Best gaming headsets for PC gamers, according to our in-house gaming experts
More than ever, many PC game developers are putting as much emphasis on sound in their games as they do on graphics and animation. When gaming, intricate sound effects can warn you of an enemy approaching from behind, a zombie lurking behind a door waiting to attack, or a deadly object falling from overhead. But to react to these audible warnings, you need to be able hear them. That's why if you're a PC gamer, you need a high-quality PC gaming headset connected to your Windows PC.
Related: How we select our products
The best PC gaming headsets, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (wireless) -- our top pick for the best overall PC gaming headset -- can also help you drown out ambient noise in your gaming space and ensure you're heard and can clearly hear what's being said when communicating with your allies (or adversaries) when playing online-based multiplayer games.
With the right gaming headset your PC gaming experience can be boosted to a new level of fun.
Best PC gaming headsets in 2023
When it comes to PC gaming headsets, there are wired and wireless options, some offering active and passive noise cancelation, along with clear spatial audio. Our experts have compiled the best options available now.
Best gaming headset overall: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (wireless)
Interface: Wireless | Driver Size: 40mm | Spatial Audio Support: Yes | Active Noise Cancelation: Yes | Battery Life: Up to 22 hours
When it comes to gaming headsets, the wired and wireless options from SteelSeries are among the best you can get. We particularly like the Arctis Nova Pro (wireless) gaming headset because it offers active noise cancelation, a retractable microphone, 360-degree spatial audio support and an impressive battery life. This is an over-the-ear headphone design with plush ear cups and high fidelity drivers that generate clear and rich audio that help bring games to life acoustically.
Not only does this gaming headset block out unwanted ambient noise, it does an excellent job making sure you can clearly hear and can be heard by the people you're interacting with while playing online games. Plus, this headset makes sound effects and music sound incredibly immersive. The headset's base station connects to your PC via its USB port.
Another thing we love about the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wireless gaming headset is that in addition to working with a Windows PC, it's compatible with most popular gaming consoles (including PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch), so if you switch between systems, you don't need to swap headsets.
Pros:
- You're able to adjust audio EQ and your Chatmix without leaving a game.
- The gaming headset uses swappable rechargeable batteries.
- Enjoy lag-free audio, thanks to 2.4GHz and Bluetooth support.
- Mix two audio sources at the same time, such as in-game sound with a hands-free call via your smartphone.
Cons:
- You may need to tweak audio settings based on how this wireless gaming headset is being used.
- The controls for using this PC gaming headset take some getting used to.
Best wireless gaming headset: Razer Kraken V3 Pro
Interface: Wireless / Wired | Driver Size: 50mm | Spatial Audio Support: Yes | Active Noise Cancelation: No | Battery Life: Up to 11 hours (with haptics and lights on), 44 hours (with haptics and lights off)
Gamers know and love the Razer brand, because it has a reputation for offering high-quality gaming laptops, keyboards, mice, computer speakers, gaming chairs and headsets. All offer a futuristic design and most include integrated RGB lighting.
The Razer Kraken V3 Pro is one of the company's most popular wireless gaming headsets. In addition to offering clear, robust and authentic sound, this PC gaming headset has built-in haptics. This allows you to hear and feel the immersive audio in the game you're playing. The haptic drivers within each ear cup analyze the audio and convert sounds into vibrations that can vary in position, duration and intensity. The vibrations can also bounce between ears and sync with in-game spatial audio effects.
And speaking of audio, the Razer Kraken V3 Pro PC gaming headset offers 7.1 THX spatial audio and surround sound that's able to virtually move sounds emanating from a game around your head to help you feel like you're physically in the game – not just watching it on your monitor. Combine this technology with the headset's 50mm drivers, 2.4GHz wireless connectivity and 9.9mm detachable cardioid microphone and you get just about everything you could want in a gaming headset that offers both a wired and wireless option.
The biggest feature that's lacking is active noise cancelation. But you do get visually impressive Razer Chroma RGB lighting built into the headset that interacts in real time with more than 150 popular games. The lighting can display up to 16.8 million colors.
Pros:
- In addition to THX spatial audio, this PC gaming headset offers a proprietary haptic feedback system.
- The 50mm drivers deliver clear and robust sound.
- Integrated RGB lighting syncs with popular games.
- The detachable boom microphone ensures every word you say is clearly heard.
Cons:
- There's no active noise cancelation built into this headset.
- Some gamers may find the haptic feedback system distracting.
Best budget (wired) gaming headset: Corsair HS55 stereo gaming headset
Interface: Wired (3.5mm audio jack) | Driver Size: 50mm| Spatial Audio Support: Yes | Active Noise Cancelation: Noi | Battery Life: N/A
In addition to experiencing zero audio lag, one of the biggest benefits of using a wired PC gaming headset is that you don't have to worry about keeping its battery charged. However, your movement is limited to the length of the headset's cable.
The Corsair HS55 stereo gaming headset is affordably priced and offers really good quality stereo sound. You also get leatherette-covered memory foam ear pads, with a plush headband for extra comfort. The 50mm drivers are able to generate powerful and authentic audio, while the omnidirectional microphone ensures your fellow gamers hear everything you have to say during a multiplayer game.
This headphone connects to a Windows PC using a 3.5mm audio jack. Volume controls are integrated into the gaming headset's ear cup. You simply need to flip up the boom mic to temporarily mute it during gameplay. What this headset lacks, however, are active noise cancelation and spatial audio support.
Pros:
- This PC gaming headset is lightweight and comfortable to wear during extended gaming sessions.
- The 50mm drivers generate good quality stereo sound.
- The built in boom mic flips up (out of the way) when it's not needed, or can be flipped up during a game to temporarily mute it.
Cons:
- This PC gaming headset lacks active noise cancelation and spatial audio support.
- Your ability to move around during game play is limited by the length of the audio cable.
Best value gaming headset: Logitech G432
Interface: Wired (3.5mm audio jack or USB) | Driver Size: 50mm | Spatial Audio Support: Yes | Active Noise Cancelation: No | Battery Life: Up to 18 hours
The Logitech G432 is a wired gaming headset that offers a really good value for the money. It provides spatial audio and surround sound support that makes full use of the headset's 50mm drivers to generate high quality audio. Using the headset's EQ presets, you're able to choose the ideal headset settings for each game you play.
We also found the Logitech G432 to be lightweight (just 9.88 ounces), so it's comfortable to wear. Plus, you get a 6.5-foot cable with a 3.5mm audio jack that connects to your PC, as well as the option to use a USB cable connection. The boom microphone can be flipped up and out of the way when it's not needed, but during game play, you can mute the mic by flipping it up.
The free Logitech G Hub software needs to be installed onto your PC to control the headset's surround sound and EQ settings. Two additional things we like about this gaming headset are that it's also compatible with most popular console-based gaming systems (including the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch) and that the ear cups can rotate 90-degrees, so you can more comfortably wear them around your neck.
Pros:
- This PC gaming headset is extremely affordable, yet offers some impressive features.
- The headset's 6mm microphone makes you sound your best when speaking with fellow gamers.
- The ear cups can rotate 90 degrees, and are nicely padded for comfort.
Cons:
- The free Logitech G HUB gaming software is required to utilize many features.
- To fully unlock the spatial audio capabilities of this headset, you need to purchase a subscription to the Immersive Gaming software from Embody.
- There's no integrated RGB lighting.
Best gaming headset for eSports: Turtle Beach Stealth Pro
Interface: Wireless | Driver Size: 50mm | Spatial Audio Support: No | Active Noise Cancelation: Yes | Battery Life: Up to 12 hours
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro is a wireless gaming headset for PC gamers that offers almost zero audio lag (thanks to Bluetooth 5.1 and 2.4GHz wireless support). You also get a really impressive collection of features that include 50mm Nanoclear drivers and adjustable active noise cancelation. In addition, the headset uses a swappable battery system, so with the two rechargeable batteries that are included, you can expect up to 24 hours of continuous use.
Another handy feature is that the boom microphone is bendable. This means you can adjust it to the perfect angle for comfort and to ensure you're being heard. While blocking out ambient noise in your gaming area using a four microphone setup, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro headset offers clear and rich audio with deep bass. Meanwhile, the microphone used to pick up and transmit your voice also removes up to 97% of unwanted background noise.
When it comes to adjusting the headset's settings (including the level of noise cancelation), you'll use the Turtle Beach Audio Hub smartphone app or the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro software (which is a bit more complicated). Basic volume control can be done onboard using the headset's built-in volume wheel.
Pros:
- This PC gaming headset comes with a wireless charging pad/transmitter station.
- The ear cups are padded with plush memory foam for comfort.
- The active noise cancelation is adjustable using the Turtle Beach Audio Hub smartphone app.
- Enjoy a wireless range up to 50 feet.
- The boom microphone is removable.
Cons:
- The Windows PC software for this headset that can be used instead of the mobile app is a lot more complicated.
- There's no spatial audio support.
Best mid-priced wired/wireless gaming headset: HyperX Cloud Mix
Interface: Wired / Wireless | Driver Size: 40mm | Spatial Audio Support: No | Active Noise Cancelation: No | Battery Life: Up to 20 hours
The HyperX Cloud Mix gaming headset offers either wired or wireless connectivity. Wireless connectivity relies on Bluetooth, while the wired option offers an audio cable with 3.5mm audio jack. When used wirelessly, expect up to 20 hours of usage per battery charge and up to a 33-foot signal radius. The headset comes with a 4.59-foot detachable headset cable and a 6.56-foot PC extension cable.
Whether you opt to use the headset wirelessly or wired, the 40mm drivers are designed to separate the audio's mid and high frequencies from the bass to produce the clearest and most authentic sound possible.
This gaming headset has a detachable, bidirectional and noise-canceling boom microphone. The audio cable that comes with the headset has an integrated volume dial and mute button, although you also get control buttons built into the sides of each ear cup.
Pros:
- This headset offers wired or wireless connectivity when used with a Windows PC.
- The 40mm drivers generate Hi-Res audio at frequencies from 10Hz to 40kHz, so you can clearly hear the highs, mid and bass with no distortion.
- The headset uses a lightweight, but durable aluminum frame and comfortable memory foam padded ear cups.
- There's a detachable boom microphone.
Cons:
- The headset lacks spatial audio, surround sound and noise cancelation features.
- There's no USB connectivity support.
Best premium gaming headset: Audeze LCD-GX Audiophile Over-Back gaming headset
Interface: Wired | Driver Size: 103mm | Spatial Audio Support: No | Active Noise Cancelation: No | Battery Life: N/A
While the wired Audeze LCD-GX Audiophile Over-Back gaming headset does not offer spatial audio, surround sound support, or active noise cancelation, what you do get from these this premium gaming headset is studio-quality audio. This audio is generated by 103mm drivers (which are twice the size of the drivers used by virtually all competitors).
Not only does this headset provide incredibly authentic sounding audio with an wide soundstage, it also offers really rich bass. Plus, the microphone boom is detachable. Every aspect of this headset exudes quality – from the magnesium housing to the memory foam (leather-free) ear pads. The headset also utilizes a unique suspension headband that's designed to reduce its weight and make it extra comfortable to wear during extended gaming sessions.
The Audeze LCD-GX Audiophile Over-Back gaming headset connects to your PC using a 3.5mm or 6.36mm audio jack. If you consider yourself to be an audiophile, in addition to an avid gamer, this is the gaming headset you want. When you take a break from gaming and use the headset to hear audio from movies, the quality and realism of what you hear will blow your mind.
Pros:
- The audio quality generated by this headset is superior, in part because of the proprietary 103mm drivers that are used to provide a wide soundstage and incredibly accurate sound.
- The headset adopts a futuristic design that's built for comfort using extremely high quality components.
- The directional, noise-attenuating boom microphone is both adjustable and removable.
- An eight-foot audio cable is included.
Cons:
- This gaming headset is very expensive.
- There's no support for active noise cancelation, or spatial audio.
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