Sound in games has come a long way since the medium’s early days. Today, games hire composers and professional mixing engineers and feature lush classical strings, Gregorian chants, original pop songs and pulsating thrash metal.
So, if you’re not able to output it to a decent set of speakers, getting one of the best wired headsets can be an excellent way to appreciate the emotion of the music and the intricacies of positional audio.
Why wired? Well, why not? Wireless headsets are fine, but come with a set of requirements. They need to be compatible with your PC or console, they need charging, they can compress the sound beyond all recognition, and they can disconnect at the most inopportune moments.
A wired headset fixes a lot of these problems - they’re more broadly compatible, won’t disconnect unless you pull the plug out, and can offer a higher bit-rate for less compression and better quality - but chains you to your gaming device with its cable. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, as we don’t tend to wander around the room while playing a game, but if you like to use your headset for video calls as well then you might have to learn to sit still.
What differentiates a headset from a pair of headphones is the microphone. While headphones are purely passive consumption devices, a headset allows you to talk back, whether that’s in a Zoom call with your parents or a team chat in the lobby before a round of Counter-Strike begins. These are as important as the sound quality coming out of the earcups when choosing a wired gaming headset, so pay attention to things like noise cancelling and being able to position them comfortably.
Here are some of the best wired gaming headsets on sale today.
Best wired gaming headsets at a glance:
- Best for quality audio: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro - £249.99, Amazon
- Best for more affordable virtual surround sound: Razer Blackshark V2X - £59.99, Amazon
- Best for a good all-rounder: Epos H3 - £89.99, Amazon
- Best for a virtual surround bundle: Fnatic React Plus - £72.50, Amazon
- Best for 7.1 surround (on PC): Corsair HS65 Surround - £79.99, Amazon
- Best for big bass: HyperX Cloud Alpha - £89.99, Amazon
- Best for being in control: Logitech Astro A40 TR Headset and Mixamp Pro TR - £249.99, Amazon
- Best for kitties: Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro - £199.99, Amazon
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
Best for: quality audio
Not cheap at all - in fact, the Arctis Nova Pro headset is up there in cost with some of the best noise-cancelling headphones - but worth the investment if you want a well-designed, lightweight and comfortable headset that you can transfer between multiple devices. You’ll need a special version for an Xbox, but the standard model can plug into a PC, Switch or PlayStation console and work.
Compatible with spatial audio solutions such as Tempest 3D or Microsoft Spatial Sound, this headset can be plugged into two sources simultaneously and switched using a button on the cable, while also offering a noise-cancelling mic.
Buy now £249.99, Amazon
Razer Blackshark V2X
Best for: more affordable virtual surround sound
Very light but with 50mm drivers to pump out the sound, this wired gaming headset is a cut-down version of the Razer Blackshark V2, which costs twice as much. This means it’s a bit basic, lacking features like RGB lighting, a detachable mic, and even a tough braided cable, but they may be superfluous if all you’re looking for is something to transmit noise to and from your head.
You do, however, get 7.1 virtual surround sound and a bendable cardioid mic, along with a standard 3.5mm connector so you can plug it into just about anything.
Buy now £59.99, Amazon
Epos H3
Best for: a good all-rounder
At the time of writing, this is an absolute bargain, and definitely one to look out for during sales and discount events. With a stainless steel slider and adjustable earcups to tailor the fit for just about anyone’s head, the H3 headset offers an excellent mic and well-balanced sound, whether you’re using it for gaming or music.
The mic isn’t detachable, which may affect its versatility as you don’t always want a boom sticking out, but with a volume wheel integrated into the right earcup, and a standard 3.5mm plug meaning it can be connected to just about anything, this is a headset that will please many users.
Buy now £89.99, Amazon
Fnatic React Plus
Best for: a virtual surround bundle
You don’t just get a headset with the React Plus, there's a Windows-compatible USB soundcard in the box too, so you can add virtual surround sound effects to PC games. It’s not as posh as the Arctis Nova Pro at the top of this list, but then it costs a lot less too, and even though the design is simpler it loses little in terms of audio clarity.
The mic is detachable, and the headset’s entire design is restrained enough that you may get away with it on office Teams calls when not mid-laning it in League of Legends.
Buy now £72.50, Amazon
Corsair HS65 Surround
Best for: 7.1 surround (on PC)
Plug these into one of your PC’s USB ports and you’ll get full Dolby Atmos surround sound, while connecting it to a console will give you virtual surround. Plug the 3.5mm jack into just about anything else, and you’ll get stereo sound.
This makes the HS65 Surround a headset that you can carry from desk to sofa to running machine, and its closed-back earcups and adjustable headband mean it’s comfortable to wear for long periods. Perhaps the only downside is its omnidirectional mic, which runs the risk of picking up background noise, though it can be quickly muted by flipping it up.
Buy now £79.99, Amazon
HyperX Cloud Alpha
Best for: big bass
If it’s a big, bass-heavy sound you’re looking for, the Cloud Alpha headset is worth putting your ears to. Its 50mm drivers have a wide response range, so that gunfire, explosions and engine notes get the soundstage they deserve. This low-end-happy tendency perhaps makes the headset less ideal for listening to music, though that’s a matter of taste, but if you fire up something noisy with virtual surround switched on the distinctive black and red Cloud Alpha is sure to delight.
Buy now £89.99, Amazon
Logitech Astro A40 TR Headset and Mixamp Pro TR
Best for: being in control
This headset comes in two versions, one for Xbox and PC, and the other for PlayStation and PC. You can also buy the headset separately, but while the bundle with the Mixamp adds to the cost, it stands out because of how much control it adds to what you’re hearing. It also has the ability to adjust the volume of chat or game audio and comes with presets to change the way things sound quickly.
Its open-back design is comfortable to wear, and while it may have a bit of aggressive gamer design about it and a high price, it’s spatial audio compatible and offers a good balance of sound quality and features.
Buy now £249.99, Amazon
Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro
Best for: kitties
Available in a wonderful pink as well as Razer’s trademark black and green, and with light-up ears, this headset is going to get you noticed if you’re playing on camera or at a tournament. Alternatively, it may just make you feel great about yourself.
It is quite expensive, but the reasonably long 2m cable, 50mm drivers and cardioid pattern mic make it a versatile performer that can be connected to multiple sources. Did we mention that the cat ears can be swapped for bunny and bear ears too?
Buy now £199.99, Amazon
Verdict
While we thought long and hard about putting the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro at the top of this list just because of its pink bunny ears, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro belongs at number one thanks to its exceptional sound quality and ability to hook up to two different devices at once.
Picking a wired headset when there are a plethora of wireless models out there means you’re prioritising sound quality and low latency over cable-free convenience, so you may as well go for the best. Or you could have pink flashing ears. Your call.
