In the gaming space, a good headset can be of vital importance and, depending on your level of involvement, the difference between a win and a loss. Whether you’re in a back-and-forth race in Gran Turismo or hunting for that final elimination in Call of Duty, your headset is usually the unsung hero. We spent the year reviewing the best the industry has to offer, and these are our Best Headsets 2025.
With offerings in our list from Turtle Beach, Razer, and Audeze, there are plenty of options to suit the needs of everyone. We considered price, audio fidelity, comfort, and mic quality, to name our favourites. Keeping that in mind, we compiled our list of the Best Headsets 2025!
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 Wireless Headset
Right out of the box, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 hides nothing. There is a USB–A to USB–C charging cable, a wireless transmitter, and, of course, the headset itself. One thing is made immediately apparent: this is a very balanced-feeling wireless headset from Turtle Beach. The solid band construction feels firm, with the 50mm nano clear speakers carrying the brunt of the weight, making it feel much lighter for longer wear sessions.
The Stealth 600 Gen 3’s 50 mm nanoclear drivers make audio clearer and more vibrant. Wandering the forests of Tamriel in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with the whimsical background travel music has never felt more alive, and listening to background notes on Super Mario Bros. Wonder just slams through the speakers with authority. That flower has never been more booming.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 is a massive upgrade to Turtle Beach’s line of audio headsets. The headset’s lightweight feel fits almost any user, and its never-ending battery life can storm any beach without giving up before the user does. The Stealth 600 Gen 3’s functionality with the Swarm II app and multi-function compatibility with almost any Bluetooth device makes this a turtle that can win any race.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 gen 3 is possibly the best mid-range headset on the market, and is an easy recommendation for anyone.
- Memory Foam Cushions with Glasses-Friendly Technology
- Powerful, 50mm Nanoclear Drivers for Vibrant Spatial Audio
Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset
The Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset features an incredible 90mm planar magnetic driver designed to produce an incredibly clean and detailed audio profile for gamers to immerse themselves in. While they are not the first audiophile headphone maker to branch out into the world of gaming headsets, they are perhaps the most advantageous in their approach to design.
In testing, I was very impressed at how well the microphone captured my voice while also filtering out background noise. Even when running the PC fans at full speed on the desk I was testing at, the Maxwell still did an impressive job at capturing my vocals while filtering out background noise. As a rule, I never recommend headset mics for live streaming or recording, and while that is still my general rule, the Maxwell is the exception. It easily surpasses anything I’ve tested and the final audio capture is clean, quite accurate and devoid of almost all background noise.
The Maxwell from Audeze is by far one of the best-sounding headsets on the market. With ultra-low-latency wireless support, AI noise filtering and the best onboard mic, bar none, there is a lot to be impressed with in the Maxwell. Its premium, durable design adds to the already excellent headset with the small cost of weight, which could be an issue for some. However, this minor critique pales in comparison to the overall excellent quality of the Audeze Maxwell.
The Audeze Maxwell is the best audio experience, bar none, in a gaming headset. From its premium build to impressive drivers and microphone, there’s so much to like about the Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset.
- 80+ hours of low-latency wireless gameplay, and get a day of gaming with just a 20 minute charge. You can also connect via Bluetooth and USB.
- Audeze’s unsurpassed 90mm Planar Drivers (about 3 times larger than other headsets) deliver low bass performance and dynamics.
PlayStation Pulse Elite Wireless Headset
There is a very good reason I mentioned comfort at the top of my list of the most important things to consider about a new headset. It absolutely HAS to be comfortable if I’m going to wear it for hours upon hours. The Pulse Elite is nothing if not comfortable. It features lovely plush ear cushions that seem to envelop your ears, giving a semi-noise-cancelling environment. The head strap adjusts itself as you put it on, to ensure that the fit is always perfect. Hands down, the Pulse Elite is one of the most comfortable headsets I have ever worn, bar none.
Most headsets, like the Nacon RIG 900, have every control under the sun on the actual headset, often leading to confusion about what you’re pressing at any given time. The Pulse Elite has gone the other way entirely, having only 4 buttons on the device: the on/off button, the mic on/off button and the two volume buttons. Simplicity is the name of the game here, and I couldn’t be happier. The power and volume buttons are on the right arm, and the mic on/off button is on the mic itself. I didn’t necessarily experience any issues with that, and I chalk that up to some really clever microphone placement as well as the AI-enhanced noise reduction hard at work.
All told, I really like the Pulse Elite. It’s comfortable to wear long-term, the sound is incredible, and the battery goes on forever. Priced at $199.99 CAD, it’s not so expensive that it’s cost-prohibitive, but it’s certainly not cheap either. I highly recommend the Pulse Elite, and any gamer would be happy to use it for their next adventure.
The Pulse Elite is an exceptional headset that combines comfort, sound quality, and battery life to make a strong case to be your next gaming partner.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
The next entry in the Arctis Nova product line packs a lot of the features and aesthetics of its brethren. Signature audio drivers, a fully retractable microphone, support for the Sonar Audio Software Suite, and flexible connectivity options are all packed into a familiar casing, offered in three iterations—the standard multiplatform and the PlayStation or Xbox-branded 5P or 5X. Like the rest of its wireless brethren, the Arctis Nova 5 utilizes a USB-C dongle for reliable latency.
With so many presets to choose from right out of the gate, personal mileage may vary; you may find your favourite game’s preset isn’t to your taste, or that some suit you better than others, and might defer to one of the more generic settings. But simply having this many options at your fingertips while playing on a console is a big gamechanger—the list of games at launch is seriously impressive, from the obvious fare like Fortnite and Call of Duty to popular online games like Final Fantasy XIV and Destiny 2, down to smaller recent releases like Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash.
While I might still give the edge to the next model up just for the simultaneous audio, SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova 5 fills a niche that the console market has been lacking—affordable luxury. If the Nova 7s sound great but you just can’t justify the increased price, this newest offering is a compromise that doesn’t feel like a compromise, especially when it’s putting so much power in the palm of console gamers’ hands. The Arctis Nova hardware line has been around for two years, and this feels like a halftime rallying cry; I can’t wait to see how SteelSeries applies these breakthroughs into their next products.
SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova 5 is a big quality-of-life update for console gamers, making luxury affordable and adding easy, on-the-fly EQ swapping.
Razer Barracuda X Chroma Wireless Headset
One of the first things I test for when I get a new headset is the feel when wearing it (as I suppose most people do), and the Barracuda X Chroma is next-level comfortable. Weighing in at a paltry 285g, it feels weightless when wearing it, and that is largely due to the ear cushions. Wrapped in a breathable fabric, the memory foam cushions fit perfectly around the ears and don’t squeeze your head tightly like I have experienced before.
Aesthetically speaking, I prefer my headsets to be as neutral as possible, with each of my last three being simple colours with minimal (if any) RGB to be found. That all changed for the Barracuda X Chroma, with the simple but elegant design on either ear cap. The Barracuda X Chroma is the first Barracuda headset from Razer to offer Razer Chroma RGB. The RGB lights are not intrusive to the user, as they cannot be seen while the headset is in use, but they sure do look cool on stream or on a video call.
Overall, the Razer Barracuda X Chroma is, hands down, the best headset I have used, and that is not something I am saying lightly. I haven’t come across any downsides, and that extends to the price as well. Coming in at $129.99 USD and available in both black and white, the Barracuda X Chroma is a bargain compared to some of the other headsets on the market today and is punching out of its weight class. For the average, everyday gamer, the Barracuda X Chroma is the headset to beat.
When something is made well, it stands out, and the Razer Barracuda X Chroma stands tall in a crowd of RGB and padded ear cushions.
- RAZER SMARTSWITCH DUAL WIRELESS — Switch the connection from a PC or console to a phone with a simple toggle; enjoy seamless audio for any activity by pairing to a 2.4 GHz and a Bluetooth device simultaneously
- 285 G ERGONOMIC DESIGN — Built for gaming marathons and portable enough for daily commutes, its lightweight build is complemented by breathable memory foam ear cushions and swiveling earcups for a snug, comfortable fit
