Whether you’re playing action-packed shooters, immersive RPGs, or thought-provoking adventure games, a good gaming headset is essential. You want a comfortable headband, well-cushioned earcups that fit your ears, and a mic that doesn’t pick up every keystroke on your mechanical keyboard. You also want the audio to be clear and punchy, with great passive noise isolation to block out external distractions. A good headset will also be lightweight so you can wear it for hours without fatigue and have enough battery life to last you through a few marathon gaming sessions.
In the budget category, our pick for the best gaming headset is the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2. These wired headphones offer high comfort, great audio quality, and a crystal-clear mic for a super low price. They come with a basic volume dial and flip to mute, and you can get them in either a leather or fabric finish. They’re designed for PC gaming and are compatible with PlayStation consoles as well, although you won’t be able to use them with Xbox controllers.
For a little more money, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless is a comfortable and feature-packed option with a stylish aluminum build and a slew of features. It’s available in both Xbox Series X and PS5 variants, can be used with a mobile phone over Bluetooth, and supports a built-in DAC for high-fidelity music playback. It can even connect to and mix audio from two different sources simultaneously, like a mobile phone and a game console. gaming headsets