Blog

Oct 28, 2024

The best PC gaming headsets 2024: top cans for PC gaming | TechRadar

We're rounding up the best PC gaming headsets available When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The best PC gaming headsets are those

We're rounding up the best PC gaming headsets available

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The best PC gaming headsets are those models which deliver unparalleled audio quality with stellar construction, and a suite of features for a competitive price. Whether you're in the market for something you plug in, or looking to cut the cord completely and go completely wireless, you'll find the perfect pair of cans for your next gaming session below.

For as much as we love the best PC speakers, they aren't always an ideal fit when you're trying to get some late-night gaming done. Not only do they take up space, but it means you're broadcasting to everyone in your room, and even throughout your home. The best PC gaming headsets not only solve this issue but add a true surround sound experience (and even noise-canceling) into the mix, too, as well as features like quality mics, software to tinker with EQs, and more. Here are our top picks for PC gaming headsets.

Best overall

Best overall

Experience the joys of hi-res audio whether you're gaming or listening to music with this wired headset that boasts amazing surround sound.

Read more below

Best budget

Best budget

For a headset with Dolby Audio 7.1 surround sound, this elegant, lightweight, and feature-rich wired gaming headset is very affordable.

Read more below

Best premium

Best premium

Versatility, thy name is Arctis Nova Pro. This premium offering is rich in features, from multi-connectivity to swappable batteries to noise cancellation.

Read more below

Best mic

Best mic

This new version of the beloved wired gaming headset boasts improved audio, more robust build quality, better comfort, and the best mic in its class.

Read more below

Best for esports

Best gaming headset for esports

A feature-rich headset that thrives on versatility, this Turtle Beach flagship is the best implementation of the brand's Superhuman hearing feature yet.

Read more below

Best value wireless

Best value wireless PC gaming headset

With on-the-fly EQ preset control, a lightweight design, and a 50ft wireless range, the Corsair HS55 Wireless boasts improved audio.

Read more below

Load the next 2 products...

Best battery life

Best for battery life

It's great-sounding with lots of clarity and a mic with background noise rejection, this affordable gaming headset's best feature is its 300-hour battery.

Read more below

Best for PC and console

Best for PC and console

SteelSeries' mid-range wireless offering punches above its weight with a long battery life, great sound quality, and plenty of customizations.

Read more below

I've had my hands across all kinds of gaming gear over the past six years on a daily basis, but it is headsets that I've been testing the most regularly and consistently in that time. I've reviewed so many headsets for almost every platform, and of all kinds and shapes and forms, that I have a good grasp of what separates the great ones from the good ones. In short, I've done a lot of listening and playing so you don't have to, and my experience and expertise has informed this PC gaming headset list.

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

We are currently still in the process of testing the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, the wired (and therefore less expensive) version of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, but it's already evident that it's the best gaming headset on the market right now. That's for both PC and console gaming.

This gaming headset delivers hi-res audio, which means that you're getting crisp and highly detailed sound, whether you're gaming or consuming music and movies. Add in the Spatial Audio feature, which you do have to enable via the supporting software, and it's a whole new immersive experience that we haven't really experienced with other headsets with surround sound. And, it's also incredibly comfortable and luxurious feeling, so we honestly do not mind wearing this for hours on end.

The only difference here is that since it is wired, the price of entry isn't as steep as on the wireless version, making it more accessible to those who don't have deep pockets. Make no mistake; it's still pretty pricey. But, if you're willing to pay the price for audio that even audiophiles can't resist, this is the PC gaming headset to get.

Our expert review:

It’s hard to believe how much the Corsair HS65 costs considering the many advantage you’re getting from it. This absolute stunner of a gaming headset punches well above its weight not just in features but in sound quality, making it a must for pretty much every, including those who can afford the pricier options on this list.

This is one of the best wired gaming headsets right now, sporting Corsair’s new elegant design, a flip-to-mute mic that’s intuitive to use, luxurious memory foam leatherette ear pads, a lightweight form factor, and a 3.5mm connectivity that you can turn into a USB connection via the included 7.1 surround sound USB adapter.

It terms of sound and surround sound performance, it absolutely slays. During our review, we found that even with stereo hardware, it manages to maximize that Dolby Audio 7.1 capability for an immersive experience. All of the frequencies are represented well, with a bass that’s incredibly present, highs that are clear and detailed, and mids that sound full.

Read our full Corsair HS65 review

Our expert review:

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is an impressively feature-filled affair. It comes with active noise cancellation, the ability to connect to two different sources and mix them in together at once, and a noise-cancelling mic that can block out the clicky-clack of your keyboard.

It even tests the limits of how long you can wear a headset before charging. It might not have 300 hours of battery life but its 20 hours of use per battery can be extended for as long as you want since you can hot swap batteries while still in the middle of the action.

And, like most SteelSeries headsets, we found the audio quality here to be top-notch no matter if you’re gaming or listening to music. It's clear, detailed, clean, and comes with great bass response. The main concern is the fact that you can get the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless with support for Playstation or Xbox but not both.

Read our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review

Our expert review:

A beloved classic is back and better than ever with this successor of the HyperX Cloud gaming headset line. Though the previous model was pretty great in its own right, this is even better, with HyperX ensuring that it upgraded every aspect, from its design to its performance. And, as we said in our review, it finally became the best gaming headset worthy of all that loyal fandom behind it.

The HyperX Cloud III is, we found during our time with it, even much more impressive than its predecessor in many ways. It has more robust build quality, improved audio, better comfort, more connectivity options, and a more modern look. We found it to deliver a crisp and detailed high end and lots of oomph in the low end – exactly what people need in their gaming headset.

It’s the detachable mic, however, that takes centerstage here. It delivered incredible clarity, great audio, and fantastic background noise rejection, making it one of the best mics on a gaming headset we’ve ever seen. And, considering its price tag, that fact is even more impressive.

Read our full HyperX Cloud III review

Our expert review:

Turtle Beach gaming headsets have historically been great, but with the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro, it’s created its masterpiece. A feature-rich headset that thrives on being versatile, it’s got a powerful EQ with plenty of presets for the less experienced audio-discerning gamers as well as a 10-band EQ for the consummate audiophile. It also has cleverly implemented on-unit controls, having the outer right ear cup to function as a volume wheel, for example, offers swappable battery, and comes with active noise cancellation and transparency that work very well for gaming headsets.

Those are just the beginning. The Superhuman hearing on this, available with three presets and a strength slider, is the best we’ve seen implemented. It manages to boost the frequencies of weapons and footsteps to help you win while maintaining good sound quality – a feat that we feel is hard to pull off.

Its audio quality is fantastic to begin with. We’ve got crisp, fairly detailed high, full yet clear mids, and low end with plenty of oomph and sub-bass during testing, making it one of the best sounding gaming headsets we’ve ever used. Like its rivals, it isn’t the most affordable option out there, and some might be disappointed that the mic is just average. But those cannot take away from the fact that this is a superb release from Turtle Beach. Plus, it looks like and can function as a pair of headphones so it’s a two-for-one deal.

Read our full Turtle Beach Stealth Pro review

Our expert review:

The Corsair HS55 Wireless is improves on its predecessor, the Corsair HS55 Wireless Core, in a massive way. This affordable wireless PC gaming headset comes with many extra frills you’ll be glad to have, including its on-the-fly EQ preset control, lightweight design, wireless connectivity with a 50ft range, and a decent 24-hour battery life. It also sports Corsair new elevated and elegant design upgrade that will make you want to wear it as a pair of headphones.

But, more importantly, It's better sounding, more user-friendly, and ever so slightly plushier than its predecessor, which makes it a better value considering it's just as affordable. The high end, we found, is more detailed and present, giving you brighter and crisper audio - though for some reason Corsair also tones down the bass, which might turn off bass-worshipping gamers.

We also appreciate Corsair’s efforts to deliver improved surround sound, which makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. That's thanks to the inclusion of Dolby Audio 7.1 that widens the soundstage and more makes the audio a lot more three-dimensional.

Find great deals on Corsair products with our Corsair coupon codes.

Read our full Corsair HS55 Wireless review

Our expert review:

Not only does the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless sound fantastic, but it has an absolutely incredible battery life. When tested, we barely made a dent in its reported 300 hours of use. What’s more impressive is that it achieves that long battery life without cutting many corners. It’s a comfy fit and keeps a relatively light weight while housing some surprisingly large 50mm drivers.

Of course, it does compromise in a few places. We sorely missed the ability for Bluetooth or even analog connectivity. And, some of its features such as Spatial Audio are only accessible through its Windows-only app. But, those are mostly small quibbles.

The Cloud Alpha Wireless comes with a solid mic that offers excellent background rejection and a good amount of customizability via its Ngenuity app. Combine that with clear audio that works with all media and a battery life that’s ten times longer than most headsets and you have an almost perfect headset.

Read our full HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

Our expert review:

The new SteelSeries Arctis Nova line is even better than its predecessor, ushering in the next generation of Arctis headsets that are better-sounding and more feature rich than the headsets before them. That includes the mid-range SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless whose great sound quality, good battery life, new elegant yet still comfortable design, and great feature set makes it a better investment than the Arctis 7.

Because SteelSeries has rolled out its Sonar Audio app, which allows audio customizations using the parametric EQ, the Arctis Nova starts you off with a neutral sound profile. But, at its default, we found it to be already impressive with mids that are just right and lows that are well-represented so that you'll feel that rumble without overwhelming you.

As a nice bonus, you’re getting a USB-C dongle for wireless connectivity, which means you can use it with your Switch and phone as well as your consoles.

Read our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless review

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 aren't 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 the type of interface (wireless or wired), connectivity and range, and RGB lighting to consider as well.

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 its performance and features are worth that price tag, and whether or not it offers the best value to customers.

There are so many options out there, it can be hard to figure out which companies really deliver when it comes to a quality pair of cans. Just about every computer peripheral company seems to make gaming headsets. But, they are not all equal.

While SteelSeries has some of the more expensive options out there, the company consistently offers top-notch sound quality. Even in more stripped down models, the audio never suffers. Likewise, Logitech may not always reach the same heights in audio quality as SteelSeries but it always puts out a good sounding, comfortable product at a reasonable price.

However, the heaviest hitters in gaming audio are Razer and Corsair. Not only do they offer pairs for most every budget, but they come with all sorts of features like THX or Dolby Atmos, haptic feedback, and great battery life for the wireless options.

But don’t limit yourself to just those brands. As proven by our picks here, Astro, Turtle Beach, and the typically non-gaming focused Beyerdynamic all make some excellent headsets.

If you want a gaming headset like pro gamers, look no further than our list. One of the most well-known and sought after gaming accessory brands is Razer and quite a few of their products made our list. Razer is not only highly regarded for its brand recognition - their products are what most pro gamers swear by. Razer headsets are lightweight and have stellar audio performance, so if you can afford to make the jump there’s no reason to delay.

A more affordable pro gamer headset is the Corsair HS50 Pro - another one of our top picks. Corsair is known for making great gamer technology that doesn’t disappoint and can often be more affordable than other top-of-the-line accessories. If you’re looking for a headset pro gamers use without breaking the bank, Corsair might be a great choice for you.

A perennial question among players when looking at getting a new headset, the difference between wired and wireless headsets can help you find the right match for you, if you consider all the ins and outs.

Many audiophiles will still err on the side of a wired connection as it is still seen top provide both the best connection for giving you the top audio available, and its the most reliable connection too. However, wireless sets, in our opinion, have closed the gap on both fronts in recent years. Some of the gaming audio we've experienced has, hands down, been some of the best we've been treated to in the last couple of years, while brands have also doubled-down on their own speedy and reliable wireless connections that have all but erased the moments of audio drop out and interference.

Wired headsets, on the whole, can be a cheaper option still so if you're on a budget, we'd recommend checking out that connection type. The extra bonus with wired sets is that they will offer excellent versatility and cross-platform compatibility. Be a headset wired by USB or 3.5m audio jack, you'll be able to take it across and between all platforms that support those connections.

Wireless headsets are fast becoming cheaper and more popular, however. We're also even seeing them become fully versatile across all platforms, like their wired brethren. The simple convenience of not being tethered to a controller, PC port, or DAC unit is also something that's still a joy for many and can be a guiding principle when looking to pick between the two.

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

Rob is the Managing Editor of TechRadar Gaming, a video games journalist, critic, editor, and writer, and has years of experience gained from multiple publications. Prior to being TechRadar Gaming's Managing Editor, he was TRG's Deputy Editor, and a longstanding member of GamesRadar+, being the Commissioning Editor for Hardware there for years, while also squeezing in a short stint as Gaming Editor at WePC just before joining TechRadar Gaming. He is also a writer on tech, gaming hardware, and video games but also gardens and landscapes, combining the two areas in an upcoming book on video game landscapes that you can back and pre-order now.

Steam Deck vs Asus ROG Ally X: which is the best PC gaming handheld?

This premium Logitech gaming mouse is now under $100 thanks to this Prime Day deal

8 huge questions I need Arcane season 2 to answer before the highly-rated Netflix show ends