Best Gaming Headsets Under $50 (2022)
Many people assume that the best gaming peripherals are expensive. Still, you can get a surprisingly decent gaming headset for under $50. Below are some genuinely amazing pairs that you can use with any platform or device without blowing a hole in your budget.
Given their price, compromise is inevitable, and they may lack some features and customization options that are only ever available in high-end gaming headsets. Still, you can’t go wrong with these headsets that we’ve carefully handpicked based on value.
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Best Gaming Headset Under $50
HyperX Cloud Stinger
Kingston Technology Company’s HyperX Cloud Stinger easily snags the top spot as the best gaming headset at this price range—and for a good reason.
Not only is it within every gaming enthusiast’s budget, but the headset also boasts a sturdy build and modern design (available in black and pink). It has a comfortable fit and better sound quality than most of the competition.
The Cloud Stinger’s overall look and feel are top-grade. You’ll wonder how you’ve managed to get a quality gaming headset for such a low price. At just 277 grams, it’s incredibly lightweight, with the adjustable steel slider that gives it a solid and long-lasting sturdy feel.
Meanwhile, the swiveling ear cups are fitted with HyperX’s signature memory foam, offering maximum comfort that’s unprecedented in a headset worth below $50.
Perhaps one of its most remarkable features is the swivel-to-mute mic, so you’ll know you’re muted when you move it to its vertical “resting” position. It also has a noise-canceling feature that blocks out background noise so you can entirely focus on in-game sounds and audio cues without distraction.
But where the HyperX Cloud Stinger truly shines is its overall sound performance. This gaming headset comes built with 50mm directional drivers for clear and precise sounds, allowing you to enjoy and immerse into the full soundscape of the games you’re playing.
It’s surprising to hear the fidelity of sound that comes through the Cloud Stinger, especially when connected to the PC, where it delivers excellent spatial awareness. Combined with the bass-heavy sound, this gaming headset delivers that extra thump and boom that provide real meaning to gunfire and explosions in competitive games. Sadly, it doesn’t come with presets or EQ settings for customizing sound profiles, as these are only available to high-end gaming headsets.
The HyperX Cloud Stinger is multi-platform compatible. This means you can connect it to any platform or device, including smartphones, PCs and laptops, and gaming consoles like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
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Top Pick
HyperX Cloud Stinger
Best Wireless Gaming Headset Under $50
Corsair Void PRO RGB
Here’s the sad truth: You’ll never find a decent wireless gaming headset under $50, or at least there’s none that has met our standards. Wireless and Bluetooth technologies don’t come cheap and manufacturing a wireless headset while packing all the features that gamers need can be costly.
Shoddy headsets are automatically out of our list. So we’ve picked the next best option that won’t have you breaking the bank, and that’s Corsair’s Void PRO RGB wireless gaming headset.
It’s not the cheapest option on our list. Still, the Void PRO RGB certainly is a real winner in terms of comfort and sound performance, considering it’s worth just over $50.
The headset comes with an elegant, matte-black design, with a sturdy design that’s built to last. The headband and earcups are padded with high-quality memory foam and microfiber mesh fabric that ensure you can play for long hours on end without surrendering to discomfort.
The Corsair Void PRO RGB is optimized with a unidirectional mic and an LED mute indicator that eliminates ambient noise for improved voice quality. You can easily stow it away and put it on mute simply by pushing it up.
This gaming headset comes with custom-tuned 50mm neodymium speaker drivers that deliver crisp and clear lagless sound, a wide frequency range, and powerful bass. With these, you can enjoy a truly immersive audio experience vital to games that rely heavily on environment sounds and audio cues like RPGs and FPS games.
With the VOID RGB PRO, you can enjoy crystal-clear, low-latency wireless audio up to 40 feet range. Its high-end battery performance lasts up to 16 hours, allowing long hours of uninterrupted gameplay.
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Best Wireless
Corsair Void PRO RGB
Best Gaming Headset Under $20
NUBWO U3
As you can probably expect from headsets under this price range, quality won’t be exceptional. However, there are still some pretty decent models that could help you enjoy your favorite games. One of them is the NUBWO U3 wired gaming headset.
You probably haven’t heard of this brand before. Still, NUBWO’s gaming peripherals are bestsellers, especially when it comes to feature-packed yet affordable headsets. And the NUBWO U3 is an excellent choice for its low price.
The headset is surprisingly comfy for its price, with soft leatherette earpads and an ergonomic, adjustable headband that’s comfy enough for extended wear.
It comes with a long, flexible mic that you can adjust to best deliver the desired voice quality for clear and prompt communication with your teammates or gaming buddies.
To top it off, it has noise-canceling capabilities that remove unwanted external noise. But considering the price, expect a bit of sound leakage as the earcups’ design isn’t exactly optimized for noise cancellation.
As for sound performance, what you pay is what you get. However, the overall quality is surprisingly decent compared to most models within this price spectrum. It has stereo sound support and enhanced bass that delivers good enough sound clarity to enjoy your favorite competitive titles.
With its 3.5mm audio jack with splitter, the NUBWO U3 wired gaming headset is universally compatible with almost any device or platform. Such as smartphones, PCs, Mac, PS4, Nintendo 3DS and Switch, and Xbox One (although you need to purchase an extra Microsoft adapter for older versions of the Xbox One controller).
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Best Under $20
NUBWO U3
Best Gaming Headsets Under $50 Worth Mentioning
SteelSeries Arctis 1
One of the SteelSeries Arctis 1’s main selling points is its detachable boom mic. With a modern design that makes it an excellent choice for gaming enthusiasts who need a budget headset that you can use not just for gaming but also for listening to music.
The Arctis 1 has a lightweight feel, with a comfortable over-ear fit that allows you to play for hours without feeling any strain or pressure on your ears and head.
In terms of audio performance, the Arctis 1’s sound profile is warm, with just the right touch of boom that highlights sound effects in action-packed games. The boom mic delivers clear and well-detailed voice quality that does a pretty good job filtering out external noises.
It also features in-line sound controls that are perfect for gaming, complete with a volume wheel and a mute button for the mic on one earcup.
But unlike the more expensive SteelSeries Arctis models, this gaming headset isn’t very well-built and durable. Some users may find the feeble treble response underwhelming because it makes some voices and sound effects weaker and harder to understand.
The Arctis 1 is also prone to inconsistent bass and treble delivery, but this depends on the headset’s fit and positioning on your head. Other than these, it’s a pretty decent wired headset that casual gamers can’t go wrong with.
Logitech G231 Prodigy
The G231 Prodigy is just one of the many excellent headsets in Logitech’s G-series. Still, this particular model is designed with PC gamers in mind, particularly those on a limited budget.
One of the G231’s Prodigy’s winning features is its compact size, with a flat and minimalist design. The earcups can be rotated up to 90 degrees and can even be folded for easy carrying—perfect for those who want to play games on their portable devices or listen to music while traveling.
For sound quality, the Logitech G231 Prodigy provides a clean and well-balanced sound profile that’s perfectly suited for a wide variety of games, movies, and music.
Similarly, the mic delivers solid voice and recording quality, but the noise isolation is light. Some users may experience sound leaks, mainly when used in a crowded room with loud background noise.
Considering its price, this wired gaming headset is quite a steal, especially when you can easily connect it to any device, including PCs and gaming consoles.
Razer Kraken X Ultralight Gaming Headset
The Razer Kraken X Ultralight is one of the more recent additions to the company’s Kraken lineup of gaming headsets. At just below $50, this headset comes with an array of advanced features, superb fit and comfort, and good sound quality that’s built and designed specifically for gamers.
As the name implies, the Kraken X Ultralight has a lightweight feel, with a subtle and understated design comprised mainly of thick plastic and a steel frame on the headband and earcups.
On the other hand, the mic, which is sadly non-detachable, offers good voice quality, as far as budget gaming headsets go. Built with CardioID technology, the mic allows sound to be picked up in various directions, allowing a clearer, more precise portrayal of your voice. However, the downside to this is that it can pick up ambient noise in return.
With the 40mm neodymium directional drivers, the X Ultralight can produce clean and realistic audio. With bass that’s not too overpowering and highs that are tweaked to allow pinpoint accuracy on in-game sound cues like the footsteps of a nearby enemy. Needless to say, this headset is a must-have for gamers who are into esports and competitive shooters.
It’s not the most robust budget gaming headset out there. Still, the Razer Kraken X Ultralight is jam-packed with features you’d usually only find in high-end headsets.
What To Look For With Budget Gaming Headsets Under $50
Comfort
It’s a no-brainer, but even with a budget gaming headset, you shouldn’t sacrifice comfort and wearability. Small factors like well-cushioned yet breathable ear cups, an adjustable headband, and a flexible mic make a massive difference in overall comfort.
With cheaper models, you might naturally expect it to be made with inferior materials and scratchy fabric for the earpads and headband, but you’ll encounter smooth synthetic leather and soft, breathable fabric, too.
Ultimately, it boils down to your personal taste. Although it’s worth noting that leather offers more sound isolation while fabrics are airy and breathable. Be on the lookout for memory foam padding, as well, as they provide the cushiest fit on your head.
Durability
When it comes to budget gaming headsets, the build quality can run between cheap and flimsy to sturdy and robust yet almost too heavy. Obviously, you’ll get a better and more durable build as you move up the price scale—less plastic and more steel.
If given a chance to test out various gaming headsets, make sure to put them on and give them a decent stretch to see if it creaks (though make sure you don’t snap them in half!).
Sound Quality
Regarding gaming headsets, sound quality can be impressive no matter the price. But with most headsets below the $50 price point, they tend to favor low frequencies instead of highs and mids. Cleaner, well-balanced highs and better separation between mids and lows are often present in mid-range and high-end gaming peripherals, starting at $100.
For a more immersive gaming experience, you can do well with a headset that supports surround sound. Combined with a balanced sound profile, a headset can provide an accurate, lifelike soundstage.
This is pretty important for gameplay, especially with sound-dependent games like multiplayer and competitive shooters. So, when looking for a gaming headset, make sure that they’re capable of delivering crisp sound and a wide soundstage.
Compatibility
Think about which devices you plan to pair a headset with as with any gaming peripheral. Many gaming headsets are designed to be universally compatible, but most of them are built with a specific PC or gaming console in mind.
Depending on your needs, you may only need one that works with a single device.
Wired headsets usually come with a 3.5mm audio jack, which is the only true universal headset option. But realistically, you might still need a USB dongle or another type of adapter to plug it into a Mac or iPhone, for example.
USB connectivity opens another door for more digital features, but it’s not compatible with most types of smartphones. Wireless headsets are also good, but as with wired options, it depends on the connection type, and they’re often limited to specific devices or platforms.
Microphone
Gaming headsets are almost always built with a boom mic, whether wired or wireless. It could be unidirectional, bidirectional, or omnidirectional. The latter can pick sounds from different directions. At the same time, unidirectional and bidirectional mics tend to reject off-axis sounds, thus producing crispier, more defined audio.
Noise Cancellation
Noise cancellation is a game-changing feature in gaming headsets. Of course, the best ones come with a price, so you may have difficulty finding a budget gaming headset that effectively cancels out ambient noise. Still, the fact remains its effects on gaming are unmatched.
There are two types of noise cancellation:
Pro gamers prefer to use headsets with active noise cancellation because it filters out external sounds, especially in noisy areas. This allows them to focus more on in-game sounds and the voice of their teammates.
Wireless Or Wired
You can easily get a fully-featured wireless headset that delivers top-tier sound performance if money isn’t an issue. Otherwise, you may need to sacrifice a few features.
Of course, you can still get a feature-packed gaming headset for $50 or less. But if you specifically need active noise canceling and wireless functionality, you will have to spend a lot more. If you’re okay with being plugged in, your budget can undoubtedly go a long way with plenty of good wired options.
There are pretty solid wireless headsets at the $100 price point. However, you still need to compromise because some of the best features, like longer battery life and Bluetooth connectivity, are only available to the more expensive models.
Open Or Closed Back
There’s no right or wrong answer here, as long as you think about what you need your gaming headsets to do. Some gamers swear by one over the other, but both open-back and closed-back styles have their own sets of pros and cons.
Most gamers prefer headsets with open-back design because they have better stereo imaging, which is vital for playing competitive titles that rely a lot on directional sound cues like footsteps and gunfire.
Suppose you’re planning to buy a headset solely for gaming, and you have a quiet environment to do so. In that case, you can seriously benefit from the details and level of immersion an open-back headset provides.
Summary
This sums up our guide to the best gaming headset under $50. To nobody’s surprise, Kingston’s HyperX Cloud Stinger remains on top with its exceptional build and design, comfort, sound quality, and price. Despite several weak points, it’d be hard to find a better pair within this price spectrum.
Ultimately, the best budget gaming headset depends entirely on your personal preferences, but our recommendations are strong contenders.
Top Pick
HyperX Cloud Stinger
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Sure Electronics is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.