A good gaming headset can level up your gaming experience. Whether you are a fan of playing competitive shooters or single-player titles, a good gaming headset can provide an immersive experience by allowing you to hear more sound effects such as footsteps, while also making it easier to communicate in-game with your teammates.
There are a lot of headsets on the market, though, and some of the best gaming headsets can be quite expensive. If you're just looking for a headset to provide a more immersive experience without breaking the bank, we've done the research and curated a list of the best cheap gaming headsets to help you find the best headset.
Here are the best cheap gaming headsets in 2023
SteelSeries Arctis 1
High-quality sound and a comfortable fit for a good price.
If you're looking for the best cheap headset, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 1. It's a great headset for gaming and comes with detachable microphone that offers clear communication. The design is sleek and comfortable, and it's one of the best options for a cheap headset on the market.
- Solid sound quality
- Comfortable fit
- Great microphone
- Basic design
- Limited functionality when used with consoles
SteelSeries is known for making some of the best gaming headsets, especially when it comes to high-end wireless gaming headsets. However, the SteelSeries Arctis 1 is one of the best wired budget headsets on the market, delivering a nice mix of excellent audio quality and comfort.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 is a personal favorite of mine. It's a reliable headset that has lasted me years and serves as both my primary gaming headset, but it's also the headset I take work calls with.
The Arctis 1 features a minimalist over-ear design. There's no RGB or other typical gamer aesthetic choices, and these headphones could easily be mistaken for a premium office headset. The ear cushions are designed with breathable fabric, so these headphones stay comfortable even during long sessions, and the headband is easily adjustable for a wide range of head sizes.
Audio quality is clear and crisp and balanced within games. If you're gaming on PC, you will have access to a suite of specialized audio features through the SteelSeries Engine 3 software. Within SteelSeries Engine 3 you can customize surround sound settings as well as EQ settings for your favorite games. Unfortunately console players will miss out on this feature, but all in all, the sound quality out of the box is well balanced for gaming.
The microphone is fully retractable and coils into the right ear cup. On the opposite ear there are a few buttons such as the mute microphone button and volume wheel. The microphone is noise-canceling and sounds crisp and clear. It's a perfect choice for gamers but also for taking work calls.
Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset
A powerful mid-range headset
The Logitech G435 wireless gaming headset is a lightweight and comfortable premium over-ear gaming headset that delivers a clean and bright audio quality for both games and music. It has an integrated noise-canceling microphone, which allows for your voice to come through crystal clear to your teammates. While it's typically on the more expensive end, it's commonly on sale for as low as $40, making this a premium budget headset.
- Frequently on sale
- Dual beamforming microphone reduces background noise
- Dolby Atmos support
- Flimsy build quality
The Logitech G435 Lightspeed offers an immersive and robust sound experience in an ultra lightweight design that comes in a few different striking color schemes. It's a wireless headset that connects to your PC, smartphone, and game consoles via Bluetooth. It also includes Logitech's own USB-C 2.4GHz Lightspeed adapter, which offers a great range of 33 feet. The adapter is also nearly universal, and can be connected to a PC, MacOS device, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Logitech boasts that the G435 Lightspeed Headset is carbon-neutral, with the bulk of the plastics and fabrics used in the construction being post-consumer recycled materials. There's a noticeable lightness to the G435 Lightspeed, weighing only about 6 ounces. However, this lightness also does give a flimsy feeling to the overall build quality.
The audio quality is immersive and crisp for gaming, and you don't have to worry about the battery as you can get 18 hours of use on a single charge. When it's time to recharge, you can still use the headphones via USB-C.
The microphone is built into the headset, and there's boom arm. The microphone uses a dual beam-forming mics that should capture your voice clearly. It's not going to be as good as a microphone with a dedicated boom arm, like the SteelSeries Arctis 3 above, but it should do the trick for gaming online.
While the initial price tag of the G435 Lightspeed is $80, it is commonly on sale for as low as $40, making it one of the better mid-range gaming headsets that can be found for under $100.
Astro Gaming A10 Headset
Immersive sound at a great price
The Astro A10 Gaming headset provides one of the best values when it comes to performance and build quality. There's immersive audio quality and a dedicated boom mic that delivers clear audio. It also comes in a variety of colors and is compatible with PC and all consoles.
- Immersive stereo audio
- Music and games both sound great with bass
- Comfortable foam earcups
- Bulky design
- Additional features have to be bought
The A10 Wired gaming headset from Astro is one of the best wired gaming headsets that only costs $60. It comes in a sleek design and in a variety of colors, and offers one of the best audio and chat experiences for gaming under $100.
The headset is lightweight and includes thick memory foam ear cushions on each ear cup. It's designed to be worn for long sessions, although the ear cups can't swivel or adjust much to conform to your ears.
When it comes to sound quality, the A10 delivers a detailed soundscape that makes it easy for you to pinpoint enemy footsteps in shooters, while also delivering a booming bass in music and games. The boom microphone handles your voice loud and clear even in noisy environments.
Like most budget-centric gaming headsets, you don't get too much in the way of features, but there are the basics of an in-line volume wheel and microphone mute button. There are a variety of accessories made by Astro such as a Mixamp for EQing the sound and software suite for the A10, but you will have to purchase those separately.
HyperX Cloud Stinger
The best cheap gaming headset without any bells and whistles
While the HyperX Cloud Stinger doesn't offer too much in the way of bells and whistles, it offers the basics of a detailed soundscape, dedicated boom microphone with in-line controls and a lightweight and adjustable band. It's the best wired headset for the PlayStation 5, and it costs less than $50.
- Compatible with both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
- In-line microphone and volume controls
- Lightweight design that can be worn for hours comfortably
- Music performance is weak
- Limited controls
The HyperX Cloud Stinger is a solid option for anyone looking for headphones for $50 and less. The design is lightweight, although the plastic construction can feel a bit flimsy. The 50mm drivers deliver a detailed audio experience that could compete with some of the higher-end gaming headsets on the market.
While the audio performance is solid for gaming, it's going to be more lackluster when it comes to music. This is pretty common when it comes to headphones that are designed for gaming, especially in the lower price ranges.
The HyperX Cloud Stinger connects to your console or PC through a 3.5mm cable. It's a plug-and-play cable which is nice, and it has a few in-line controls for volume and muting the microphone. The microphone sits on a retractable boom arm, and it delivers clear sound quality even in loud environments.
When it comes to features, however, this is a bare-bones headset. The audio quality out of the box is solid, which is good considering you are left with little in the way of any tools to customize the audio.
Logitech G432 Wired Gaming Headset
The best headset that comes with a suite of features
The Logitech G432 Wired Gaming Headset is a simple, wired headset for online gaming. The sound quality is warm and immersive for games, and the build is lightweight with large ear cups with a comfortable pleather cushioning. There's also a large suite of customization features included with Logitech G Hub support.
- Logitech G Hub software support included
- Pleather ear cushions retain less heat than fabric
- Lightweight design that can be worn for hours comfortably
- Volume controls are finnicky and not labeled
- Plastic construction
As you may have noticed at this point, many of the cheap gaming headsets don't include software customization features. This means no EQ tools in most cases, but when it comes to a cheap gaming headset that includes a powerful suite of features to customize and hone in on your preferred audio experience, you can't beat the Logitech G432 Wired Gaming Headset.
The audio quality is detailed, and the pleather cushioning on the ear cups is comfortable and helps to keep your ears cooler than ear cups with fabric cushioning. On the other hand though, it comes at the cost of noise isolation. The pleather isn't great at absorbing sound, and you will struggle to hear if you're wearing these headphones in a noisy environment.
The microphone is a standard boom-arm integrated dual beamforming microphone, so it should handle noise well while making your vocals sound crisp and clear on the other end. Boom microphones also are good for audio recording quality, as they are capable of producing a bright and natural sound.
The primary selling point of the G432 Wired Gaming Headset is the suite of features that come along with the included Logitech G Hub software platform. There's a 10-band visual EQ control, volume controls, microphone customization options, and a surround sound customization tool. All of these tools working together help you get the most out of this headset, and it provides a great value to the G432.
HyperX Cloud Stinger 2
Connect to any console that has an aux port
If the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core was a bit too basic for you, check out the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2. This headset is comfortable to wear with pleather cushioned earcups and an improved audio profile from the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core.
- Comfortable overear headphones with pleather cushioning
- Improved bass profile from its predecessor
- Lightweight design that can be worn for hours comfortably
- No microphone customization tools
Much like its little brother, the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core, the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 delivers a comfortable and simple experience without too much in the way of customization features. The HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 improves the overall bass and provides a slightly more detailed sound. The build is pretty similar, and is just as comfortable with pleather and foam cushioned earcups and an adjustable headband.
Microphone performance is nice and clear thanks to the dedicated boom arm housing a built-in boom microphone. The arm itself is flexible, allowing you to adjust it to your preferred distance for clear communication. There's unfortunately no microphone EQ tools with this headset, so you will be left to adjust the microphone only.
The 50mm drivers deliver a balanced and detailed soundscape, with improved bass performance over the Cloud Stinger Core. It also features a 3.5mm connection, so it's compatible with all consoles and controllers housing an aux port.
Features wise, there's not much. The Cloud Stinger 2 is still a pretty basic cheap gaming headset, and there's no special aesthetic features or software customization options. All in all, it's a worthwhile cheap gaming headset because it sounds good, is comfortable, and has a clear microphone.
Turtle Beach Recon 50
The best microphone on one of the cheapest gaming headsets
The Turtle Beach Recon 50 is one of the best options for a cheap gaming headset. It is a comfortable headset that provides a detailed soundscape and a great microphone for under $50. It doesn't have much in the way of special features, but if you are after one of the cheapest options with a dependable microphone, the Recon 50 is for you.
- Multiple color variations available
- In-line microphone and volume controls
- Great ouf-of-box microphone
- Music performance is weak
If you're on a tight budget and are looking for one of the best options for a dependable microphone, look no further than the Recon 50 headset from Turtle Beach. This headset delivers solid audio quality, and a microphone that doesn't let down.
It's not the most glamorous pick on the list, and it's by no means perfect, but if you are looking for an ultra-cheap headset that offers a solid microphone performance, the Turtle Beach Recon 50 is your headset. Its audio quality is decent, but it's not the most comfortable headset in the world due to having shallow earcups. The sound quality is a bit flat due to the shallowness of the earcups as well, but it will do the trick for gaming.
The boom microphone is detachable and connects to the left earcup. It's a flexible boom arm and will allow you to get a great position on the microphone. You can center the microphone easily directly in front of your mouth to ensure you get the clearest possible voice through to your teammates.
All in all, this is a solid option for a cheap gaming headset. The microphone performance is crystal clear, and the plastic build is lightweight. It's not the most comfortable headset but if you don't mind the stiffness of the ear padding, then it's a solid option for a low price.
Razer Opus X
Active noise cancelation on a budget
These Razer Opus X headphones are the flashiest headphones on this list, and they are the most expensive. But, they deliver active noise-cancelation at a great price, and feature 40mm drivers to deliver a warm and balanced sound quality. There's an integrated microphone and a long-lasting battery for mobile gaming sessions.
- Bold and bright color options
- Active noise-cancelation at a low price
- Long-lasting battery
- No microphone controls
If you're looking for noise-cancelation on a budget, check out these Razer Opus X headphones. Razer is the ultimate designer of gamer peripherals, and these neon green headphones are the ultimate gamer headset with active noise cancelation.
The headset is fully wireless with a long-lasting battery and comes with a detailed audio quality. In our review, we found both games and music sound great, and there was no over-boosting of the bass. We also found the active noise-cancelation worked well.
We also were happy with the Razer Audio app, which allows you to have five equalizer options to further customize your audio experience, although it would have been nice to be able to customize your own equalizer settings.
For the price of $100 or less, the Razer Opus X is an impressive gaming headset that gives you a comfortable build, and a very immersive audio experience with ANC. These headphones are fully wireless, and connect via Bluetooth to your consoles, PC, or phone.
The best cheap gaming headsets in 2023: The bottom line
There are a lot of solid options for cheap gaming headsets, but it can become overwhelming with so many options available and so many different brands. I picked the SteelSeries Arctis 1 as my top pick. It's been a personal favorite headset of mine for years, and was my daily headset for years. They're incredibly comfortable to wear for long sessions, and the microphone is clear even in noisy environments.
SteelSeries Arctis 1
The best overall cheap gaming headset
If you're looking for a high-quality gaming headset that doesn't break the bank, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 1. This wired headset offers excellent sound quality, a comfortable adjustable headband, a clear-sounding retractable microphone, and a 3.5mm jack so that this headset can be used with various devices.
If you were looking for something that provides a bit more value in the way of software customization tools for your headset, check out our best value pick, the Astro A10. This headset features fantastic audio quality and can be upgraded over time with a wide variety of accessories sold by Astro that allow you to further customized your audio experience.
Astro Gaming A10 Headset
Best price-to-performance headset
The Astro A10 Gaming headset provides one of the best values when it comes to performance and build quality. There's an immersive audio quality, a dedicated boom mic that delivers clear audio. It also comes in a variety of colors and is compatible with PC and all consoles.