How We Selected the Best PS5 headsets

As a longtime tech and gaming critic, I have a lot of experience using gaming headsets. I’ve reviewed dozens of them for sites like IGN, PC Gamer and, of course, Popular Science. The majority of my recommendations are based on my own personal testing, playing all kinds of games on PS5. In a couple of cases, I deferred to the accounts of my colleagues past and present, while making sure that the headsets offered high-quality specs and value.

Best wireless: SteelSeries Arctis 7PBest wired: Asus ROG Delta SBest for esports: SteelSeries Arctis PrimeBest for audiophiles: Audeze PenroseBest for single-player experiences: Sony PlayStation Pulse 3DBest multi-platform wireless headset on a budget: Razer Barracuda X

What to Consider When Buying a PS5 Gaming Headset

Buying a headset using the information on the back of the box can be a crapshoot. There’s some useful information on there, but the most important qualities, like sound quality and comfort, cannot be gleaned from specs. Still, there’s a lot of useful information that can help you make a good purchasing decision in the moment. Compatibility The most important question is also the easiest to solve… Most of the time. Always check to make sure if a headset works with the platform(s) you own. For consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the console is frequently referenced in the name of the product, or there’s a large sign on the box with a console logo. Worst case, you need to check a list on the box of compatible devices. Many wireless headsets for PC are also compatible with the PS5, so it never hurts to check their compatibility when you’re shopping. Wired vs. Wireless Headsets As with the PlayStation 4, the PS5 supports both wired and wireless headsets. Choosing between a wired and wireless headset is often a question of convenience versus cost. While the gap between the two isn’t gigantic, adding the extra tech to make a headset work untethered noticeably increases its price.  That said, there are also good, non-financial reasons to consider a wired headset: Even the best wireless gaming headsets need to be charged frequently. Most premium headsets have an estimated max battery life of around 20 hours. (Often, you’ll get significantly less). If you play often enough, you may find yourself plugging the headset in to charge while you play. Some players will tell you that it’s worth it to use a wired headset to mitigate audio lag, but in my experience, that’s not an issue with a dedicated headset, especially if it connects to the console via a 2.4GHz wireless dongle instead of the slightly slower Bluetooth option. Weight The weight of your headset matters more than you think. During a long play session, a heavy headset can start to feel heavy on your head. It doesn’t necessarily reveal whether or not a headset will be comfortable over time on its own: Padding, particularly a suspended or self-adjusting headband, can go a long way to easing the burden of a heavy headset. Ultimately, figuring out what’s comfortable is a personal decision, but if a headset looks big and bulky, chances are it’s going to be heavy. If that’s the case, look for thick memory foam padding and/or a suspended headband. Microphones Technically, a gaming headset is a combination of two devices — headphones and a microphone. The microphone is half of the equation, but most reviews spend significantly less time on it than the headphones. The fact is that most headsets reach a pretty high bar for quality across the board, and rarely deviate too far from it, so you don’t need to worry about specs too much. There are design qualities to keep in mind, like whether a mic is detachable or retractable. Some high-end headsets feature active noise-cancellation in the microphone to minimize ambient noise, which is always a nice touch, but not necessarily a dealbreaker.

Best PS5 headsets: Here’s what we recommend

There is no singular best PS5 headset for every single person, but I’ve winnowed down my experiences to a shortlist of candidates for most players, depending on a few key factors. All of them are very good, though, so you can’t go wrong with any of these picks.

Best wireless PS5 headset: SteelSeries Arctis 7P

Why it made the cut: A great overall headset that’s made specifically for PlayStation. Specs

Drivers: 40mmFrequency Response: 20-20,000 HzMicrophone: Retractable wire boom, bi-directionalConnection Types: 2.4Ghz wireless via USB-C dongle, Analog (3.5mm)Estimated Battery Life: 24 hours

SteelSeries Arctis’ line of headsets is incredibly well-rounded. They’re comfortable and deliver sharp sound and a solid connection. The PlayStation-specific Arctis 7P delivers the best bang for your buck if you’re looking specifically for a PS5 headset. (Technically it also works on Switch and Android phones with USB-C, too). If you also want to play on PC or Bluetooth support to pair with a phone, the more expensive Arctis 9 is also an excellent choice.

Best wired PS5 headset: Asus ROG Delta S

Why it made the cut: The Asus ROG Delta S sounds incredible and comes with loads of stellar features, including MQA audio codec support, customizable RGB lighting, and more.  Specs

Drivers: 50mmFrequency Response: 20-40,000 HzMicrophone: Detachable, Unidirectional with Noise-CancellationConnection Types: USB-C, USB-A (with extension cable adapter)

The Asus ROG Delta S is, if nothing, distinctive. A concentrated burst of flashy features, like an internal quad-DAC, triangular ear cups, RGB lighting, and support for Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), a high-fidelity encoding format required for streaming services like Tidal’s “master” quality audio. Normally, overloading a headset with showy bells and whistles is a red flag — a sign that maybe the headset underneath all the features isn’t so great. In this case, however, those features are all icing on the cake, so to speak. The Delta S delivers sharp audio across its range and a rare level of clarity among gaming headsets. It is a USB wired headset, so you will need to have a cable running from the front of your PS5 to your head, but with a 5-foot cable and a 3.2-foot extension cable, it isn’t as restrictive as other wired models. Plus, you know… It sounds really good.

Best PS5 headset for Esports: SteelSeries Arctis Prime

Why it made the cut: Everything about the Arctis Prime is simple and clean. Simply put, it is the best analog-only headset I’ve ever used. (And the only one I recommend). Specs

Drivers: 40mmFrequency Response: 10-40,000 HzMicrophone: Retractable, Bi-directional with noise-cancellationConnection Types: Analog (3.5mm)

I’m continually surprised to find myself returning to the Arctis Prime over and over. As an esports headset, its simple design focuses on the basic functions of a headset: It needs to sound clear and it needs to make you sound clear. It excels on both counts, thanks to “high-fidelity” drivers previously reserved for SteelSeries’ most expensive headset, the Arctis Pro, and a noise-cancelling microphone.

Best PS5 headset for audiophiles: Audeze Penrose

Why it made the cut: A luxurious sounding headset from an audiophile headphone brand? What’s not to love? Specs

Drivers: 100mmFrequency Response: 10-50,000 HzMicrophone: Detachable, Wire boomConnection Types: 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, Analog (3.5mm)Estimated Battery Life: 15 hours

Audeze, a brand best known for its impressive audiophile-grade headphones, also makes some of the best gaming headsets on the market. Though it isn’t quite as feature-rich as the Audeze Mobius headset for PC, the PlayStation-specific Penrose and Xbox-specific Penrose X bring the company’s superior sound to consoles. The secret, so far as we can tell, are the headset’s Planar magnetic drivers, which are able to achieve a bassy, but nuanced sound that pairs especially well with games. At $300, the Penrose is very pricey for a gaming headset. Then again Audeze’s newest headphones, the Audeze CRBN, costs $4,500, so everything is relative.

Best for single-player experiences: Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D

Why it made the cut: Sony’s own headset is designed to take special advantage of the PS5’s spatial audio technology. Specs

Drivers: 40mmFrequency Response: N/AMicrophone: Dual internal microphones with noise-cancellingConnection Types: 2.4 GHz Wireless, Analog (3.5mm)Estimated Battery Life: 12 Hours

The Sony Pulse 3D, PlayStation’s own PS5 wireless headset, is a unique and, in some ways, perplexing device. It’s cavernous ear cups create a great soundstage that gets the most out of the console’s spatial audio tech, Tempest, and makes games sound great, particularly when you compare it to other headsets at the same $99 price point. That said, it uses internal microphones, similar to what you’d find on a pair of wireless headphones, rather than a boom mic. Even with noise-cancelling tech, you can expect them to let in more ambient noise than other microphones. Hence, the caveat. The Pulse 3D is an excellent budget-conscious headset pick if you’re looking to get the full audio experience out of the PS5, but don’t care so much about chat quality.

Best multi-platform wireless headset on a budget: Razer Barracuda X

Why it made the cut: The Barracuda X offers solid sound and a versatile wireless connection thanks to its USB-C dongle. Specs

Drivers: 40mm Frequency Response: 20-20,000 HzMicrophone: Detachable, UnidirectionalConnection Types: 2.4 GHz wireless via USB-C dongle, Analog (3.5mm)Estimated Battery Life: 20 hours

The Barracuda X is the move for players who care about convenience above all else. With a USB-C wireless dongle, it easily pairs wirelessly with the PS5, Switch, PCs, and most modern Android phones. Its balanced sound profile doesn’t punch your eardrum with bass like lesser headsets, which narrowly put it over much of the mid-to-budget wireless pack. That said, it doesn’t achieve the same level of nuance or audio isolation as the other headsets on this list. Even so, the Barracuda X is the closest thing to a one-size-fits-all wireless headset that I’ve tried, and that’s valuable for a lot of players.

Last thoughts on the best PS5 headsets

Everyone has their own priorities when buying a gaming headset. Some people want the best sound. Others prioritize comfort, or price, or convenience. Though there’s a lot of variation as you explore the range from budget models to audiophile-grade gear, keep in mind that there are great options at every price, and that the idea of the “best PS5 headset” is different for every person.