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The Best Gaming Headphones for your Favourite Devices

Having the right gaming accessories can have a huge impact on the gaming experience. Whether you are playing on your smartphone, tablet, computer or games console, there are a number of accessories that can improve comfort, convenience and sometimes even performance during gameplay.

Whether you enjoy the excitement of first-person shooters on your Xbox or prefer casino games like online slots on your iPhone, there are now a plethora of gaming options available, with games to suit every individual’s interests and skill sets. As more people look for entertainment options to enjoy from the comfort of their own home, more investment is being made into creating the ideal gaming set up.

Sound is incredibly important to most games, background music and carefully timed sound effects really enhance the game and help to make a more immersive experience. That is why headphones are an essential item in the toolkit of every serious gamer.

If you are looking for a new pair of headphones for gaming, here is a handy guide to which models are the best to purchase based on your gaming style, preferences and budget.

Best headphones on a smaller budget

Having a tight budget should not prohibit you from being able to enjoy the best sound experience while playing. Thankfully, there are many great options for headphones that do not come at a high cost, including the HyperX's Cloud III.

The HyperX's Cloud III is a wired only headset option available for around £90 from many retailers. There is also a wireless option for this model with 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, but this will cost around £40 more.

The leatherette headband helps to make this model one of the comfiest and it weighs just 308g. The aluminium forks curve towards the memory foam ear pads giving the headset a good grip without being noticeable tight or causing discomfort.

Known for having a great bass, this headset has DTS surround sound when connected via USB-C to your computer. The microphone performs well despite having some sibilance and is noise cancelling.

The headset is great for PC gamers that want good performance but do not want to invest too much into their headphones.

Best all-around headphones

One wireless headset with premium audio quality is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wireless. The microphone is fully retractable and bi-directional, it is ClearCast Gen 2 and noise cancelling.

If you are both a PC and console gamer this model is ideal as you can use it for both. It is a little heavier than the budget model above, weighing in at 337g but is still lightweight enough to be comfortable and not noticeable when wearing.

The headband on this model is similar to ski goggles and the ear cups are elongated for an ideal fit. You won’t need to worry about running out of charge mid-game with this headset as the battery life is 22 hours and there are swappable battery pads in the ear cups.

There are a whole host of EQ settings to play with so you might need to have a bit of patience to test these out and get the right setup for you.

If you like open world games or have a split console and PC set up, this SteelSeries headset is the one for you. However, you will need to have the budget to invest as this model is priced around £249 at a number of retailers.

Best headphones for PC gamers

Do you like to play online games with friends on your computer? If yes, then the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro headset is a great option to consider. This headphone set has a stand-out microphone that has HyperClear pickup and boosts the sampler rate from 16kHz to 32.

As a wireless model, the battery life is a huge 70 hours. However, if wireless isn’t a must-have for you then this headset might not be a sound investment as you are paying for the incredible battery life with the £199.99 price point.

This Razer model is 320g and is matt black with a classic steel headband. The memory phone ear cushions help to make this set comfortable for long gaming sessions.

If you game while commuting this might not be the best choice as there is no active noise cancelling. However, you will find it provides excellent sound quality for playing on PS5 and PC, as well as your Nintendo Switch or smartphone.

Best headphones for Xbox

If you do need a headset that is compatible for the Xbox Series X then the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is a wonderful alternative. You can make easy EQ adjustments from your console and you can set different profiles for a Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connection.

The battery life on this model is up to 60 hours and it is priced around £129.