Best Playstation 4 gaming headsets in 2019

Trying to find the right PS4 headset can be tricky. There are so many options out there, it can be hard to tell what’s actually good, and what’s just—you know—there.

Sure, finding something good is simpler here than with a Nintendo Switch, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a number of things to consider. Here are the best options we could find, based on our reviews, as well as research into products we haven’t gotten our hands on yet.

Editor’s note: This post was updated on January 10, 2020 to reflect changes in price.

What you should know about PS4 headsets

The Playstation 4 runs into the kinds of quirks and constraints typical of a modern console. You can plug just about any 3.5mm headset into the console’s Dualshock controller it’ll work just fine. Past that, things get a little more complicated.

There’s no bluetooth audio support, so wireless headsets all need dongles. Additionally, many wired and wireless solutions require not just the use of one of the system’s USB ports, but also the optical ports on the back. This can lead to some rather odd looking wired setups that work fine, but might cause problems if they need to stretch across your living room or den.

With all that in mind, here are some of the best PS4 headsets.

The SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC almost offers too many features

If you’re looking for a PS4 headset absolutely packed with features, the SteelSeries Arctis Pro is your best bet. It’s Hi-Res certified, and offers performance to back that up. The headsets’s retractable mic is convenient and brings clear audio for in-game voice chat. Additionally, it’s extremely comfortable, with a thick ear pads made of a fabric SteelSeries calls Airweave, and a sturdy aluminum frame sporting a suspension band based after the band of a pair of ski goggles.

However, if comfort and raw audio quality were all this headset had to offer, I’d be recommending the Arctis 7, which feels exactly the same and costs considerably less. The key to really getting the most out of the Arctis Pro is its GameDAC unit. This little console acts as an intermediary between the PS4 and the headset, and it lets you control your experience in a number of ways. Whether you want to go deep and tweak the headset’s EQ and sound profiles, or you just want to change the colors of the lights on the headphones, the DAC’s got you covered. It’s compact, easy to use, and adds a ton of extra features.

The Arctis Pro takes a little work to set up on a Playstation 4. The GameDAC (which the headset connects to) needs to plug into the console itself, rather than the controller, and there are a couple boxes that need ticking in the console’s settings menu. However, once you’re all set up, prepare for great sound and more features than you can shake a thumbstick at.

The best Wireless PS4 headset is the Razer Thresher

Razer’s Thresher line of headsets has offered big, comfortable audio solutions for a wide range of devices for a while now, and this PS4 headset is no different. With thick leatherette ear cushions and a sturdy suspension band, this wireless headset will see you gaming into the wee hours comfortably on your couch.

You can use this as a wired headset if you like, plugged in via the 3.5mm jack on the PS4 controller, but the Razer Thresher really shines as a wireless headset. With 16 hours of battery life, a straightforward RF 2.4GHz dongle connection, and a 40-foot range, offers some pretty stellar performance for a wireless gaming headset. The battery life isn’t the greatest in the world, but it should last at least twice as long on a charge as the average Dualshock 4 controller.

The Thresher line, even in the Playstation 4-specific part of it, unfortunately isn’t very straightforward. The base model, which we’re recommending here, doesn’t come with surround sound. For that you’ll need to get the Razer Thresher 7.1, an almost identical headset, which costs more. From the looks of it, every headset from the basic Thresher to the Thresher Ultimate comes with the same 50mm headphone drivers, so you shouldn’t have too different an experience regardless of which model you go for—though maybe expect some overemphasis in the bass range.

The Beyerdynamic Custom Game has bass for days

The Beyerdynamic Custom Game is a behemoth of a gaming headset, but it lets gamers customize its bass in a pretty unique way. Each ear cup has bass reflex vents, which are easily revealed or concealed with a simple sliding mechanism. Adjusting the bass reproduction also adjusts the influx of ambient noise that can permeate the headphones. In a quiet environment? Open up those bass vents and experience a boomier sound. For tournaments with plenty of chatter, just close the ports to drown everything out.

The cardioid boom microphone is forgiving when it comes to placement and hones in on your voice while simultaneously filtering out extraneous background noise. If customization is your thing, well, you’re in luck. The Custom Game headset includes interchangeable ear cup plates to non-verbally convey your style. If you’re not a fan of the all-black aesthetic, Beyerdynamic also has a bunch of customization options, as well as velour pads for people who wear glasses on their raids.

Because this is a 3.5mm headset, and a lot of its appeal is hardware-based, it’s just as good as a PS4 headset as on PC.

Playstation Gold Wireless headset offers an official, affordable, and no-nonsense solution

Sometimes you want something simple that just works, and given how console peripherals are always a little wonky, where better to go than the source. The Playstation Gold Wireless headset offers straightforward connectivity with its USB dongle and performance backed by Sony.

This sleek PS4 headset supports virtual 7.1 surround sound and can connect to the Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita (!), and PC without issue (though Vita and PC only support stereo sound). It comes with both a wired 3.5mm cable and a USB dongle for connecting to devices, so you shouldn’t have any compatibility options. It might not look like it, but the headset also has a mic embedded into left earphone, so you can chat to your heart’s content, though you won’t sound all that good.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha sounds like a headset three times the price

The HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset offers comparable audio quality to headphones twice or even three times the price.

This is a no-frills device for gamers who want something simple that gets the job done with aplomb. It doesn’t offer the breadth of features many gaming headsets have, but rock solid performance like this is really what you should be aiming for anyway. Surround sound can be nice to have, but it’s hardly going to make you better at a game. Some games like Overwatch will even add it in for you. All you need to do is plug the Cloud Alpha into the Dualshock 4’s 3.5mm jack and you’re good to go.

The attached microphone is a little wonky, with underemphasized bass that can make deeper voices sound a little tinny. However, you really shouldn’t run into any clarity issues while chatting.

The headset was clearly designed with comfort and durability in mind. With a solid metal frame, thick plastic headphones, and deep leatherette pads make for a headset that feels fantastic. The inline controls add an extra degree of convenience, too.

Notable Mentions

• SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless: This USB-C headset comes with an adapter to work with the Playstation 4. It’s $99, sounds almost as good as the HyperX Cloud Alpha, wireless, and comfortable. It’s market more for the Nintendo Switch, but this is a fantastic PS4 headset too.

How we picked

There are lots of great PS4 headsets out there, and many of the ones we picked come from product lines full of similar offerings. The reason why we picked what we picked comes down to personal judgement. A lot of these products are very similar, and sometimes the features more expensive versions add just don’t really mean all that much, in our experience.

Razer’s Thresher line is a great example of this. For only a little more money, you could get the Thresher 7.1, which adds surround sound support. We opted for the cheaper model, because these headsets feel the same to use, and surround sound on average just doesn’t matter all that much. With the exception of games in the first person shooter genre and the like, the utility and immersion of surround sound (however you want to quantify that) really don’t differ much from stereo sound. The addition of features like the Thresher Ultimate‘s RF wireless hub similarly just didn’t seem to justify the added cost.

However, while generally we favor cheaper options, sometimes the more expensive stuff actually makes a lot of improvements, like the SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC. The headset looks and feels extremely similar to other SteelSeries headsets, like the Arctis 7 among others, but the addition of the DAC unit adds a degree of functionality and convenience that really completes the package.

It never hurts to shop around a bit, though. If a PS4 headset we’ve listed here sounds almost perfect, there might be a version with that one extra feature you’re looking for.

Why you should trust Sam

When it comes down to it, I don’t just review gaming headsets because I’m passionate about good audio. Pretty much everything I do here at SoundGuys focuses on gaming content, and that’s because I’ve been a gamer my whole life. You name it, I’ve probably played it. I know what kind of audio features are important for different kinds of games, and maybe more importantly: which ones aren’t.

The gaming headset space, much like many other parts of the audio industry, is rife with exaggerated language and gimmicky features that often don’t add much of anything to your experience. It’s easy to get caught up in the flashy lights and promises of immersive audio and bass so intense it’ll rupture your eardrums (in a good way, somehow), but most of that stuff flat out doesn’t matter. That’s why we review headsets, and why we have lists like this.