Best PlayStation 4 gaming headsets

Trying to find the right PS4 headset can be tricky. There are so many options out there, it can be hard to tell what’s actually good, and what’s just—you know—there.

Sure, finding something good is simpler here than with a Nintendo Switch, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a number of things to consider. Here are the best options we could find, based on our reviews, as well as research into products we haven’t gotten our hands on yet.

Editor’s note: this list of the best PlayStation 4 gaming headsets was updated on October 19, 2022 to include the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, expand the buying guide section, and add highlight sections for the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max and Sony INZONE H3, as well as make formatting updates.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless has almost offers too many features

If you’re looking for a PS4 headset absolutely packed with features, the top of the line still works with older consoles.  The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is the company’s most feature packed product. A follow-up to the older Arctis Pro Wireless, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless features an updated base station unit and the replaceable battery design as its predecessor. This wireless gaming headset connects over 2.4GHz to a USB base station you can plug into your PlayStation 4, and it also supports Bluetooth connections so you can pair to your phone while you game.

The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is built for PC as well as consoles, with expansive software features using the SteelSeries GG app. However, on consoles the base station still features additional controls and settings you can adjust, like volume, game and chat balance, and more. The base station also includes a charging port for the headset’s removable batteries, and the headset comes with two, so you can use one and keep the other charging at all times. It’s easy to swap batteries and you don’t even need to turn the headset off the swap them out, so in theory you could never need to stop gaming to charge.

The headset itself is also very nice to use. It sounds good, and so does its microphone, and it features a super comfortable suspension strap and thick ear pads. Basically, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is the total package.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless microphone sample:

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is one of the best wireless gaming headset for the PlayStation 4

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro builds off the success of its predecessor by adding support for wireless connections, offering a hassle-free, untethered gaming experience.

This headset sports the same hard plastic construction and plush padding introduced by its wired counterpart, the BlackShark V2. The memory foam ear cups, in tandem with the thick headband, makes the BlackShark V2 Pro one of the most comfortable gaming headsets we’ve ever tested. Heat build up is a non-issue thanks to the ear cup material, and the neutral clamping force means that you get a decent seal without any excess pressure on your head.

The BlackShark V2 Pro is virtually compatible with any gaming platform, including the Playstation 4, and can be connected using a 3.5mm cable or the included 2.4GHz RF USB dongle. Wireless performance on this headset is great, providing a stable connection for a lag-free gaming experience. Additional features can be accessed by connecting to a PC through Razer Synapse 3, giving you control over EQ, mic settings, and THX Spatial Audio.

One of the best features of the BlackShark V2 Pro is its microphone, which features accurate audio output across the vocal range. If you’re someone with a deep voice who struggles with tinny sounding audio, this headset should be on your shortlist.

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro microphone sample:

The Beyerdynamic Custom Game has bass for days

The Beyerdynamic Custom Game is a behemoth of a gaming headset, but it lets gamers customize its bass in a pretty unique way. Each ear cup has bass reflex vents, which are easily revealed or concealed with a simple sliding mechanism. Adjusting the bass reproduction also adjusts the influx of ambient noise that can permeate the headphones. In a quiet environment? Open up those bass vents and experience a boomier sound. For tournaments with plenty of chatter, just close the ports to drown everything out.

The cardioid boom microphone is forgiving when it comes to placement and hones in on your voice while simultaneously filtering out extraneous background noise. If customization is your thing, well, you’re in luck. The Custom Game headset includes interchangeable ear cup plates to non-verbally convey your style. If you’re not a fan of the all-black aesthetic, Beyerdynamic also has a bunch of customization options, as well as velour pads for people who wear glasses on their raids.

Because this is a 3.5mm headset, and a lot of its appeal is hardware-based, it’s just as good as a PS4 headset as on PC.

The JBL Quantum 50 sounds great for a fraction of the cost

When we talk about high-value gaming headsets, usually the conversation focuses on something like Razer BlackShark V2 or HyperX Cloud Alpha—$100 USD gaming headsets that sound as good or better than things twice or three times the price. However, if spending $100 or more on a gaming headset would stretch your budget further than you want, check out the JBL Quantum 50.

These gaming earbuds are super comfortable and sound excellent, with nicely emphasized bass response, and accurate mids and highs, and they’ll only run you $30 USD. The JBL Quantum 50 connects via 3.5mm, so it works on every console, as well as PC and mobile (provided your phone has a headphone jack), and it can easily work as a switch hitter for gaming, music, and more.

JBL Quantum 50 microphone sample:

Nothing can beat the battery life of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

If your number one priority when buying a gaming headset is battery life (and you don’t want to spend as much as the Arctis Nova Pro), look no further than the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. This wireless follow-up to one of the most successful gaming headsets of all time can last 327 hours on a single charge, better than any other gaming headset on the market (or any other pair of headphones, for that matter).

On top of best in class battery life, the Cloud Alpha Wireless features the same comfortable build as its wired counterpart, an improved microphone, and great audio. It connects using a 2.4GHz USB dongle, so it works just fine with a PlayStation 4, despite coming out well into the PlayStation 5 lifecycle.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless mic sample:

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 is a reasonably priced cross platform performer

If you’re on the hunt for a wireless gaming headset that’s unobtrusive, comfortable, and easy to use, consider the Turtle Beach Steatlh 700 Gen 2. The headset sounds pretty good, and it features a very accurate microphone that collapses into the left headphone. In addition to the 2.4GHz USB dongle, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 also supports connections using Bluetooth. It’s a few years old, but still a reliable pick, and there’s also a newer version: the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX, which improves the battery life and has a USB dongle that works with both PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

The Sony INZONE H3 is the next generation of first-party audio

Sony’s new INZONE line of gaming headsets is a little uneven, but it nevertheless represents a big step up from older products like the PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset or the Pulse Wireless headset. The INZONE H3 is a 3.5mm wired gaming headset with a boom mic and big cushioned headphones, and that’s about it. If you want to something like it with more features, check out the INZONE H7 and H9 headsets—they’re very similar, but wireless and with more features (the H9 even has noise canceling).

Best PlayStation 4 gaming headset: notable mentions

• Corsair Virtuoso Wireless SE: This is one of the most premium headsets Corsair has to offer: complete with an aluminum gunmetal exterior, subtle RGB-accented lighting, soft-cushioned ear pads, and reliable wireless gaming performance.
• HyperX Cloud Alpha: This headset is no-frills value option, featuring a durable construction, good sound quality, and superb isolation performance.
• HyperX Cloud Flight S: This headset has the distinction of being one of the only PS4 headsets to offer surround sound. However, that’s not the only thing it has going for it. With support for wireless gaming via a USB dongle, 35-hour battery life, Qi-wireless charging, decent mic, and solid sound quality, this is a great choice for PS4 die-hards.
• Razer BlackShark V2: For less than $100, this headset has a fairly-neutral sound profile, fantastic isolation, THX Spatial Audio, very plush ear cups, and a minimalist design. It’s microphone is serviceable at best, but it’s still a great value headset.
• SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless: This USB-C headset comes with an adapter to work with the PlayStation 4. It’s $99, sounds almost as good as the HyperX Cloud Alpha, wireless, and comfortable. It’s market more for the Nintendo Switch, but this is a fantastic PS4 headset too.
• HyperX Cloud II Wireless: This wireless gaming headset brings the classic red and black look and premium build HyperX is known for to PlayStation 4. You won’t get access to the features handled by HyperX NGenuity (the PC app), but the headset still offers great sound, great battery life, a decent mic, and a very comfortable build.
• EPOS H3Pro Hybrid: EPOS finally hit a great balance of features, execution, and price. This is an expensive wireless gaming headset, but it works everywhere, sounds good, and offers software features and ANC. If the Bose QC 35 II Gaming Headset didn’t exist, it’d be on the list, but if ANC isn’t as big a priority as wireless audio, the H3PRO Hybrid  could be just the thing.
• SteelSeries Arctis 7+: This update to the SteelSeries Arctis 7 switches to a USB-C, but don’t worry, there’s still an adapter so you can connect to your PlayStation 4 no problem. The user experience is otherwise largely identical to the Arctis 7, only this time the headset now features more than quadruple the battery life—71 hours in our testing. Only thing keeping this headset off the main list is that it’s designed more for other platforms like PC and PlayStation 5, and lacks built-in surround sound.
• SteelSeries Arctis 7P+: This is pretty much the same headset as the Arctis 7+, but it comes in blue and white, and it’s got battery life ever so slightly worse. Basically, it’s excellent. If you’re in a position where you can only find one or the other, you won’t be let down. If you can get either, just pick the color you like.

What you should know about PS4 headsets

The PlayStation 4 runs into the kinds of quirks and constraints typical of a modern console. You can plug just about any 3.5mm headset into the console’s DualShock controller it’ll work just fine. Past that, things get a little more complicated.

There’s no bluetooth audio support, so wireless headsets all need dongles. Any wireless gaming headset that claims compatibility with consoles will include a 2.4GHz USB wireless dongle, and that includes all the wireless gaming headsets we’ve included on this list. Bluetooth USB dongles are also an option if you’re really intent on using your Bluetooth headphones for gaming—we don’t recommend this for the simple reason that Bluetooth latency is still nowhere near where it needs to be for a lag free gaming experience. Sometimes dying to a gunshot you don’t hear until after it happens is enough to send a controller flying across the room.

Additionally, many wired and wireless solutions require not just the use of one of the system’s USB ports, but also the optical ports on the back. This can lead to some rather odd looking wired setups that work fine, but might cause problems if they need to stretch across your living room or den.

What about the PlayStation 5?

In November 2020, Sony launched its newest gaming console: the PlayStation 5. With a striking black and white design, this new console brings a suite of new audio capabilities, including its own built-in spatial audio system. The console supports audio connections over 3.5mm through the new DualSense controller, as well as via USB-A and USB-C ports on the console itself, and it can send 3D audio through any of those methods.

The console is still pretty hard to find, but don’t worry: any gaming headset you buy for the PlayStation 4 will still work with the PlayStation 5. It won’t support built-in surround sound features for gaming headsets like the HyperX Cloud Flight S and PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset, but those headsets can use the console-based 3D audio without an issue.

However, that’s not to say there won’t be headsets made specifically for the new console, just like with every new console generation, and it’s become clear that new headsets are aiming for simpler experiences. Given that every gaming platform now has its own built in virtual surround sound standard, new headsets seem to moving back in the direction of simple 3.5mm connections. Headsets like the Nacon RIG 500 Pro Gen 2, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7, and Turtle Beach Recon 500 will all work with the PlayStation 4, but they don’t come with any onboard bells and whistles, so you’re just getting a headset and mic for a console with no way to fill in the feature gaps.

How we picked the best PS4 gaming headsets

There are lots of great PS4 headsets out there, and many of the ones we picked come from product lines full of similar offerings. The reason why we picked what we picked comes down to personal judgement. A lot of these products are very similar, and sometimes the features more expensive versions add just don’t really mean all that much, in our experience.

For instance, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is much more expensive than the regular Razer BlackShark V2, and the only notable difference between them is that one is wired and one is wireless. There’s even less differentiating headsets likes like the Razer Kaira Wireless and Kaira Pro. Conversely headsets like the Razer Barracuda X and the Razer Barracuda are very different—it can vary depending on when individual headsets come out.

However, while generally we favor cheaper options, sometimes the more expensive stuff actually makes a lot of improvements, like the SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC. The headset looks and feels extremely similar to other SteelSeries headsets, like the Arctis 7 among others, but the addition of the DAC unit adds a degree of functionality and convenience that really completes the package.

It never hurts to shop around a bit, though. If a PS4 headset we’ve listed here sounds almost perfect, there might be a version with that one extra feature you’re looking for.

Why you should trust us

When it comes down to it, I don’t just review gaming headsets because I’m passionate about good audio. Pretty much everything I do here at SoundGuys focuses on gaming content, and that’s because I’ve been a gamer my whole life. You name it, I’ve probably played it. I know what kind of audio features are important for different kinds of games, and maybe more importantly: which ones aren’t.

The gaming headset space, much like many other parts of the audio industry, is rife with exaggerated language and gimmicky features that often don’t add much of anything to your experience. It’s easy to get caught up in the flashy lights and promises of immersive audio and bass so intense it’ll rupture your eardrums (in a good way, somehow), but most of that stuff flat out doesn’t matter. That’s why we review headsets, and why we have lists like this.

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