Get the most out of your game with these PC gaming headsets

Best PC Gaming Headsets Windows Central 2020

Best Overall: SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC

When looking for a good deal or bargain headset, this isn’t going to be on your shortlist, but if you happen to have the budget and seek the best-sounding headset for gaming and more, look no further than the Arctis Pro by SteelSeries. The Arctis Pro isn’t wireless, so you will need to deal with cabling, but because everything goes through the bundled amp unit, it sounds awesome. As highlighted in my review, you really do get what you pay for.

Not only do you have excellent sound quality with 7.1 surround sound and Hi-Res certification, but also enhanced durability, supreme comfort, and a noise-canceling microphone. There’s essentially everything a gamer requires from a headset for the latest titles, movies, and music.

Specifications of the version with the GameDAC:

The look of the Pro line headsets shares similar features to other Arctis headsets, which isn’t a negative as I believe the Arctis headphones are some of the best-designed gaming cups out there. Taking full advantage of premium materials and the ski-band design, SteelSeries continues to make some of the most comfortable headphones to wear during long gaming sessions.

Whether you want to game on PC or console, you’ll be able to take the Arctis Pro along for the ride, which makes it even more attractive to gamers who enjoy titles on more than one platform. You’ll struggle to find a gaming headset that sounds better for the price.

HyperX makes some compelling gaming headsets. They’re among the best in the business, and we’ve recommended plenty. The Cloud Alpha S Blackout is essentially the same as the Cloud Alpha, but with the addition of a mixer remote that delivers 7.1 surround sound and a new “Blackout” color scheme. It costs a little more, but it’s worth it.

The Cloud Alpha S Blackout sports a sturdy aluminum frame with replaceable ear cups, and you have the choice of leatherette or foam. Regardless of which you opt for, both options are comfortable for even longer gaming sessions. Utilizing dual 50mm drivers and HyperX’s “dual-chamber” design, you’ll be able to enjoy music and in-game effects without the headset mudding the highs and lows.

The bass is pretty punchy, too, though you can control it by using physical switches on each earcup to set your desired level. Overall, the audio quality, especially given this mid-tier price for gaming headsets, is amazing. The microphone is pretty good too, which is handy when you plan on communicating with friends and guildmates.

What you may find annoying with the Blackout is the rather long cable. Usually, this isn’t an issue, but this cable is long. Some optional customization software would have been welcome too.

Razer is well-established in the PC accessories space, producing some of the best keyboards, mice, and more for gamers. With the latest line of Razer Nari headsets, its flagship brings something fresh to the scene, with the ability to feel your game. While the Razer Nari Ultimate‘s haptic feedback isn’t a gimmick, its implementation isn’t for everyone in the high-end headset market. Like vibration in controllers, HyperSense is better excluded in competitive scenarios, likely hindering tense shooters and other high-stakes titles.

Furthermore, the haptics won’t play perfectly with some titles out of the box, though tweaking various game settings often does the trick. Despite touting support for a wide variety of platforms, the best experience is limited to PC gamers. Between the lack of wireless beyond USB devices and Razer Synapse tuning, non-PC gamers can find better solutions elsewhere. When running Windows and playing titles with full support for the onboard haptics vibration technology, you’ll have a blast.

While the Razer Nari Ultimate sells an unusual proposition, its HyperSense haptics aren’t only fun; they make immersive games even more impactful. Paired with excellent audio, high build quality, and considerable flexibility via software, this headset is an ideal companion for any PC gamer.

While you’re certain to appreciate the impressive audio quality, you may find wireless over USB a little restrictive, and the highlight feature isn’t really useful for anyone who doesn’t play games often.

HyperX is widely renowned for high-quality headsets with solid audio that do precisely what they say on the tin. Great sound, great comfort, and great microphones typify the HyperX lineup, all at great prices. The Cloud Alpha is a little different from some of its similarly-priced brethren, rocking a dual-chamber speaker design that adds a whole new dimension to sound I felt very familiar with.

There aren’t any frills that go with this headset — no 7.1 surround sound, no mic monitoring, and no customization — but if you’re looking for a headset that does the job, and does it exceptionally well, then look no further. With some of the most impressive audio at this price range we’ve ever heard, with HyperX’s signature comfort and a stellar microphone, this is without a doubt one of the best affordable wired headsets on the market right now.

If the price of the Arctis Pro series or Cloud Alpha S Blackout knocks you down, HyperX can easily pick you back up with the Cloud Alpha. The only drawback to this headset is the rather basic array of features. It won’t make you suffer in-game, but you will need to part with considerably more cash for 7.1 surround sound, wireless capabilities, etc.

Plugable makes some excellent PC accessories and general gadgets, including USB port hubs, Bluetooth speakers, and even some adapters. The company is now moving into the realm of gaming headsets with the Onyx HS53, an affordable, budget-friendly headset that promises an exceptional audio experience. Priced aggressively, the company states the design team took out everything that wasn’t required for a great audio experience, and it almost did it.

The HS53 sounds good enough for gaming, but you may want to look elsewhere if you’re serious about music and other media. You should buy the Plugable Onyx HS53 if you’re looking to buy a new gaming headset and don’t wish to spend more than $50. What sets this headset apart from other similar offerings at this price point or lower is the sturdy design, durability, ergonomics, and sound drivers.

There are even in-line controls, which allows you to manipulate audio without having to do so through the OS. There are a few drawbacks, however. One is the lack of any USB connectivity, and the microphone itself cannot be detached from the headset. But for a budget headset, Plugable did an amazing job.

The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero is an excellent all-round gaming headset. It does precisely what the marketing starts, allowing you to utilize audio tuning to gain the upper hand in shooters, whilst enjoying ultimate comforts for long sessions. Best of all, it’s wireless.

It’s the little things Turtle Beach added that really sets this headset from the rest. It’s easy to spot the small touches that shows they cared about the design, like the dongle that stops flashing after a short while when not in use. The software is also pretty good, which is not something we can say for all PC accessory makers. You can fine-tune the Elite Atlas Aero to your liking.

The battery life is also really good, especially so if you happen to play for more than a couple of hours. It’s not all amazing, however. The volume dials are just … weird. There’s the limited wireless versatility in that it’s only really good for PC gaming. Then there’s the fact it’s a little pricey. But it’s a sound headset (pun intended) overall.

SteelSeries makes great headsets, and the company brought lossless 2.4GHz wireless features to the budget-friendly Arctis 1 range. To make this headset even more awesome, SteelSeries threw in Xbox Wireless compatibility, making this one versatile gaming headset. Whether you game on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or even Switch, this will be a fine companion.

The Arctis 1 Wireless Xbox requires a dongle to connect to consoles. Now, before you freak out about the prospect of using a dongle, it’s not that big of a deal. This is simply because while it may be annoying if you frequently move between platforms with a single headset, this does mean you get amazing audio without being tethered to the device.

If you don’t want to use the dongle, there’s a 3.5mm cable that can be used. As well as this cable, SteelSeries includes a USB-A to USB-C converter for the dongle, and USB-A to micro USB cable to charge the headset itself. For the design, it’s very much an Arctis headset. The only significant difference between the Arctis 1 and other headsets from SteelSeries is the lack of a ski-band.

This is a bit of a bummer, but understandable given the price of the Arctis 1. It’s still a comfortable headset to use, just not as comfy as say the Arctis Pro. There’s also the microphone, which is a little underwhelming, but so long as you’re not planning to start streaming, you should be good to go.

Choosing the best gaming headset for you

Choosing a headset is a personal decision that should take into account what you want from a pair of cups. Do you want a wireless option, or is wireless fine for you? Do you need the absolute best in sound quality for competitive play (that way, you can hear all those footsteps and which direction they might be coming from), or are you alright with a budget headset with solid sound for general play?

The SteelSeries Arctis Pro + DAC is our pick for best gaming headset in 2020.

There’s plenty more to fact in too, even if you limit your search to gaming headsets alone. This is why we put together this collection of headsets from top vendors. There are some high-end, premium options, as well as more affordable and budget orientated cups. You can’t really go wrong by choosing one of our recommendations. We’ve tried them all and enjoyed each experience.

If you’re after wireless connectivity (or Hi-Res audio with the DAC version) and have enough money to spare, the Arctis Pro from SteelSeries is an excellent choice. It’s not going to appeal to people on a budget as it’s the most expensive option on this list, but it makes up for that in quality that justifies the price.

Not only do you get excellent sound quality with 7.1 surround sound and Hi-Res certification, but you get even more with enhanced durability, supreme comfort, and other features not typically found in other headsets. The DAC is our top pick, though a wireless version of the same headset is available, should that be more up your street.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide