The best gaming headsets of 2020

It may be an expensive headset, but we think the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 is well worth a purchase. The Elite Pro 2 boasts incredible audio quality with crisp highs and rich, booming bass, directional audio thanks to 7.1 surround sound support and smartphone compatibility that allows you to take calls via the headset.

We haven’t even begun to talk about how comfortable the headset is either. The Aerofit Ear Cushions are incredibly soft and cool to the touch, and mould to the shape of your head as you wear them for extreme comfort over long periods. There is even a gap for glasses wearers!

If money is no object, the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 is the best option right now. 

Read our full Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 review

Turtle Beach is on to a winner with the Elite Atlas Aero. The wireless headset offers premium build quality and a high-end audio experience without the budget-breaking price tag of some of the headsets in our chart. The headset is comfortable to wear thanks mainly to the cold-touch memory foam ear cushions, and enhancements to audio playback via the new Control Studio software for PC means gamers can tailor the audio experience in an entirely new way.

The software enables advanced features like Superhuman Hearing, allowing you to pinpoint footsteps and gunshots in online shooters, along with premium 3D audio technology Waves Nx, perfectly simulating a 3D soundscape for added immersion in story-driven games. And while wireless support is exclusive to PC, 3.5mm support allows the headset to be used across consoles too.

For the price, the Elite Atlas Aero should be a serious consideration. 

Read our full Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero review

The Razer Nari Ultimate is a beautifully-designed high-end headset that delivers not only an exceptional audio experience, but a comfortable one too. Featuring a lightweight aluminium frame, a self-adjusting headband and cooling gel-infused earcups, it’s a headset you’ll be able to wear for hours on end without any uncomfortable aches or behind-the-ear sweats.

HyperSense technology helps the Nari Ultimate stand out from a crowd of gaming headsets, offering intelligent haptic feedback on PC and consoles that can really help immerse you into the world of the game you’re playing. Couple that with THX Spatial Audio support and wireless capabilities, and you’ve got a premium audio experience that shines not only when playing games but listening to music and watching movies too.

Read our full Razer Nari Ultimate review

If you game on PC and don’t mind using a wire, the Logitech G Pro X is almost a no-brainer: tremendous sound, comfort, and design for an attractive price point, paired with Blue microphone software that’ll have you sounding better than you ever have before.

On console it’s a trickier proposition – the headline features will only work on PC with the included USB DAC, and while the Pro X still feels competitive without them, it would be understandable to be tempted by one of the great wireless headsets you can find around the same price point.

Read our full Logitech G Pro X review

The wireless Logitech G935 boasts a gorgeous design that when combined with premium materials offers impressive comfort, even over long gaming sessions – although it’s not quite as comfortable as the Elite Pro 2, found above. The customisable buttons are a plus, allowing you to program macros or just about anything else and activate them on-the-fly, and the RGB lighting is bound to impress some.

But while it boasts a great design, the G935 truly excels in the audio department. Bass is booming, highs are crisp and clear, and the soundscape is impressive, allowing you to pinpoint the source of audio with incredible accuracy.

Oh, and (wired) compatibility with just about every console alongside PC is a bonus too.

Read our full Logitech G935 review

The ROG Strix Go 2.4 is the perfect gaming headset for those looking for a wireless headset to use with the Nintendo Switch – it’s one of a very limited number of headsets to do so. The understated design looks great, and the hard-shell carry case is a handy place to store the extra wires and dongles that come with the headset. 

The USB-C nature is what limits it from being the one wireless headset you use for gaming and listening to music on your commute, as there’s no Bluetooth on offer as a backup, although you do have a 3.5mm wired connection at your disposal. 

Still, with great High-Res Audio-certified audio quality that suits both gaming and music playback, the ROG Strix Go 2.4 remains a solid choice for consumers.

Read our full Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 review

The Astro A50 Wireless is premium in just about every respect, from design and build to the features and audio quality on offer, and the price-tag reflects that.

The USB base station doubles up as a wireless charger, making sure your headset is always fully charged, and the 40mm drivers produce Dolby Audio-powered audio that not only sounds great, but is highly directional too. The headset is largely comfortable to wear thanks to soft-touch padding, but the fit is a bit tight for those of us with larger heads. 

The main issue is that it costs a lot more than most gaming headsets in our chart, and while the A50 Wireless is phenomenal, there are cheaper options that perform at a similar level. 

Read our full Astro A50 Wireless review

Traditionally a big-name in the hi-fi market, Audeze is a newcomer to the gaming scene, and the Mobius is one of the most expensive gaming headsets currently available. However, the hefty price tag includes impressive sound quality, versatile connectivity features, and a great sense of space that really puts you right in the middle of the action.

Based on the company’s ‘planar magnetic’ technology, the Mobius headphones sound great, with clear, sharp high frequencies and a rich, strong bass sound that works well both for music and shoot-em-up action games. There’s USB-Audio output for PCs and Macs, 3.5mm connector for older devices, and Bluetooth wireless. You can even buy special cryo-gel earpieces to keep you cool in the heat of battle.

Read our full Audeze Mobius review

The Sennheiser GSP 370 delivers a long battery life, claiming up to 100 hours worth of uninterrupted playtime. But the battery is not the only winning feature; it’s comfortable for long periods of time, and the audio is high quality and dynamic, especially for PC users who have an extra level of customisation. 

It’s a shame that this headset isn’t compatible with more devices than just the PS4 and PC – and that the microphone is fixed – as otherwise this could have doubled up nicely as an everyday headset as other rivals can. However, if all you’re looking for is a headset with a massive battery, then this should be one high on your list. 

Read our full Sennheiser GSP 370 review

You really can’t go wrong with SteelSeries products and the Arctis Pro + GameDAC is a perfect example of this – exceptional build quality and design meet harmoniously with exceptional, highly-customisable sound quality and diversity.

The GameDAC allows you to create your own audio profiles with ease and switch them on the fly, so you can manually boost the highs to hear those footsteps over the gunfire or drag the lows up for that thumping, concussive, immersive sound.

Read our full SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC review

With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, Sennheiser’s premium GSP 670 is a great option for those that want a high-quality headset both for gaming and everyday use, although the chunky nature of the headset might make you stand out like a sore thumb on the bus. It offers a blend of plastic and soft-touch padded material that should provide a comfortable experience for the majority of consumers, but we found pressure would build up around the headband over long periods of play.

But, unsurprisingly with a Sennheiser product, audio quality is the main reason to pick up the GSP 670. It offers booming bass that doesn’t overpower the mids or highs, and a simulated 7.1 surround sound experience really helps immerse you in the game. It’s further improved via preset EQs available as part of the Sennheiser Gaming Suite on PC, but without the ability to save profiles to the headset, the EQs aren’t available when using the headset with the PS4 or listening to music via Bluetooth.

Read our full Sennheiser GSP 670 review

The 1More Spearhead VRX is unique in that it’s the only headset in our chart to offer positional head tracking, and it works surprisingly well. The end result is a more immersive, realistic gaming experience where audio is affected by the way you turn your head. The audio quality is crisp and the bass is booming, thanks to the built-in 50mm vibrating drivers, making them perfect for gaming and listening to music too.

It’s also the only headset in our chart that doesn’t offer an adjustable mic, instead opting for a small microphone in the earcup much like with standard smartphone headphones. We were admittedly sceptical about how well it’d perform, and though it isn’t a perfect experience, it certainly exceeded our expectations.

Read our full 1More Spearhead VRX review

Set the aesthetics aside, and the Rig 500 Pro is a really impressive gaming headset for its price. We’ve frequently forgotten that this costs less than many competitors while we’ve been using it, happily switching between it and some far more expensive alternatives in our chart.

Solid metal construction means it’s comfortable and built to last, with powerful bass that’s perfect for driving shooters and refreshingly simple controls.

Read our full Plantronics Rig 500 Pro review

Creative’s SXFI Theater headphones aren’t technically designed for gaming, but they are wireless and they do offer a unique audio experience that appeals to gamers as well as general audio enthusiasts. 

The company’s Super X-Fi technology adjusts the audio output depending on the size and features of your ears – something you’ll have to set up via an app before getting the full experience. Once enabled, it provides great 3D audio, and thanks to opting for Creative’s proprietary wireless tech over standard Bluetooth, there’s no audio lag either. 

It won’t do the job if you play multiplayer games and want to chat with friends, as built-in mic support is poor, but if you’re more of a lone gamer with a penchant for immersive single-player games, the SXFI Theater headphones are worth considering. 

Read our full Creative SXFI Theater review

With the recent price drop, the Asus ROG Strix Fusion 500 is now more tempting than ever before. It may not have some of the bells and whistles of other gaming headsets in our chart, but it’s well-built, comfortable to wear and most importantly, it sounds incredible. The virtual 7.1 surround sound support immerses you in your favourite games, allowing you to pick up directional audio that can enhance your overall gameplay experience – especially in fast-paced online shooters where split-second reaction times are a necessity.

Our only complaint is that despite being compatible with PS4 as well as PC, swipe input isn’t supported by the console.

Read our full ROG Strix Fusion 500 review