesthetic. Perfect for those of you who like to hop on camera.
Click through to read our full Audio-Technica ATH-M50XSTS StreamSet review
Best noise cancelling gaming headset
✅ You're in a noisy environment: The active noise cancellation on the A-Spire is really impressive. It works wonders for both your own gaming experience in a loud area and anyone listening to you talk.
✅ You love your hyper-competitive games: If you're a big fan of Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends or similar, the A-Spire offers a clear and defined audio profile that should help you stay alert to sneaky players creeping up behind you.
❌ You want a wireless gaming headset: This headset offers Bluetooth connectivity for connecting to the mobile app and for listening to music while out and about. It's not intended as a wireless headset for PC gaming, meaning you'll need to be tied to a cable to get the best out of it.
Gaming dens can be noisy places, especially during competitions, so a headset that can block all of that out and still sound great is worth seeking out. It's for these very reasons that the AceZone A-Spire is the best noise-cancelling gaming headset.
AceZone has been making products for esports tournaments for a good few years now, and the A-Spire is its first model for the general gaming market. Naturally, it's brought across many of the features that make its products so popular in competitive gaming, most notably the active noise-cancelling system.
The A-Spire has been tuned to block out sounds commonly experienced at home, such as voices, and it does an exceptional job of it. It can be easily adjusted via the AceZone mobile phone app, and it's a breeze to go from total isolation to being able to hear the doorbell if needed.
Its plush earpads, thick earcups, and cushioned headband all conspire to make the headset comfortable to wear all day long. Despite offering wireless connectivity, the A-Spire is predominantly a wired gaming headset, and the Bluetooth system is only suitable for using the app and a spot of music—you can game over it, but it will significantly increase the lag and slightly decrease the audio quality.
Speaking of audio quality, however, the 40 mm dynamic drivers produce a well-defined sound, with a lot of clarity in the higher ranges. The overall profile has been tuned to work best in competitive shooters, and the app even offers dedicated EQ profiles for Counter-Strike 2 and Apex Legends.
Downsides? Well, the AceZone A-Spire is pretty expensive for a gaming headset—and while the microphone is perfectly decent, the boom arm design could be better. At least the included travel case is solidly built and a handy inclusion.
While primarily targeted at esports enthusiasts, the A-Spire is capable enough of being used by any PC gamer. Its stand-out feature, the active noise cancellation system, makes it ideal for anyone needing to isolate themselves from the work around them and get fully immersed in their games. A competitive gamer with serious noise-cancelling chops.
Click through to read our full AceZone A-Spire review.
Best earbuds for gaming
✅ You want crisp audio: The new armature drivers that sit alongside the 10 mm dynamic ones really push the Air Pro 4+ to a new level of audio quality for a pair of sub-$100 earbuds.
❌ You only play competitive games: The lack of 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity does mean there is some latency, even if it's barely noticeable with game mode enabled.
Where once it was the expensive SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds which occupied the top spot here, it is now the excellent EarFun Air Pro 4+. Now, ignore the slightly odd name of the company, because these really are some excellent earbuds, for gaming on the go, for podcasts, or for music. And they're way more affordable than the SteelSeries offerings, too. And that is a real positive in these tough times.
It's not just a price thing, either, as we had long-term issues with the SteelSeries GameBuds that meant we stopped using them. And when the EarFun set arrived they became our go-to buds on the regular. The armature drivers really add to the standard 10 mm ones, giving a real boost in terms of clarity and that is a bonus for any kind of use case you might have for the Air Pro 4+. The audio really is impressive, and definitely a step up over the standard Air Pro 4 set, which are cheaper for a reason.
Given we are talking about gaming here, it's important to note that these are only using Bluetooth 6 for your wireless connection—so no 2.4 GHz dongle here for that low-latency audio. But it does come with a specific game mode which works impressively well, so even in FPS games any delay is almost imperceptible. The rest of the feature set is great, too, with decent battery life, solid, adjustable ANC, dual connectivity, in-ear detection... in short all the things you want from the best gaming earbuds.
Click through to read our full EarFun Air Pro 4+ review.
How we test gaming headsets
How do we test gaming headsets?
You can read all about how PC Gamer tests hardware in our How We Test guide, but here's a quick breakdown of how we test gaming headsets specifically.
Each headset we test becomes our daily driver for weeks. This means we get to experience not just the sound, but what it's like to use each set of cans on a daily basis.
We test each headset in a number of different game genres—shooters, battle royales, and racing games make for particularly good testing scenarios since the former tends to test the low-end and reveal muddiness and distortion, while Battlefield, PUBG, et al are great for positional audio tracking.
We record a sample of our voice in Audacity and compare it to previous recordings from other models, then head to Discord to get some feedback from our friends on how we're sounding.
Oh, and we listen to a lot of high-res audio music, obviously. Listening to tracks we know well, that work through the bass, mid-tones, and highs, means we know how they should sound at their best. And if we hear good things we've never heard before in a familiar track, that often indicates some pretty fabulous drivers at work underneath.
Where to buy
Where are the best gaming headset deals?
In the US:
Amazon - Big discounts on popular gaming headsets
Walmart - Console, and PC gaming headset deals
B&H Photo - Deals on pro-sumer and gaming headsets
Best Buy - Save over $90 on gaming headsets
Target - Gaming headsets as low as $20
Staples - Tons of budget gaming headsets
Newegg - Lots of gaming headsets on offer
In the UK:
Amazon - Tons of budget gaming headset options
Newegg - Variety of gaming headset brands
Overclockers - Deals on wireless gaming headsets
Scan - Deals on Razer and Beyerdynamic headsets
Ebuyer - Gaming headsets as low as £17
Argos - Budget gaming headsets aplenty
Best gaming headset FAQ
What does a gaming headset need?
There are a few things to consider when choosing a gaming headset. A good price and sound quality are foremost, but comfort is up there, too. Also, noise-cancelling mics are crucial for comms, so most of the headsets we've listed here include this feature. You want decent voice quality and a microphone that won't pick up every single keypress on your mechanical keyboard.
Are wired or wireless headsets better for gaming?
This really comes down to preference, but if you're going the wireless route what you want to look for is for decent battery life (20 hours or higher). The last thing you want to have a headset that's constantly needs to be plugged in because the battery life is bad. It kind of defeats the purpose of being wireless. For wired headsets, you want to make sure the cable is long enough to reach your PC without feeling like it's tugging on your head.
