Best gaming headsets 2023: Reviews and buying advice

You have to nit pick very hard to find any flaws with this premium headset that offers the versatility of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, as well as a wired connection. In wireless mode, it delivers crisp sound in 44.1kHz/16-bit standard resolution at up to 40 feet from your computer. But if you want to enjoy a richer sound you can also plug into a GameDAC controller that lets you access a higher 96KHz/24-Bit Hi-Res audio. The GameDAC also lets you switch between your PC and Xbox One or Xbox X/S at the press of a button—which saves you the hassle of buying separate headsets for your consoles.

Active Noise Cancellation and 360 Degree Spatial Audio technologies also boost the headset’s audio experience, the standout of the two being the latter, which uses 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound tracks to accurately reflect the direction of sounds. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless also has the finest software support I’ve seen for a gaming headset, allowing you to choose from among 23 pre-made EQ presets designed for games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, Dota 2, Forza Horizon V, and Call of Duty: Warzone, to name just a few.

Audiophile-grade headsets are usually the domain of high-end music studios and not gaming dens. But Audeze’s Maxwell Wireless is an exception, being a studio-grade headset especially made for gamers. Its secret sauce is its 90mm planar magnetic drivers which produce a more natural, full-bodied audio signature than headsets with 40 to 50 mm neodymium drivers.

To fit such large drivers, the Maxwell Wireless is extremely big and heavy — it weighs a little more than a pound (490 grams). Although, you wouldn’t know by wearing it — the comfort onboard is very luxe; soft memory foam sits under plush leatherette for a premium feel and there’s an inner adjustable suspension band that balances out the headset’s weight across the top of your head.

The Maxwell Wireless works with just about any device — Windows PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS devices, and PlayStation 5. It supports Dolby Atmos for surround sound in games. For connectivity, you get a USB cable and an adapter for making a wired connection, a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle for low-latency Wi-Fi, and a 3.5mm cable for making an old-school analog connection. Although simultaneous Bluetooth isn’t available using the Wi-Fi dongle, you can still hook up simultaneous audio using the headset’s Bluetooth and a wired connection.

The Roccat Syn Max Air headset sports a knockout futuristic aesthetic thanks to it cuboid shaped earcups that also have mesmerizing programmable RGB zones. The cups also feature ProSpec earpads, meaning if you wear glasses the frames will easily fit through the sides of the cups for a comfortable fit.

Looks aside, this headset boasts a list of gamer-centric features that make it enjoyable to use. Connectivity comes in the form of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a wired connection, and the Bluetooth can be used simultaneously with the Wi-Fi so that you can enjoy an extra audio source while gaming. In my review I thought its 50mm Nanoclear drivers produced a nice balanced sound that was a marked improvement over its predecessor the Syn Pro Air. It also comes with a convenient dock for charging between uses.

Cloud Alpha is a chip off the old block in HyperX’s Cloud series, combining comfort with impressive audio quality. The impressive sound comes courtesy of a dual driver chamber design that separates out bass notes from mids and highs—ultimately producing clearer, smoother output.

The Cloud Alpha’s earcups are the secret sauce behind its comfortable feel. These generously padded cups sit tightly on your head but without squeezing your temples, so they’re perfect for long gaming stints where you can forget you’re wearing them. In our PCWorld review our reviewer was impressed by the fact that you can fully remove the HyperX Cloud Alpha’s cables in the event they break, rather than having to buy a whole new gaming headset.

If your budget only stretches to $60, the Astro A10 is your best bet for sound quality, delivering clean mids and a rich bass that’s almost as good as more expensive Astro headsets. It sports a flip-to-mute microphone, a luxury among gaming headsets and usually reserved for higher-end models.

All pros considered, the Astro A10 is still an entry-level headset and has a few cons; except for the material covering the cups, it’s entirely made from plastic and the rather boxy earcups won’t be to everyone’s taste. Still, if you’re not picky, these things shouldn’t bother you too much.

The Razer Barracuda Pro delivers excellent-quality sound, producing deep commanding bass tones, and clear mids and highs in both games and movies. On top of that, it features THX Spatial Audio technology, which elevates your audio to a rich and satisfying surround sound experience. Unlike some spatial audio support for headsets, Razer’s Synapse app gives you quite a lot of control, allowing you to personalize the directionality of the sound with easy-to-navigate dot diagrams. You can also tailor-make and assign presets for your specific games or media.

The Razer Barracuda Pro also features decent connectivity options including 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless, as well as a USB-A-to-USB-C (wired) adapter for plugging it in. It’s compatible with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Android devices, so you won’t have to buy separate headsets for each of your devices.

With an open ear design in the earcups, the Corsair Virtuoso Pro headset lets in more sound than most gaming headsets, which is perfect if you like to stream your games and want to monitor your own voice or hear your talent interviews in real time. The headset’s design is both elegant and comfortable too. Comfort comes courtesy of an adjustable headband, soft memory foam earpads, and a lightweight frame that weighs just 13.6 ounces (338 grams). The headset’s build quality is very decent — it’s comprised of robust plastic and metal.

In our review, we found that the Corsair Virtuoso Pro’s 50mm graphene drivers produced deep bass and clear treble tones with great detail. While that makes for a great audio experience while gaming, the lack of protective shielding in the earcups does mean that this headset isn’t that effective at blocking ambient noise, so it’s best used in quiet environments.

Corsair has made a brave move to prioritize comfort for gamers even at the expense of what most gamers might expect from a premium gaming headset’s design. How so? The HS80 Max eschews leatherette for a cooling mesh fabric on its earcups, and swaps metal for plastic in the headband, making it extremely lightweight and relatively sweat-free for long gaming sessions.

On the audio front, the HS80 Max sounds terrific — its 50mm audio drivers produce a clear, high-resolution audio signature with neutral mid-tones, which really enliven sounds like footfalls and ricochets up. It has both 2.4GHz low-latency Wi-Fi connectivity as well as Bluetooth, which you can’t listen to at the same time, but both connectivity types do have a long signal range that allows you to keep listening while taking breaks away from your rig. The non-detachable flip-to-mute mic does a great job reproducing naturally-sounding speech for team chats.

A while back Logitech acquired the microphone manufacturer Blue, which explains why we found the Logitech G Pro X’s mic to be so capable in our PCWorld testing. Although not physically that different from other mics, it benefits from Blue-branded software support in Logitech’s G Hub app, including presets that make it sound convincingly like a desk microphone.

As well as sporting an exceptional microphone, the G Pro X is one of Logitech’s best-looking headsets, its flat-black leatherette headband, metal forks, and pill-shaped earcups exude a retro aesthetic reminiscent of the golden era of 1940s broadcasting.

Not only does the Logitech Astro A30 produce a clear and natural sound, but its connectivity is also excellent. It sports dual wireless and wired connections with cross-platform compatibility, so you can easily hook it up to your PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S consoles, or even a Mac. The headset’s Bluetooth can also be used simultaneously with a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, which means you can take phone calls and participate in team chats, all the while losing absolutely none of your gaming audio.

All this functionality could have been delivered in a stock standard design, but the Astro A30 is one of the best-looking pair of cans I’ve seen in a long time. I especially like its plush leatherette earcups, stylish Astro logos, and removable speaker tags that you can swap out to personalize exactly as you wish.

Although expensive, the Astro A50 is dependable, providing decent sound over a quick 2.4GHz wireless connection. The audio drivers located in the A50’s earcups deliver strongly through the mid-range so the A50’s sound is warm and punchy in games and while listening to music.

While previous Astro wireless gaming headsets have featured large chunky charging cradles, the A50’s is quite compact so it takes up much less space on your desk. The cradle also has a built-in display so that you can tell which EQ profile you have selected, or whether you have Dolby or stereo modes switched on.

At $170, the G935 is a mid-range gaming headset, costing half the price of some premium headsets. Yet its generous feature-set includes a few high-end luxuries. They include a folding boom mic, dongle storage compartment, and stylish leatherette earcups. These features somewhat make up for things like its boxy design and mediocre battery life.

It also excels in the audio department, with its 50mm drivers providing a deeper, more authoritative bass presence than you’ll get from the 40mm drivers in some mid-range wireless gaming headsets. Add to that easy-to-use controls, and you can see why the G935 is an excellent option for gamers on a budget.

HyperX’s Cloud III Wireless headset doesn’t ace any one particular category but hits the right notes for comfort, sound, and design. In our review we found the headset’s driver configuration produces a balanced sound image with precise bass and treble tones. The headset’s best quality, however, is its long battery life that can last a full 120 hours operating at 50 percent volume.

The Cloud III wireless works with PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch consoles as well as PC; however, if you want to use the headset’s DTS surround sound, nothing less than a Windows PC with HyperX’s Ngenuity software app loaded on it will do. This headset is best for gamers who like the benefit of wireless connectivity only, since wired connectivity is not available (it’s 2.4GHz wireless connectivity only). It comes with a 10mm detachable microphone with a pop filter that does a great job muffling unwanted noise.

The HyperX Cloud Core Wireless headset delivers the outstanding audio you would expect from a much more expensive model, but for only a fraction of the cost. At less than $100, it is hard to go wrong with this quality gaming headset—especially if you’re on a budget.

By focusing on the things that matter most to gamers without worrying about extraneous software support or expensive sound enhancement settings, HyperX has been able to provide an excellent product at an incredibly affordable price. The lack of setting controls might not appeal to audiophile tinkerers, but its ease-of-use, quick connectivity, and excellent spatial audio make it a gamer’s dream. It also sports a super compact design and cross-compatibility with consoles.