The Best Gaming Headset 2022

Pros

• Excellent sound.
• Pleather & velour earpads included.
• Optional 7.1.

Cons

• Passable mic.

Connection: 3.5mm/USB.

Platform: Multiplatform.

Surround sound: 7.1.

Freq. response: 15Hz-25KHz.

Earcup material: Pleather / velour.

Wired / wireless: Wired.

No best gaming headset list would be complete without a product from HyperX. After their triumphant storm into the scene with their initial Cloud headset offering, HyperX has been consistently iterating their product line to offer many products at many price points.

Today, we’ll be focusing on what I regard as their most well-balanced product: the Cloud II.

It features the signature Cloud audio quality, replaceable earpads (with velour pads included), removable microphone, optional USB 7.1 surround adapter and more.

The kit is a well-rounded, affordable and great buy for any gamer looking for a quality headset without breaking the bank. Its only drawback is its lackluster microphone, which will do the job but will not blow anybody away.

Pros

• Excellent sound.
• Great mic.
• Velour earpads.

Cons

• Expensive.

Connection: 3.5mm/USB.

Platform: PC.

Surround sound: 7.1.

Freq. response: 15Hz-28KHz.

Earcup material: Velour.

Wired / wireless: Wired.

The PC 373D from Sennheiser is a fantastic product with all-around fantastic features. Its mic is excellent, its sound quality is largely unrivaled by many other best gaming headsets, and they’re incredibly comfortable.

Unlike many other best gaming headset candidates , its only true drawback is that it only officially supports the PC. That, and it’s quite pricey, but that’s not to say every other headset is cheaper. Rather, what we have here is an excellent product with an understood identity. Sennheiser knew what they were going for when designing this product, and it shows that they stuck to their vision excellently.

If you want a headset that offers both 2.1, 7.1, is incredibly comfortable and sound amazing, while also having a great mic, there’s no real reason to look beyond the PC 373D.

Pros

• Excellent sound.
• Great mic.
• Comfortable.

Cons

• Expensive.

Connection: 3.5mm/USB.

Platform: Multiplatform.

Surround sound: 2.1.

Freq. response: 5Hz-35KHz.

Earcup material: Velour.

Wired / wireless: Wired.

What do you get when you cross an excellent pair of headphones with a great mic? If you said the ATH-ADG1x, you’d be correct. If you said something else, please let us know so we can add it to this list.

The ADG1x is a fantastic best gaming headset which tries to avoid compromise as often as possible and succeeds in doing so. The velour earpads are amazingly comfortable, the sound is fantastic–given that it’s based on their open-back line of headphones–and the microphone leaves surprisingly little to be desired.

Now, don’t expect to be boxing up your studio condenser mic if you have one, but you might not feel compelled to pick one up if you don’t, after trying this headset. The only thing standing in the way of this headset and true greatness is its price. While it isn’t the most expensive headset— not even on our list–it is still very pricey.

Pros

• Amazingly comfortable.
• Excellent audio quality.
• Excellent mic quality.

Cons

• Expensive.

Connection: 3.5mm.

Platform: Multiplatform.

Surround sound: 2.1.

Freq. response: 15Hz-28KHz.

Earcup material: Velour.

Wired / wireless: Wired.

The Game Zero / One by Sennheiser is a pair of Sennheiser HD 598 headphones, and it has a mic on it. That’s it. I mean that in the absolute best way possible.

These things are great, and if you’re looking for zero compromises and a signature Sennheiser sound, then look no further. The difference between the Zero and One is whether they’re open-back style. 

In this case, the Game One is open-back, lending itself to a much wider soundstage, allowing for more accurate sound tracking and immersion. As it should come as no surprise, the sound of these things is amazing, given that the HD 598 is often regarded as the best headphones under $300.

The mic is also fantastic, offering clear, clean vocals with minimal distortion, hissing or muffling. These things are great.

Pros

• Good sound quality.
• Decent mic.
• A decent price.

Cons

• Durability concerns.
• Mediocre comfort.

Connection: USB.

Platform: PC.

Surround sound: 7.1

Freq. response: 20Hz-28KHz.

Earcup material: Pleather.

Wired / wireless: Wired.

Coming back into the realm of modest products, we’re met with the Siberia 350 by Steelseries. Don’t expect to be blown away by any of its offerings - it might not be a best gaming headset contender - but don’t expect to be left sorely disappointed, given its price.

They sound fantastically for the price, but they’re held back by a lackluster mic, comfort issues and a concern for durability. Additionally, they’re plagued by being USB only, locking them to use only on PC. However, if that is not an issue, and these check off many of your boxes while you’re shopping, they certainly won’t be the worst product you could buy. 

Plus, they have some redeeming qualities, depending on your taste.

Pros

• Decent audio quality.
• Decent mic quality.
• Decent comfort.

Cons

• Poor battery life.
• RGB lighting kills battery duration.
• Lackluster build quality.

Connection: USB.

Platform: PC.

Surround sound: 7.1.

Freq. response: 20Hz-20KHz.

Earcup material: Cloth.

Wired / wireless: Wireless.

Following the trend set by the Siberia 350 above, the Void Wireless RGB by Corsair finds itself in an interesting spot. While it certainly won’t win any awards for its audio quality, mic quality, comfortable or durability, it’s still a nice little product for those looking for RGB lighting or a budget wireless headset. 

One nice addition compared to the Siberia 350 is the use of cloth instead of pleather for the earpads, resulting in longer-lasting comfort for long play sessions.… That is if your battery will make it.

Unfortunately, the Void Wireless RGB is plagued by battery life issues which are only compounded by the use of RGB lighting, which can nearly halve the battery duration of these things.

That being said, they can still withstand a full play session, as long as you don’t intend to play for 12 hours straight. Plus, they’re affordable, so there’s that.

Pros

• Wired / wireless.
• Multiple audio source inputs.

Cons

• Passable mic.
• Mediocre battery life.

Connection: 3.5mm/USB.

Platform: Multiplatform.

Surround sound: 7.1

Freq. Response: 20Hz-20KHz.

Earcup material: Cloth.

Wired / wireless: Wireless.

The G933 by Logitech is a revamp and re-imagining of their original G930 from several years ago. What’s brought to the table with this new generation is improved audio quality, RGB lighting, comfort improvements, a marginally better mic, and the ability to take audio input from multiple sources at once.

That being said, the G933 is a very fine headset for the money, and you shouldn’t shy away from it if it piques your interest. While the mic may be sub-par, Logitech’s implementation of virtual surround sound is among the most eloquent, and the actual sound quality of the drivers are a step or two above their previous offerings and many other budget best gaming headsets.

The ability to sync the headset to multiple audio inputs through USB and analog input is fantastic for those who desire such things. I’ve definitely seen much worse at this price point, and honestly, not much in the way of better.

Pros

• Comfortable.
• Decent sound quality.
• Great build quality.

Cons

• Expensive for what they offer.
• USB only.
• Less-than-good mic.

Connection: USB.

Platform: Multiplatform.

Surround Sound: 7.1.

Freq. Response: 20Hz-20KHz.

Earcup Material: Cloth.

Wired / Wireless: Wireless.

Let’s try a little exercise here. When I ask, what is the best gaming headset, you say the first word that comes to mind. Ready? Did you think of Astro? I’m sure a good number of you did, and that comes as no surprise. 

While Astro may not be as big of a contender as Razer for marketing over quality, they still often fall short. However, while their products may lack in certain areas, that marketing dosh isn’t being completely wasted. 

These things are incredibly comfortable, the wireless range is incredible, and the pre-amp is a delicious addition to the bundle that makes these things feel a lot more premium than other products on our list.

The mic may leave you wanting more, but even if you do, you won’t want to take these things off of your head, simply because of how comfortable they are.

Pros

• Comfortable.
• Great sound quality.
• Good mic.

Cons

• None.

Connection: 3.5mm/USB.

Platform: Multiplatform, mobile ready.

Surround sound: 7.1.

Freq. response: 20Hz-20KHz.

Earcup material: Cloth.

Wired / wireless: Wireless.

Update 2020: SteelSeries has refreshed its former product line with noticeable improvements and differences in this updated version. With added comfort and sound improvements, the Arctis 7 is a go-to headset.

These headphones are the equivalent of a prototype supercar, in that it promises a lot, looks very fancy and catches your eye from afar. The only difference here is that unlike prototype cars, the Arctis 7 exists, and it’s every bit as good as it seems.

With amazing audio quality, superb mic quality, great comfort and the ability to use them both wired and wireless, there’s very little more you could ask for out of these things. That, coupled with the included amp, had me scratching my head as to why any other headsets even need to exist.

It truly feels like Steelseries hit every note perfectly and ended just short of a perfect score. Why just short? Because if it was great, it would be the only product on this list. That being said, there are no marks I can lay against it here. This is one of the most excellent gaming headsets and is phenomenal in every respect.

Pros

• Great audio quality.
• Good battery life.

Cons

• Sub-bar build quality.
• Hideous aesthetic.
• Poor mic quality.
• Comfort concerns.

Connection: 3.5mm/USB.

Platform: Multiplatform.

Surround sound: 7.1.

Freq. response: 20Hz-20KHz.

Earcup material: Pleather.

Wired / Wireless: Wireless.

The ROG STRIX wireless is probably better off as a pair of wireless headphones. While they do sound great, they’re plagued by a poor mic, build quality concerns, comfort concerns due to the pleather earpads, and an aesthetic design that only a mother could love.

Seriously, they look like they have two fans built into the earcups, and the entire design was imagined by an alien before going into production. That’s not in a good way, either. However, they have a good battery life, great sound quality and unlike other affordable wireless offerings, work across multiple platforms. Simply put, these things aren’t the best. However, they’re not definitively the worst, and as such we can respect what ASUS has tried to do here.