Best Gaming Headset 2023: Our top 7 gaming audio picks

Premium prices don’t always translate into a premium experience, but that is definitely the case when it comes to the Corsair HS80 Max Wireless. These cans come with 50mm drivers that delivered a detailed and immersive experience. Every gunshot and nearby explosion in CS:GO felt impactful, with a lot of detail being revealed in various songs, from Rush’s YYZ to Wolf Alice’s Smile. 

When paired up to a PC there is also access to Dolby Atmos, which in turn offers spatial audio. This provides even more immersion and makes supported games feel a lot more involved. PS5 users are also treated to Sony’s Tempest 3D Audio, allowing for all your favourite triple-A PlayStation 5 games to be brought to life. 

Looking past the incredible sound quality, these cans come with a fantastic battery life. We saw 24 hours of endurance when the RGB lighting was turned on, but that shot up to 65 hours once it was disabled, giving you the chance to game for hours on end without the fear of being interrupted. Connectivity is strictly wireless, with Bluetooth and a 2.4GHz wireless receiver. This allowed it to be paired with a PC, Nintendo Switch and PS5, although Xbox owners will need to look elsewhere. 

The overall design of the HS80 Max Wireless is very sleek and modern; it comes in either black or white and had a reliable build quality that matches its high price. The soft headband and cloth and memory foam padding around the earcups offered a good level of support and made this headset comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. 

Overall, the Corsair HS80 Max Wireless is the perfect choice for gamers that want the best audio quality money can buy. It works brilliantly with games and music alike and the support for both spatial audio and Sony’s 3D audio allows for an immersive experience no matter the platform you’re using. 

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full Review: Corsair HS80 Max Wireless

Sony’s Inzone range launched last year and it’s a curious beast, representing the brand’s efforts to take a share in the PC peripheral market away from PlayStation. The Sony Inzone Buds are its first earbuds offering, and they’ve done a mightily good job.

We’ve always been intrigued by the idea of gaming earbuds, especially for your average gamer, and the Inzone Buds get that line of thinking too. They prioritise a comfortable fit and excellent long battery life, alongside nailing luxe features like a broad sound and wonderfully immersive active noise cancellation (ANC).

It’s really all about convenience, with 12 hours offered on a single charge and then another 12 hours offered from the charging case. Bluetooth LE connectivity, through a USB-C wireless receiver, ensures you’re solidly connected too.

Obviously, these earbuds are focused on gaming but they showcased impressive all-round audio chops in our testing. The sound was punchy and accurate along with serving games well with spatial audio luxury.

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full review: Sony Inzone Buds review

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is a great headset for anyone that wants to game on the PC and PS5, coming with a 2.4GHz USB-A receiver, which we found remarkably simple to set up. 

We thought that the headset felt properly premium, from the metal earcups to the red-accented headband. It also struck us as very stylish, lacking some flashier features like RGB lighting but having a more mature and sleek aesthetic. 

In terms of audio, our reviewer noted that the headset has a big, meaty sound profile that comes with lots of volume to boot, which is ideal for gaming. Our review also mentioned how the Cloud Alpha Wireless packs a lot of nuance and detail, which also makes it an ideal choice for anyone hoping to listen to music or podcasts. 

The shining feature of this headset has to be the battery life, which clocks in at over 300 hours. We noted that the battery didn’t appear to drain, with our reviewer not needing to charge the headset for the two weeks it was used. So, for anyone who’s looking for a headset that can last through the night without issue, there is no better choice than the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless.

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full review: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless review

Our extensive tests show that the Xbox Wireless Headset is the best gaming headset choice for anyone who owns Microsoft’s consoles. We were able to easily connect it to our Xbox Series X wirelessly, while also using our smartphone simultaneously for Discord chats. 

We also really liked the Xbox-themed design, and found the rotating control dial allowed us to easily alter the volume without blindingly searching for small buttons. We were also impressed with the headset’s wide range of features, which includes Dolby Atmos that creates an immersive 3D audio effect. 

We found the audio quality to be superb during testing, although we do recommend fiddling with the equaliser to find a soundscape to your liking, as the audio sounds a little muddy to us out of the box. 

You can admittedly find plenty of other gaming headsets that have been designed with the Xbox in mind, such as the HyperX CloudX Stinger Core Wireless and Corsair HS75 XB Wireless, but Microsoft’s own headset is our favourite, mainly due to its incredible value.

Reviewer: Esat Dedezade
Full review: Xbox Wireless Headset review

The Sony Inzone H5 rounds out the company’s Inzone headset range nicely, offering a more reasonably priced wireless option. Previously, going for the budget H3 model meant restricting yourself to a wired connection while the H7 meant shelling out £199/$229 for a wireless one. At £140/$150, the new H5 headset hits a sweet spot.

Despite Inzone representing Sony’s efforts to expand into PC gaming, these work great with the PlayStation too, and offer better sound as well as improved battery life when compared with the PlayStation Pulse 3D cans.

They might not offer bags of bass to knock your socks off but the Inzone H5 headset succeeds in offering an accurate, immersive and punchy side. Spatial Audio and strong noise isolation on the microphone make these a well-rounded wonder for your PlayStation and PC gaming sessions.

This headset also offers a dose of luxury in terms of the build and fit, which the Pulse 3D doesn’t. These may pack in features but they manage to stay a pleasing light 260 grams while sitting comfortably on your noggin aided by some fabric padding. The look really fits with the PS5 aesthetic too.

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full review: Sony Inzone H5 review

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) is one of the best gaming headsets for eSports players or streamers. It features an incredible microphone that has been massively improved compared to the previous model. It has a 9.9mm condenser microphone running a 32kHz sampling rate, which we found provided a deep and warm response, free of background noise. The arm attaching the mic is stiffer, which stopped it from gradually drifting away during gameplay so you won’t need to keep readjusting it as you play. 

The headset itself uses the same Razer Triforce as many other Razer headsets. We thought that they sounded glorious; mid-ranges sang beautifully, and the audio came through surprisingly wide for closed-back ear cups. Playing around with the Synapse EQ brought about even better changes, with games like Resident Evil Village and Doom Eternal sounding more immersive and eerie.

In terms of connectivity, the BlackShark V2 Pro charges via a USB-C. It can be linked to devices through a USB receiver or Bluetooth, giving it much more versatility than standard wired headsets. We were able to connect it to mobile phones and the Nintendo Switch, with audio sounding consistent over these devices. However, the lack of a 3.5mm audio jack was a little limiting and means that any Xbox Series X/S gamers won’t be able to utilise this headset. 

Battery life was very impressive. Razer claims that it can last for around 70 hours when connected through the 2.4Ghz receiver, and 90 hours over Bluetooth. While we did not reach these heights during testing, we felt that these quoted numbers were eminently reasonable, with the battery life drained by half after a week of use. 

If you’re looking for a headset with more premium features – such as haptic feedback or ANC – the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense or the Asus ROG Cetra True Wireless earbuds may be better picks. But if you’re after a quality microphone to chat with friends or build up a streaming community over platforms like Twitch, then the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is definitely the headset for you. 

Reviewer: Callum Bains
Full Review: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)

Gaming headsets can be very costly, which is why the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is a breath of fresh air. This headset comes in at just $49.99/£44.99, making it a great choice for anyone who’s just stepping into the gaming world and doesn’t want to break the bank. 

Enveloped in leatherette and memory foam, this headset is comfortable enough to be worn for long stretches of time. The 275-gram weight also means that it won’t drag down on your neck during use, although this did result in it feeling frighteningly flimsy on occasion. 

While this headset could be used for work, there is no mistaking it for a gaming peripheral. The microphone cannot be detached and is not foldable. During testing, our reviewer’s voice come across as overly softened if the mic was too far away from their face. Once positioned correctly, however, there was no compression, pop-on sibilant sounds, or any drop in quality; ideal for any casual or competitive gamers and very impressive for its low price point. 

Dishonoured 2 on the Xbox Series S sounded very immersive. It managed to tune into smaller sounds as well as proximate ones, with the sound cues coming off as clear and crisp. The inclusion of spatial audio allowed our reviewer to track the location of rival players in Fortnite, providing a useful edge in tight contests. There is no ANC support here, so you won’t be getting the most premium experience available, but it performed very admirably for the price point. 

The HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is a sleek, no-nonsense gaming headset that offers reliable audio and microphone quality. It’s also more than comfortable enough to wear for hours on end, allowing it to double as a staple in your work-from-home setup in a pinch. If you’re after something more premium, the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid or Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are great picks. But if you’re looking for something cheap and cheerful, the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is a no-brainer. 

Reviewer: Imogen Donovan
Full Review: HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 Review