Round out your gaming immersion by adding one of the best PC gaming headsets in your arsenal. Nothing gets you right in the middle of the a...
Round out your gaming immersion by adding one of the best PC gaming headsets in your arsenal. Nothing gets you right in the middle of the action like a gaming headset with excellent audio, immersive surround sound and Dolby Atmos, and a clear mic so you come across loud and clear to your squad when it counts.
Gaming headsets have come a long way. Unlike the headsets of the past that only focus on surround sound, booming bass, and RGB lighting, today’s offerings have also improved on their sound quality. Options from Razer, SteelSeries, Audeze, and Logitech have been raising the stakes so that gamers are not only getting the immersion and the rumble they need and crave for, they’re also getting great sound quality worthy of top-quality headphones.
So, whether or not you have a more discerning taste when it comes to sound, pick up an excellent headset of PC gaming. Luckily, as we’ve gathered the best ones we’ve tested in this guide, you won’t need to do tedious scouring on the internet. Just peruse our list below, utilize our price comparison tool for the best deals, and choose the one that’s right for you.
How to choose the best gaming headset for you?
Whether you've recently invested in a gaming laptop or you’re working with the best budget gaming PC you could piece together, your PC gaming experience isn’t going to be fully realized until you have invested in quality, immersive audio. That’s where PC gaming headsets come in.
PC games are just about the visuals, after all. In fact, many of them require you to have accurate sound imaging and an excellent soundstage to get to the top of the leaderboards. Luckily, top-notch gaming headsets from budget to premium are already equipped with those.
However, these days, you can be more discerning about things like sound quality and mic performance as well. Thanks to the improvements manufacturers have made to their products, PC gaming headsets – or at least, the best of them – are now just as great for music listening and movie watching as they are for gaming. That’s without costing a whole lot more than those with subpar sound quality.
Take a look at how comfortable the headband and ear cups sit on your head as well. Many headsets these days pride themselves on having plush memory foam and soft, sweat-wicking foam cover; however, not all of them actually offer that level of comfort. And, if you plan on gaming for hours, you need to choose one that won’t hurt your head when you wear it for long periods.
Finally, there are things like type of interface (wireless or wired), connectivity and range, and RGB lighting to consider as well.
Focusing primarily on three attributes: positional audio, communication clarity and noise cancellation, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is a premium wireless gaming headset in every sense of the word. It has a great feature set, serious battery life, excellent build quality and impressive sound quality, all of which work together to deliver an amazing audio experience whether you’re gaming or movie watching. Next to those, the fact that it’s incredibly comfortable seems like icing on the cake.
Read the full review: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro
The Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless is possibly the best gaming headset Corsair has ever made, which is saying a lot since they've produced some of the best headsets we've tested in recent years. Featuring Dolby Atmos sound, you can experience better-than-7.1-surround sound to give you the tactical edge in your favorite eSports titles or just to enjoy while streaming the latest Summer blockbusters. With its excellent build quality, comfortable design, 20-hour-long battery life, range of around 60 feet (18.3m), and fully customizeable RGB lighting through Corsair's iCUE software, this is the premium gaming headset that ever serious PC gamer should check out. It's not as good as "true" home theater Dolby Atmos, though, so audiophiles (and anyone on a tighter budget) might want to look elsewhere.
Read the full review: Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless
Easily one of the best headsets we've ever used, the Corsair HS60 Haptic boasts haptic feedback so that you can feel every single bass note, putting you right in the middle of all the action. It actually feels like you’ve just strapped a subwoofer comfortably to your head, and that’s without compromising the sound quality. With no Bluetooth or wireless radio connection to worry about, this isn’t a surprise. For those who enjoy multiplayer campaigns with friends, that mic not only provides incredibly clear voice input, but also comes with a few onboard controls for mic muting, volume and haptic intensity. Best of all, while this isn’t the cheapest headsets out there, it’s also not expensive, making it a great value for your money.
Read the full review: Corsair HS60 Haptic
Wireless headphones are no longer plagued with latency, with such releases as the Logitech G Pro X Lightspeed setting a higher standard for wireless audio. One of the best gaming headsets out there, this pair of cans gives you wireless freedom alongside low latency, robust build quality and, most importantly, excellent sound. It also boasts up to 20 hours of battery life, and a wireless range of up to 13m. Its microphone could be better, and it could also be cheaper. However, if you have the cash (and you don’t use the mic that much anyway), this one’s a shoo-in.
Read the full review: Logitech G Pro X Wireless
SteelSeries is known for offering impeccable audio, but the SteelSeries Arctis Pro takes things to the next level. This headset doesn’t just offer up immersive surround sound for all the explosive action of your favorite games, but thanks to its included DAC (digital to audio converter), the Arctis Pro also serves you well when listening to your favorite music. One of the best PC gaming headsets to date, this one’s a little on the pricey side, but when you consider just how comfortable and exceptional sounding this headset is, well, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best gaming headsets you can buy today.
Read the full review: SteelSeries Arctis Pro
The Astro A50 Wireless isn’t just an appealing choice for the best gaming headset because of its edgy aesthetic – that is, if you’re into that sort of look. This is a multi-use headset boasting excellent and immersive – if not audiophile-level – sound quality as well as fantastic wireless connectivity so latency is no issue. As far as its feature-set, it has effortless-to-swap ear cups and a charging station, because things should be easy where they can. Sadly, it is more for the luxurious-loving crowd with that premium price.
Read the full review: Astro A50 Wireless (2019)
When it comes to sound, the Arctis line of headsets from SteelSeries will never fail you. It delivers a sound quality that will please both gamers and music snobs alike. And, this being wireless, it eliminates those pesky cables without sacrificing performance. In fact, whether you’re connected via Bluetooth or via the 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, you’ll have a lag-fee experience, making this an excellent proposition for gaming. At this point, that 20+ hours battery life and Discord-certified mic are just icing on the cake.
Read the full review: SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless
While it’s more expensive than we’d like, the Beyerdynamic CUSTOM Game is one of the best PC gaming headsets we’ve used in some time. It doesn’t feature flashy surround sound or wireless functionality, unfortunately. However, this headset does excel in two of the most important categories: sound and comfort. Seriously, once you put it on and experience your games in headphones this amazing, there’s no looking back.
Read the full review: Beyerdynamic Custom Game
Usually when you're purchasing anything, including gaming peripherals, you get what you pay for. You don't go into Walmart, pick up a $50/£50 gaming headset and expect to be blown away, at least not usually. Well, Corsair takes this rule and turns it on its head. The Corsair HS50 is, for the budget gamer, the best PC gaming headset you can get today. Retailing at $50 in the US, the HS50 has sound and mic quality that rivals headsets that are double the price. Everything, down to the build materials, radiates quality. If you don't mind forgoing some extra bells and whistles – like 7.1 surround and Bluetooth connectivity, for example – then you need to take a look at the Corsair HS50.
Read the full review: Corsair HS50 Stereo Gaming Headset
Compromises are a part of everyday life, but nobody actually enjoys making them. Luckily, you won’t have to with the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless. With it, you can get high quality lossless audio playback with a wireless headset. And, when you add the unique and ultra-convenient dual-battery charging system that lets you wear this headset in perpetuity to the mix, you have a formula for one of the best PC gaming headsets we've ever had the chance to use. If you have the money, and you absolutely need the best wireless headphones money can buy, this is your best bet.
Read the full review: SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless
Creative has made a name for itself over the years for crafting sublime audio products – and the Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition further cements that legacy. Instead of just sitting back and iterating on the same winning formula of its previous products, Creative gives the Sound BlasterX H7 a full overhaul, resulting in a PC gaming headset that looks just as great as it sounds. If you’re looking for a comfortable, solid and meaty-sounding headset, the Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition is one of the best PC gaming headsets you can get.
Read the full review: Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Tournament Edition
Yes, there might be a few things that hold the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero back from true greatness – namely, its tight fit and not-so-appealing aesthetic. However, when it comes to what really matters, this headset delivers. With great sound quality to start, coupled with its ProSpecs Glasses Relief system to make it more comfortable for wearers with glasses, plethora of features and incredibly powerful software, this is one of the best gaming headsets we’ve ever put over our ears. And, for it, you’ll be happy to pay what would have felt like an exuberant price.
Read our full review: Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero
The Beyerdynamic Tygr 300 R is something of an anomaly when it comes to gaming headsets. There’s no USB for digital audio or attached mic to communicate with your pals in Esports. It’s an open-back headset, a design choice that is unheard of in the gaming audio sphere. But that’s what makes the Tygr 300 R special. That open-back design, coupled with an extended frequency response, gives you a wider soundstage and an incredibly atmospheric and pleasurable listening experience when tackling single player gaming experiences like Metro Exodus. It might not have virtual surround sound but its sound quality is on par with the best of them – it even sounds good listening to music, something most gaming headsets don’t manage to do well.
Read the full review: Beyerdynamic Tygr 300 R
Anyone can simply just listen to their games, but with the Razer Nari Ultimate, you can feel them as well. This gaming headset has haptic motors in the ear cups that make your ears vibrate. That’s more than enough to make this at least a curious headset, but when paired with the long battery life, amazing sound quality and comfortable build, it’s clearly one of the best gaming headsets out there. Do yourself a favor and turn off the haptic feedback, even when you’re listening to music.
Read the full review: Razer Nari Ultimate
With its Republic of Gamers brand, Asus has built a reputation for being the name behind some of the best gaming peripherals to constantly meet consumer standards. The Asus ROG Strix Fusion 700 joins their ranks. Packed with 50mm Neodymium drivers and Bluetooth compatibility, this gaming headset provides fantastic sound quality without being tethered with a wire. It’s even compatible with other gaming platforms, so you won’t have to switch between different headsets. It’s a little pricey, but considering how good this headset sounds and how flexible it is, we’d say it’s worth it.
Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix Fusion 700
How we test gaming headsets
Testing gaming headsets are among our favorite things to do here at TechRadar. They might not be as exciting as the latest graphics cards or the newest gaming PCs, but they can be just as fun to try out and appraise.
During such a test, we take a look at the design aspects first, checking to see if the gaming headset is as robust and as comfortable as it should be. We also check how responsive and accessible its controls are. If wireless, we test the connectivity, range, and battery life as well, making sure that it delivers as promised or better. If wired, we test the length, durability, and flexibility of the cable.
Finally, we test the sound quality – just how balanced it is and how present all the frequencies are, as well as the soundstage and sound imaging to see just how immersive and accurate they are. We test these out on games as well as music and movies.
We then take everything we’ve learned about the gaming headset and compare it to its price – whether or not it’s performance and features are worth that price tag, and whether or not it offers the best value to customers.
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