The Best Wireless Gaming Headphones to Buy Right Now
What is gaming without wireless gaming headphones? Exceptionally loud for your housemates, for starters. And hardwired headphones are always one good hard twist of the cord away from ending up in the junk pile. Safe to say, wireless gaming headphones are an essential part of your gaming setup.
Thankfully, business is booming. The market is absolutely flooded with wireless gaming headphones, some designed with specific gaming consoles or setups in mind, others aiming for a wider range of gamers. You can find everything from the most stripped-down basic headphones to near-symphony-quality sound, with the price tags reflecting the performance.
More from Variety
Sony Boss Says Studio Deserves Some Credit for 'Top: Gun Maverick' Box Office: 'Venom' Paved the Way
Anime Streamer Crunchyroll Drops Prices in 95 Countries -- but Not in U.S.
We dove in, eliminated the duds and the overkill, and narrowed things down for you. Here’s what we were looking for:
Sound quality – Seems like a no-brainer, but it does depend on just how immersive and realistic you want your sound experience to be. Basic stereo performance is easy to find. Surround sound will cost you more, and you can go nuts with Dolby Atmos or DTX several other high-end sound enhancements.
Compatibility – Not all wireless gaming headphones play nicely across the ever-growing array of gaming consoles and systems. Some are amazing for PC gaming but useless for consoles, or only work with specific consoles. Look before you leap, or you’ll be looking up the return policy before you know it.
Battery life – We’ll assume you have way more gaming endurance than we do, so you will want the best possible battery life you can find, and also the shortest recharging time. A 30-hour battery life is roughly 29.5 hours longer than we’re able to game in one session, but if you’re a grinder, that’s going to be a big selling point for you.
We came up with six excellent wireless gaming headphone options that cover the full range of a gamer’s wants and needs. One of these is likely to be your perfect fit:
Best Overall
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset
SteelSeries brings home the top prize in the Best Wireless Gaming Headphones category thanks to the ultra-versatile Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset. The only thing that would make you even think twice about picking up a pair of these is the very steep $350 price tag, but there’s almost nothing these amazing wireless headphones can’t do.
Start with the compatibility: The Arctis Nova Pros work with equal greatness on PlayStations, Nintendo Switches, PCs, and even your cellphone. Amazingly, they work with more than one of them simultaneously, so you can be on your console via Bluetooth and on your phone via USB at the same time. Having dual audio streams sounds like sensory overload to us, but if that’s what you’re into, have at it.
Another great feature? You can swap out a dying battery for a live one – both included – in mid-game for virtually unlimited gaming time. Full 360-degree spatial audio, amazing noise cancellation, and remarkable comfort make these the hands-down best wireless gaming headphones on the market.
Best Work/Play Combo
EPOS Sennheiser GSP 370 Wireless Gaming Headset
Switching between work and gaming headphone sets is a pain and probably unnecessary, especially if you’re a PC gamer. What you need is one set of really good wireless headphones that make a super-strong connection to your PC, regardless of what you’re doing. The EPOS Sennheiser GSP 370 Wireless Gaming Headset is your best bet in that regard.
The GSP 370’s biggest selling points are its seamless connection to Windows and it’s astonishing 100-hour battery life on a single charge. As if that charging time isn’t enough, you can also still play while the headphones are charging via the included USB cable. While these are PC-specialist headphones, they also connect to Mac and PlayStation4, although the 7.1 Surround Sound only works on PC. And the understated all-black look serves you well during those Zoom meetings for work.
Best Budget
Logitech G535 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset
It’s hardly a surprise that the best budget buy for wireless gaming headsets would come from Logitech, which has been the source for super dependable electronics and accessories for years. The Logitech G535 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset hooks up easily to your Playstation, PC, or Mac running OSX 10.14 or later, and after it recharges via USB it has an awesome 33-hour battery life.
We love the plug-and-play connectivity and the mic which flips up for mute mode. And we definitely love the price tag, especially now that it’s 31% off on Amazon to bring the final number down to $90. But buyer beware – the Logitech G535 is not compatible with Xbox or Nintendo Switch.
Best Splurge
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset Wireless (11% Off)
Our first reaction to seeing these was “That Bang & Olufsen? They make wireless gaming headphones?” Indeed they do, and talk about a big name to live up to. Bang & Olufsen brings the same ultra-high-end sound experience to gaming as they do all of their other products.
The Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset makes a zero-lag connection to Xbox, the Active Noise Cancellation lets you completely zone out the rest of the world, and the built-in mic is actually four separate mics to let your voice be heard with crystal clarity. You can even tune these wireless headphones via the Bang & Olufsen app. And don’t be put off by the “Certified Refurbished” tag – Amazon’s rigorous certification process means they’re as close to new as possible.
Best for Playstation
Sony Inzone H9
We should have known that the best wireless gaming headset for PlayStation would come from Sony. If you’re looking for a wireless headset that does the best job connecting to PlayStation-specific perks like the PS5’s Tempest 3D audio technology, the Sony Inzone H9 is the logical choice.
It’s also a great PC-gaming headset – the Inzone H9 comes with INZONE Hub PC software that lets you fine-tune your settings, and the robust 32-hour battery life lets you power through marathon grinds. You can also simultaneously connect to Discord while gaming on your computer or console. The $300 price tag is steep indeed, but for dedicated PlayStation gamers it may be worth every penny.
Best for Xbox
SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless Gaming Headset
The SteelSeries Arctis 9X was named New King of XBox Headsets in 2019 by GamesRadar+, and even now three years later they totally holds up as the best wireless gaming headset for XBox players, whether you’re on an XBox XS or XBox One.
The Arctis 9X and your XBox act like old friends – every time they meet, the connection is instantaneous and easy. No cable or dongle required, just an instant gaming experience. You can also connect to Bluetooth at the same time so you can take calls while gaming, or use the Arctis 9X with your cellphone on the go. The 20-hour battery life is better than average, and the steel headband and AirWeave ear cushions provide a mix of comfort and durability.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
