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Nov 04, 2024

Best wireless gaming earbuds for PC, Steam Deck, PS5, Xbox and mobile 2024 | Eurogamer.net

Our truly wireless and low-latency recommendations. Wireless earbuds used to be an rare choice for gaming, but the advent of PC handhelds like the Steam Deck and improvements to battery life, latency

Our truly wireless and low-latency recommendations.

Wireless earbuds used to be an rare choice for gaming, but the advent of PC handhelds like the Steam Deck and improvements to battery life, latency and compatibility have changed that. We're now in something of a golden age, with a huge raft of affordable in-ear headphones that provide a great gaming experience on the go (or indeed at home) without the bulk of traditional on-ear gaming headsets.

In this article, we're rounding up the best truly wireless in-ear headphones we've found for gaming so far, ranging from surprisingly affordable budget options to more premium offerings that offer advantages in terms of performance, comfort and usability. Some work over Bluetooth alone, while more advanced models add in a USB-C dongle that offers significantly lower latency via 2.4GHz wireless.

It's important to note too that all of our options work on a wide range of devices, from smartphones and tablets to more dedicated gaming platforms like desktop PCs, laptops, handhelds and home consoles. You can use the quick links below to jump to the model you're interested in, or scroll on for the entire round-up.

Our new top choice for all platforms

SteelSeries has produced some of the best gaming headsets in the business, especially their comfy and great-sounding Arctis Nova lineup, and now the Danish firm make in-ear headphones too. The Arctis GameBuds sound great, fit comfortably, last a long time and feature genuinely useful features: active noise cancellation (ANC), compatibility with all gaming platforms and game-specific EQ profiles via mobile and PC apps.

Let's unpick those points one by one. The ANC situation is pretty straightforward: these in-ears block a great deal of sound through passive and active noise cancellation, with a transparency mode so you can still hear the outside world if needed. They're not quite as effective as much larger on-ear headphones, but it's still a brilliant feature for gaming on flights or working in busy cafés.

The compatibility is strong here too, with the Xbox version being the one we recommend. That's because its USB-C dongle supports Microsoft's proprietary 2.4GHz wireless standard when in Xbox mode, but supports every other platform - including PS5, PS4, Switch and PC - via low-latency 2.4GHz as well. There's also Bluetooth 5.3 for connecting dongle-free to phones and tablets, and unlike Sony's Inzone Buds, this isn't limited to a small number of mostly Sony smartphones.

Finally, the app situation is truly impressive. The mobile app lets you choose from dozens of EQ presets for music, movies and specific games, with separate settings for Bluetooth and 2.4GHz modes, while the PC app adds on a full parametric EQ and the ability to save your own EQ settings to the headphones. This makes for a huge upgrade over the Inzone Buds and basically everything else on the market, especially for console players unlikely to have access to game-specific EQs on PlayStation or Xbox - including some created by esports teams.

There's plenty more to discuss here, including the many design wins here - the excellent physical buttons built into each in-ear, the Qi wireless charging case, the water resistance - but suffice it to say, these are the best gaming earbuds we've ever tested.

Buy:

Great gaming earbuds for PS5, PC and more - but limited on mobile

Our second-favourite gaming in-ears are Sony's Inzone Buds, designed for use with PS5 and PC but of course compatible with a wide range of other USB-C devices like the Switch, Steam Deck, smartphones and tablets. Their low-latency 2.4GHz wireless is rated for less than 30ms of wireless latency, offering a significant advantage over Bluetooth-only alternatives, and battery life is good at up to 12 hours. The effective ANC (active noise cancellation) makes it easy to concentrate on what you're doing, and you get active, transparency and inactive modes to choose from therein.

Usability is superb too, with an extremely comfortable fit, reliable touch controls and a well-designed PC app for adjusting settings. The app even includes a guide to selecting the best ear tips from those provided, which is a lovely inclusion given how easily this important step can be overlooked. The one usability stumble here is that the Inzone Buds only work with a vanishingly small list of smartphones via Bluetooth 5.3 LE, requiring my Pixel 6 and OnePlus 12R to connect via the USB-C dongle instead - great for latency, not ideal if you want to charge your phone and listen to your headphones at the same time. This means there's no mobile app option for most phones too.

The matte plastic charging case is a little unwieldy too, with a rounded but tall shape that doesn't fit easily into smaller pockets, but it's at least light at 65g with in-ears and dongle inside. That's somewhat explained by its relatively small battery, which doubles battery life rather than tripling it or better as we see on other models.

Of course, audio is key, and the Inzone Buds are the best-sounding wireless in-ears we've tested for gaming. The drivers, which are also seen in the popular WF-1000XM5, deliver slightly muddy and warm bass but plenty of detail in the mids and pleasant (if slightly veiled) treble. The sound seems well-suited for FPS gameplay out of the box, with very evident footsteps, but you can select more neutral and music-friendly EQs in the app provided. Mic performance is also reasonable for in-ears. I also appreciated the fact you get separate chat and game mix devices in Windows, making it easier to balance their relative volume. Surround sound is also available, though as usual I don't rate it for competitive play and I would recommend sticking with your chosen game's stereo output.

The Sony Inzone Buds aren't quite perfect in-ears - but despite a few limitations, they hit enough the right notes when it comes to comfort, usability and audio quality for the second place spot overall.

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Great-looking wireless in-ears with a desktop dock

These stylish transparent earbuds from Nubia are some of the most impressive I've seen from a features and design perspective. As well as the usual in-ears and charging case combo, you get an RGB desktop base that wirelessly charges the charging case, lets you adjust the volume with a knob and lets you plug in the 2.4GHz USB-C wireless dongle. It's a slick setup that lets you use the earbuds with your PC or PlayStation at your desk, then pick up the (fully charged) case to listen to music on your phone on the go.

The wireless charging and stylised design doesn't result in a particularly light charging case (100g with the earbuds inside), but its rounded corners at least make it more pocketable than the Hecate GX05 (below). Battery life is good too, at up to seven hours from a single charge and an extra 10 recharges from the charging case, which makes for another 70 hours in the best case scenario. With ANC enabled, expect about half that - perhaps three hours on a charge. As well as touch controls, which work reasonably well, there's an app ("Goper") to change settings which I found more reliable.

Performance is happily quite good, with a reasonable 28ms of latency in 2.4GHz mode that is good enough for all but the most fast-paced and timing-sensitive inputs (the GX05 below promises 15ms, for context). Audio quality was also better than I expected, with bright treble, detailed mids and slightly subdued but still present bass - these are probably the second-best sounding in-ears on this list, behind the Sony Inzone Buds.

Of course, the overall quality of the Cyberbuds Dao is reflected in the price, which is quite steep at over £250/$250. Still, if you want an eye-catching set of in-ears that you can use in a wide range of scenarios, this is a fine choice.

Buy:

Comfortable, low-latency in-ears with a weighty charging case

The Hecate GX05 from Edifier are impressive for the money, offering a beautiful metal charging case, a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle, Bluetooth 5.3 and comfortable earbuds for less than £100. (You also get a fabric bag with a metal clasp, USB-A to USB-C charging cable, USB-A adapter, replacement ear tips and two USB-C dust covers, making for quite a premium-feeling unboxing experience.)

However, the angular metal case isn't the most practical option to throw in a pocket, weighing in at 108g fully loaded (of which 97g is the case itself), while only delivering an extra 12 hours of listening time. Battery life is also decent but not class-leading at 4 hours; you'll need to take a break over lunch to recharge if you want to use these for a full workday.

The 2.4GHz wireless connection provides a rated 15ms low-latency option that heavily outperforms Bluetooth-only alternatives, and I found it made a real difference when playing faster-paced games like Hades 2 or Call of Duty Mobile. Meanwhile, sound quality is good if not quite the best on this list with slightly flabby bass despite reasonable detail and consistency elsewhere.

I think these are a strong value option for anyone playing more fast-paced and timing-sensitive games, especially if you're intending to use them with a gaming handheld like a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, where the heavier charging case and modest battery life matter less than with smartphone use.

Buy:

Stylish and affordable earbuds, but not the lowest latency

The Urbanista Seoul mobile gaming headphones are comfortable, stylish, relatively long-lasting at 8 hours and even IPX4 water-resistant. The silicone tips provided here provide good passive noise isolation, while the low-profile charging case is easy to tuck into your pocket and adds a further 24 hours of play time. If you don't like the look of the blue model above, black, white and purple options are also available.

The Seoul sound good for the money too, with a fairly bass-heavy sound signature that suits some genres of games and music. In others, though, the relatively underwhelming mids and treble can result in a slightly tinny sound.

The only other downside I could identify was latency, which at a quoted 70ms is more than double some of the other headsets on this list. Therefore, I'd recommend looking elsewhere if you play games with timing-sensitive inputs, though for slower-paced gaming the Seoul still perform just fine.

Buy:

Extremely affordable with low latency, with some drawbacks

The most affordable earbuds on this list are the Canyon Gaming Doublebee GTWS-2, a set of fairly simple low-latency Bluetooth in-ears that come in a charmingly Transformers-like charging case.

The bright yellow colour scheme is a nice contrast to the black and white options available elsewhere, and I dig the case's inclusion of flip-out wings to reveal the earbuds and a proper seven-segment LED display for the battery percentage. The design of in-ears themselves is a little spartan in comparison, with no silicone ear tips to guarantee a good seal, but I found the Doublebees didn't fall out of my ears while walking or talking so that's good enough.

Pairing is easy, as this is standard BT, and charging is likewise straightforward with a USB-C port for the case and gold pogo pins for the earbuds. Battery life is modest, at just four hours, but the charging case offers another 30+ hours, so you're likely to get through a week of moderate use.

The major flaw here is sound quality, with acceptable mids and treble but bloated bass that makes it hard to enjoy games or music with a low-end focus. Still, microphone quality is decent and I didn't find the 45ms of latency to be noticeably problematic, so for the money it's not an unreasonable choice.

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Those are all of our picks for now! Stay tuned for more updates as we have them, and feel free to leave a comment below or reach out on X (@wsjudd) if you have questions or suggestions.