Best gaming headsets in 2025: With these headphones, I would wager my ears.

Give your ears a treat by using the top gaming headsets.

One of the most shockingly effective additions you can make to your gaming setup is the best gaming headset. Or perhaps that isn’t all that shocking, given how much a good game’s music can enhance your experience. Like the developers intended, immersing yourself in a rich soundscape will immerse you in the game world.

The PC Gamer hardware team and I tested dozens of headphones before selecting the ones on our list. We have decades of combined experience with both the best and worst audio equipment ever produced. The timeless HyperX Cloud Alpha is the greatest gaming headset when all the options are taken into account because of its exceptional comfort, affordable price, and high-quality audio.

The finest wireless gaming headset if you want to cut the connection is the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. It’s an obvious choice because of its excellent sound quality and class-leading 300 hours of battery life. The best low-cost gaming headset is the Corsair HS55 if you want to pay a little less.

• Best gaming headset:HyperX Cloud Alpha
• Best budget:Corsair HS55 Stereo
• Best wireless:HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
• Best audiophile (wired):Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro
• Best audiophile (wireless):Audeze Maxwell

Over Top Picks:

Best gaming headset

1. HyperX Cloud Alpha

The HyperX Cloud Alpha is the top gaming headset of 2025. Yes, the king is back, and it’s even better than before. Although the Cloud Alpha was once overtaken by Razer’s BlackShark V2 gaming headset, it is currently unavailable in many areas. However, HyperX’s headset is easily accessible, and regular sales have brought this fantastic gaming headset back into the public eye.

The sound quality of the Cloud Alpha gaming headset is what makes it unique. That ought to be obvious, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, when searching for a gaming headset, it’s simple to become sidetracked by unnecessary features that don’t really matter. But the Cloud Alpha is a simple creature. For the same price, it offers amazing audio that is really hard to beat.

A strong bass response is produced by the 50 mm neodymium drivers, which is essential for gaming. It means you get the most out of a game’s audio and can actually feel the explosions or the hum of a sports car. But this headset gives amazing clarity and depth across the mids and highs, so it’s not just the strong bass that stands out.

The Cloud Alpha’s two-chamber design allows HyperX to provide such remarkable audio quality. Because each earcup’s driver is housed in its own chamber, distortion that may muddy the bass with the mids is successfully reduced, maximizing articulation instead. What sets the Cloud Alpha apart from the others is its simultaneous delivery of rich and clear sounds.

Because of its other features, such as how comfortable it is, the Cloud Alpha is also a gaming headset. I’ve been using this headset every day for extended periods of time without experiencing any discomfort because of the padded headband and earcups.

Our only issue with this headset in 2025 is that it lacks a flip-to-mute microphone, but the one that is included is still of excellent quality and has a clear sound for voice calls or online gaming.

The length of time this headset has been available shouldn’t deter you. HyperX’s Cloud Alpha is so good that it doesn’t need to be changed. Since this headset is frequently offered for less than the asking price and there are many more reductions available, that age really helps with pricing. The HyperX Cloud Alpha in 2025 is a great option for a wired gaming headset.

Best gaming headset: Amazon, Best Buy, or Walmart.

Best budget gaming headset

2. Corsair HS55 Stereo

Surprisingly, the Corsair HS55 Stereo covers all the bases, including the microphone, making it the greatest low-cost gaming headset available. Despite its modest price tag, it’s surprisingly well-rounded and comes across as superior.

The Corsair HS50 was already a good option for a low-cost gaming headset, and the more recent HS55 outperforms it in every significant manner. Unlike the previous model, which had a removable microphone arm, this one has a flip-up arm and is lighter and more comfortable than the HS50.

Additionally, this microphone is arguably the most notable feature of the HS55. According to Jacob’s assessment, it picked up his speech with amazing clarity and precision, which is excellent for any gaming cans, not just those on a budget. Your voice will be crystal clear, so your Discord pals don’t have to worry.

The sound quality is also good. This headset is ideal for gaming, music, and other audio activities, despite the fact that higher frequencies can occasionally become a bit shrill.The HS55 has avoided the “let’s cram it full of bass” trap, which contributes to the pleasant gaming experience and the plenty of definition between various frequencies.

which is more than many low-cost headphones can offer. That may as well be the abridgement of our review as a whole. The Corsair HS55 Stereo is the greatest low-cost gaming headset I can think of since it combines the features of a more expensive model with the price of a less costly one.

Best budget gaming headset:Amazon, Best Buy, or Wallmart.

Best wireless gaming headset

3. HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

It should come as no surprise that the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is the finest wireless gaming headset because we still recommend the wired version of them. With the exception of the inconvenient cable, the wireless version offers nearly all of the advantages of the wired one.

Battery life is one issue with wireless headsets, and HyperX has somehow blown it out of the water, into the next park, and beyond the limits. The 300-hour battery life of this headset is, in my opinion, well beyond ordinary. Such sorcery shouldn’t be possible.

This was also evident in Hope’s testing of the Cloud Alpha Wireless, when she discovered that after a week of use, she was unable to even close to depleting its battery. It simply lasts for a very long time.

It has a slightly different sound profile than the wired version, but it’s still quite nice. It has a strong bass, clear, well-defined mids, a glossy treble, and a directed sound that is perfect throughout all frequencies. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about its microphone, but it’s also nothing to be concerned about.

Although this headset produces a great sound overall, its only major drawback is that it doesn’t crank up as loud as some of the others we’ve tested. In any case, who needs to rupture their eardrums? It’s still loud enough to play games and listen to music. In 2025, this excellent and practical cable-free headset is well worth the cost.

Best wireless gaming headset:Amazon, Best Buy, or Wallmart.

Best wired audiophile headset for gaming

4. Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro

If you’re like me, you’re more concerned about amazing sound quality than gamer-specific features. As gamers, it goes without saying that we want things to sound fantastic. Herein lies the role of Beyerdynamic’s MMX 330, which is unquestionably the greatest gaming audiophile headset that hasn’t chosen to cut the chord.

This headset has excellent sound quality, even though it lacks several features that are specialized to gamers, such RGB lighting and USB connectivity. This is made possible by a pair of STELLAR.45 drivers, which, in spite of the Pro’s open-back design (which, incidentally, creates an airy soundscape ideal for immersive gaming audio), produce incredibly powerful audio. We haven’t gotten a chance to test these out ourselves, but if you don’t like sound leakage, there is a closed-back variant available.

This set’s audio quality is among the greatest I’ve heard, so there isn’t anything to complain about. Even within bass tones, we’re talking about amazing separation across all ranges. In terms of gaming, this headset’s amazing directional audio makes games feel more than just immersive—they feel alive.

It’s also quite comfortable. I can’t think of a headset that feels nicer against your skull than this one, thanks to the velour earcup padding and the ingenious headband design.

It also looks the part. The minimalist black-and-grey design that Beyerdynamic has chosen shouts “audiophile suavetée” (okay, I made that word up, but it suits, doesn’t it?). Additionally, it uses little power, so you shouldn’t require an amplifier to get it going. Who can argue with audiophile quality for the general public?

Notably, this overtook the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, in part because it has a great microphone that turns these cans from audio-nerd eargasms to gaming-appropriate masters. It’s just amazing to hear.

Best wired audiophile headset for gaming:Amazon, Best Buy, or Wallmart.

Best wireless audiophile headset for gaming

5. Audeze Maxwell

The Audeze Maxwell’s planar magnetic drivers are the reason it’s the best wireless audiophile gaming headset. When it comes to gaming and music listening, the Maxwell produces a really deep and powerful sound.

What is the significance of planar magnetics, then? Unlike dynamic drivers, which are frequently seen in gaming headphones, these drivers use a completely different approach. Each driver generates sound by manipulating a huge, flat diaphragm with magnets. Compared to a dynamic driver, the final product typically has a much more natural, wider sound with exceptional precision.

The advantage of planar magnetic drivers for the Maxwell is immediately noticeable whether playing games or listening to music. The tonal separation and clarity are excellent. Almost every sound that is pumping through these planars at any one moment can be isolated and tuned in. While listening to your favorite music while attempting to unwind is great, it’s also quite necessary when playing competitive shooters.

Here, Audeze has chosen a closed-back construction, which is excellent for isolating noise but typically results in a more closed-in sound profile. This isn’t the case here, either, as the Maxwell sound is remarkably spacious and wide. The planar drivers are probably responsible for that.

You must be mindful of a few limitations with the Maxwell, though. This headset is heavy, to start, and it costs a lot of money. Naturally, the greatest wireless audiophile headset is not inexpensive. However, since the Maxwell can be used for much more than just PC gaming, I believe they are well worth the money.

The Maxwell has Bluetooth connectivity as well as wireless connectivity, which is quite liberating because it allows you to be mobile while wearing them. You may wear these headphones anywhere you go and you won’t be made fun of for your choice of headset because the Maxwell essentially appears like any other over-ear headphones. It doesn’t appear to be a PC gaming device, but it’s big enough to be noticeable.

Nevertheless, this is the best option for a wireless audiophile headset because of those amazing drivers.

Best wireless audiophile headset for gaming:Amazon, Best Buy, or Wallmart.

How we evaluate gaming headsets

How are gaming headsets tested?

Here is a brief explanation of how PC Gamer evaluates gaming headphones in particular, although you can learn more about how we test devices in our How We Test guide.

For weeks, every headset we test serves as our daily driver. This allows us to experience not only the sound but also the daily experience of using each set of cans.

While Battlefield, PUBG, and other games are excellent for positional audio tracking, we test each headset in a variety of game genres. Shooters, battle royales, and racing games are especially good for testing because the former tend to test the low-end and expose muddiness and distortion.

After recording a voice sample in Audacity and comparing it to earlier recordings from different models, we go to Discord to ask our friends how we sound. Many of the mics and headsets we examine are available for listening on our Soundcloud (I assure you, it’s not a handmade rap by PC gamers).

Oh, and it goes without saying that we listen to a lot of high-resolution audio. We can determine how well a track should sound by listening to well-known songs that utilize the bass, mid-tones, and highs. Additionally, if we hear positive sounds at a track we’ve heard before, it usually means that some amazing drivers are working below.

Best gaming headset FAQ

What does a gaming headset need?

When selecting a gaming headset, there are several factors to take into account. Priority one should be given to affordability and sound quality, but comfort is also important. Additionally, most of the headsets on our list have noise-cancelling microphones because these are essential for communications. You want a microphone that doesn’t record every keystroke on your mechanical keyboard and good voice quality.

For gaming, are wireless or wired headsets preferable?

It actually depends on personal preference, but if you’re going wireless, you should look for a battery that lasts at least 20 hours. Having a headset that requires regular plugging due to poor battery life is the last thing you want. It sort of negates what wifi is for. If you use a wired headset, check sure the cable is long enough to reach your computer without pulling on your head.