Best Budget Gaming Headset: Cheap Headphones for Gaming in 2021

best budget gaming headset

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Gaming headsets combine the best of both worlds. A pair of headphones to offer immersive sound while gaming along with a microphone to let you communicate with teammates, friends, or even followers.

However, many headsets are expensive and finding a decent pair that won’t either leave you eating ramen for the rest of the month or require an ungodly amount of research can be hard. While they are few and far between, there are a handful of headphones that combine a reasonable price with respectable quality.

We’ve rounded up five such headsets and included reviews of each to help you find the best budget gaming headset for your needs. And if you’ve got a little more money to spare, then check out our list of the best mid-tier headsets.

How to Pick the Best Budget Gaming Headset For Your Needs

When it comes to picking the best pair of gaming headphones, there is usually no single best choice. Each headset on our list was chosen for a specific reason, and each one excels in a certain area.

Surround Sound

If you’ve never used a pair of headphones that have 7.1 or even 5.1 surround sound while gaming, then you likely don’t realize how much you are missing out. In games, surround sound gives you a level of awareness that players without surround sound will be completely lacking.

This can make all the difference in many competitive games, especially first-person shooters. Pros in games like CS:GO and Quake use spatial sound cues to find enemies and react more quickly.

If you’re looking for an affordable headset that features surround sound, we recommend the Logitech G430. These headphones have Dolby 7.1 surround for an immersive gaming experience.

Microphone Quality

Whether you want to simply be heard clearly by your teammates in game, or are trying to get started with streaming, there are plenty of reasons to be on the lookout for high-quality microphones.

Unfortunately, headphones in this price range will never have an exceptional microphone, and even a relatively inexpensive stand-alone microphone like a Blue Snowball will produce much better sound.

That being said, if you’re on the hunt for the best microphone on a budget headset, then look no further than the Corsair HS50. This headset has a shockingly high-quality detachable microphone for the price. That being said we suggest that you also pick up some pop filters, as the microphone is very sensitive and does not come with any kind of filter out of the box.

Audio Quality

When it comes to headphones, audio quality is actually pretty subjective. Every pair of headphones will have a different tuning and will be better or worse at certain tasks because of this.

That being said some headphones have a wider frequency response, or range of sounds it can produce, than others. Also, some cheaper headphones will start to produce static or crackly noises at certain tones and volumes.

If you’re looking for the highest fidelity sound in a budget-friendly pair of headphones, we recommend the Razer Kraken Pro V2. These headphones produce a near audiophile-grade sound that is not only great for gaming, but also offers an excellent music listening experience.

Comfort

Finally, many people will be on the hunt for the most comfortable pair of headphones they can find. If you’ve ever worn a pair of headphones for hours at a time during long gaming sessions, you’ll know that a lot of headphones that seem comfortable initially can become increasingly agitating over time.

If you’ve ever experienced this and want a headset that will be comfortable for all night gaming sessions, then we suggest looking into the HyperX Cloud Stinger. This headset has very comfortable memory foam padding that is sure to stay nice and soft for years to come. On top of that, it is one of the lightest headsets on the market coming at a mere 8 ounces, which allows them to continue to be comfortable to wear even after hours of gameplay.