If you're looking for an inexpensive way to immerse yourself in your games, sourcing a great gaming headset can be accomplished on a budget.
It's now much easier to find an excellent gaming headset for less, including big brand names like Razer and HyperX, without an outrageous price tag.
Here are the best cheap gaming headsets available right now.
The Razer Kraken X Ultralight offers a solid build, comfortable gaming, and plenty of flexibility. Combining the memory foam ear cushions with aluminum means this gaming headset is incredibly lightweight.
However, the plastic build, which keeps the weight down, could be offputting for gamers who like a little more style. The attached cable can also get in the way. However, it's not elastic, which reduces the amount it can tangle.
The Razer Kraken X Ultralight offers excellent value for money, easy-access controls, and a flexible microphone. Though compared to some other gaming headsets, the Kraken X Ultralight lacks in the sound quality department.
- Immersive 7.1 surround sound
- Bendable cardioid microphone
- Noise-canceling microphone
- Brand: Razer
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Aluminum, memory foam
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Durable
- Comfortable
- 3.5mm connection
- Sound quality is average
The HyperX CloudX Stinger gaming headset offers a very solid design with large, soft ear cups that cover the whole ear, rather than sitting against them.
The intuitive design makes it easy to access the on-ear audio control, whether you're a PC or console gamer. The headset is also compatible with Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms.
The main downfall of the HyperX is when you try the audio at higher ranges as it gets blown out and can be painful on the ears; the volume controls shouldn't allow you to max out the volume if that's the result.
Overall, the HyperX CloudX Stinger is good value for money, bringing a cheap gaming headset to the table with comfort as the main priority.
- Officially licensed Xbox headset
- 90-degree rotating ear cups
- Adjustable steel sliders
- Brand: HyperX
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Leatherette, memory foam
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Very comfortable
- Accessible controls
- Affordable
- Sound is blown at higher range
The RUNMUS Gaming Headset provides high-quality audio, high clarity sound, and noise cancellation to offer the ultimate gaming experience on a budget.
With a premium 50mm neodymium driver and 7.1 surround sound, you can hear every detail of sound in any game, from RPGs to shooters. Coupled with the soft protein ear pads, gamers can enjoy a comfortable long-term experience.
Whether you're chatting with friends or trying to ignore outdoor sounds, the overall quality allows you to be heard clearly without the disruption of external noises. However, due to the lack of mesh on the earpads, they can become quite warm during prolonged use.
- 7.1 surround sound
- Noise-canceling microphone and flip mute
- LED lighting
- Brand: RUNMUS
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Breathable synthetic ear pads
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Multi-platform compatibility
- Premium and stylish materials
- Very good surround sound
- Ears get warm
4. ASTRO Gaming A10
The ASTRO Gaming A10 gaming headset is an excellent example of how ASTRO can provide headsets for gamers on a budget while adopting the high-end technology the company's more expensive headsets boast.
With its omnidirectional microphone and in-line volume controls, the A10 offers clear microphone sound and some pretty impressive audio performance, given this headset comes in at such an affordable price.
The soft memory foam ear cushions provide long-term gaming comfort. However, to start with, they can be a little too snug, which means the pressure can prove problematic over time.
All in all, the ASTRO Gaming A10 model offers great sound at an affordable price, leveraging crisp highs and warm bass sounds for the ultimate gaming experience.
- Compatible with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows
- Omnidirectional microphone
- In-line volume control
- Brand: ASTRO
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Memory foam ear cushions
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: No
- Durable and solid
- Great audio performance
- Clear and crisp microphone
- Ear cushions can be tight
The PDP LVL50 Wired headset is a no-frills gaming headset that offers decent gaming sound with an affordable price tag. This headset comes in a variety of colors, branded for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
However, the 3.5mm connector means it's suitable across most platforms or mobiles with a 3.5mm connection, making it extremely versatile for PC, console, or mobile gaming.
The ear cushions offer a decent amount of comfort, although they can rub due to not being as soft as competitor models after wearing them for more extended periods.
For competitive and multiplayer gaming, this headset offers balanced audio for an immersive gaming experience. However, gamers who enjoy voice chat may find the microphone is subpar compared to other budget headsets.
- 50mm High-Definition drivers
- Quick Flip Mute
- Works with console controller via 3.5mm connector
- Brand: PDP
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Nylon Mesh
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Good gaming sound
- Works with most systems
- Affordable stereo sound
- Basic design
The Corsair HS50 Pro gaming headset looks and feels like it should be more expensive than it is, with a premium quality finish and comfortable ear cushions.
For gamers, the sound is well-balanced and clear, allowing you to hear footsteps in games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds so that you can enjoy your gaming experience to the fullest.
The accessible volume dial makes it easy to increase or decrease sound volume, along with a handy mute button. If you want to remove the noise-canceling microphone altogether, this is possible too.
- Adjustable ear cups
- Custom-tuned 50mm neodymium audio drivers
- Detachable unidirectional microphone
- Brand: Corsair
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Memory Foam
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Great build quality
- Crisp and clear sound
- Premium look
- Headset gets very warm over time
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 gaming headset will attract mid-level gamers who enjoy a variety of games, including multiplayer and voice chat with friends.
Although this headset won't interest high-end gamers, it offers well-balanced audio with crisp highs and bellowing lows that challenge even some higher performance models.
Turtle Beach is known for its impressive and intuitively designed headsets, and the Turtle Beach Recon 70 is no exception. The flip-down mic and cabling make it easy to play PC games, console games, and even mobile games with a 3.5mm port.
- Multi-platform compatibility
- Flip-down mic
- Brand: Turtle Beach
- Battery Life: N/A
- Material: Synthetic leather
- Bluetooth: No
- Noise Cancellation: No
- Variety of colors to choose from
- Stylish design
- High sensitivity microphone
- Lacks surround sound
FAQ
Q: What Should I Look for When Buying a Gaming Headset?
It really depends on the type of gaming you partake in, how often you play games, and even what you play games on. For example, if you play games entirely on a PC, then you can choose a USB headset rather than one with a 3.5mm jack. Alternatively, if you immerse yourself in long gaming sessions, you may want to sacrifice sound quality over comfort. Decide on the factors that are important to you and find a headset that ticks the right boxes.
Q: How Much Should I Spend on Gaming Headphones?
As you can see in our roundup, you don't have to spend a lot of money to get hold of a decent quality gaming headset. Even on a budget, it's easy to purchase a wired gaming headset with 7.1 surround sound, a detachable mic, and a stylish look. Although you will undoubtedly find better microphones for more money, budget gaming headsets will be able to satisfy most gamer's needs.
Q: Are Wired Gaming Headsets Repairable?
Most wired gaming headsets can be repaired if something goes wrong. Sometimes it can be a simple fix such as a software update, whereas other times, replacement parts are needed. If a slide adjustment piece has broken, you can usually find parts for headsets via eBay or by contacting the manufacturer. If your headset wire has broken, it's not too difficult to fix. Although it won't necessarily look like a professional job, repairing cables can be much less costly than replacing your entire headset.
