11 Best Gaming Headsets Under $50

Logitech G332 Stereo Gaming Headset

An impressive headset aimed primarily at popular multiplayer gaming

Battle Royales seem to have become one of the most dominant sub-genres in gaming practically overnight, and developers and manufacturers have rushed to get their own piece of the pie. The fact that the Logitech G332 has such targeted marketing to the battle royale market may make it seem like just another rushed product, but the final result is actually very impressive. The comfortable leatherette cups are meaningfully padded, and though they’re a little tight, that makes for pretty great sound isolation.

A 3.5mm jack allows this wired gaming headset to work with both consoles and PCs, but a headphone converter is also included if you want to hook it up to your stereo. If aural fidelity is your primary concern, you’ll find it here. The mids take center stage here, and there’s some good oomph delivered by the 50mm drivers. The microphone is nothing exceptional, but it’s perfectly well suited for most multiplayer gaming.

ASTRO Gaming A10 Gaming Headset

A budget offering from a manufacturer with true heart

Astro is a company known for crafting exceptionally great headsets that are just as exceptionally expensive. That’s what makes the A10 such a breath of fresh air. It may lose some of the good looks of its high-end A50 sibling, but it retains a surprising level of quality. The build quality itself is spartan but functional, including an in-line volume wheel as well as an omnidirectional mic that will mute when flipped out of the way.

But the A10 has heart where it counts. This sounds like an Astro product through and through. Like Logitech’s offering above, the mids get most of the attention here, but the level of clarity is truly exceptional. It’s strong enough to throw you right into the heat of the battle, but it can also function admirably well listening to anything from traditional orchestral arrangements to dense and layered psych-rock.

SADES SA902 7.1 Surround Sound PC Headset

Possibly the best value budget headset on the market

There’s arguably no budget gaming headset that’s a better deal than the Sades SA902. It bears a $20 price tag and packs in a lot of value. In fact, it hits basically all the major special features a cheap gaming headset could hope for: a noise-canceling mic, Dolby 7.1 surround sound, and compatibility with both consoles and PC.

In-line controls are available for both the mic and the headphone volume, and the ear cushions use a ventilated protein material for maximum breathability. It even comes with LED lighting, which seems a bit like bragging once you take everything else into consideration. The sound quality might not be quite up to snuff with something like the A10, but it’s also less than half the price. Not to mention, that Dolby Surround Sound provides a phenomenal level of immersion in both atmospheric single-player and raucous multiplayer games.

HyperX Cloud Stinger – Gaming Headset

A long-standing champion among the gaming headset market

The HyperX Cloud Stinger sat atop many best-of lists when it was first released, and it still holds up even now that the market has become significantly more crowded. You wouldn’t know it from the build quality, though. It’s pretty typical for a PC gaming headset under $50, but the leatherette cups with memory foam cushioning can rotate 90 degrees for a more versatile fit. The swiveling boom mic also mutes when flipped up.

It’s only once you start to dig a little deeper that you start to notice where it really shines. It utilizes 50mm rather than 40mm drivers, but it’s still surprising to hear the fidelity of sound that comes through this gaming headset on PC and the great sense of aural space it offers. This is all due to the fact that this is a Dolby 7.1 gaming headset. Its focus on bass provides real meaning to gunfire and grenades.

Corsair HS60 Gaming Headset

A truly capable device that focuses on the fundamentals

The Corsair HS60 is modest but elegant, stripping out the bright lights and embellishments that define so many gaming headsets and instead opting for something that looks legitimately premium. That goes beyond the unvarnished aesthetics, too. This USB headset with a microphone has been certified by Discord. Corsair rarely disappoints, and this surround sound gaming headset is no different. The build quality consists of a reliable mix of metal and sturdy plastic capable of taking a hit and still remaining intact.

There’s a level of balance here that’s rare even in other headsets on our list. The bass is a little heavier in proportion to the mids and highs, but it’s not inconsistent enough to stand out except to hardcore audiophiles. They’re certainly substantial enough to suit the full range of gaming genres and double as decent headphones for watching films and listening to music as well.

Turtle Beach Recon 70 Gaming Headset

Turtle Bay’s entry-level headset offers multiple color schemes for the three major current generation consoles, but they’re all functionally the same device. Just keep in mind that the shortness of the cord means it’s not ideal to use as a computer gaming headset. Console gamers will likely find a lot to love here. The synthetic leather looks great, and the plush interior feels great against your ears. They can also rotate out to 90 degrees.

The Recon 70 may only come with 40mm drivers, but they have a nice kick to them. The dynamic range is well above par here, deftly adapting from quiet moments of narrative drama to the bombast of the battlefield. The Recon 70 doesn’t support surround sound, but it still provides a nice sense of space. Add in the crisp sound quality of the mic and you have an all-around well-balanced little headset for just under $50.

Logitech G231 Prodigy Gaming Headset

The G231 isn’t the first Logitech G-series headset on our list, and it won’t be the last. Logitech’s headsets are consistently good, and the Prodigy has the privilege of being designed explicitly with PC gamers in mind. The compact size is a great advantage here. It’s surprisingly flat in design, and the earphones can be adjusted to rotate 90 degrees or even fold into themselves for easier carrying. It’s not a design that’s going to change the world of headsets, but it’s pretty comfortable nonetheless.

Audio quality is clean and balanced across the board, and it should suit a wide variety of different games and movies. The mic is similarly solid, although the noise isolation is pretty light. If you’re in a crowded room, you’ll probably want to turn it off. Fortunately, you can fold it right out of the way when you don’t need it.

Razer Electra V2 Gaming Headset

Whether you’re looking for a PC or PS4 gaming headset, the Razer Elektra V2 could fit the bill. It’s not the sexiest USB gaming headset around, but it gets the fundamentals right on point and offers a general sense of balance that overwhelms its lack of distinguishing features. If there is a point of especially high praise to lend to it, it’s the comfort. It finds the perfect middle ground in terms of sizing, and the headband is both suitably padded and automatically adjustable. It’s a nice change in a world heavy with notched headbands.

The sound quality isn’t as vibrant as other entries like the A10, but it’s not exactly boring either. There’s a vague flatness to the sound that’s usually more prevalent in studio headphones, which is not necessarily a bad thing but more a point of personal preference. The boom mic itself sounds good and is fully detachable.

Logitech G430 Gaming Headset

We told you the Logitech G-series would feature again on our list. The G430 is the most premium of the bunch, but generational changes have made it more or less comparable in price. The leather may not be authentic, but the build quality is good, and the design certainly isn’t cheap-feeling. For a gaming headset under 50 dollars, it looks pretty good, and it fits comfortably even during extended periods of play. You can give credit to the sports-performance cloth that lines the inside of the ear cups for that.

What’s the point of comfortable headphones if they don’t sound good, though? Luckily, these ones do. Noise cancellation isn’t stellar, but get these headphones into a quiet room with an aurally rich game, and you’ll find yourself entirely immersed in the world. There’s a little more punch to the bass than everything else, but it’s still good quality all around.

BENGOO Stereo Gaming Headset

BENGOO isn’t exactly a household name, but the bargain basement pricing on their headset is sure to grab your attention. The fact that this headset is pretty decent should also keep hold of that attention. 40mm drivers deliver pretty strong sound, though it’s a little more washed out than some of the more tightly perfected models we’ve highlighted here. The strong design of the headphone seal ensures that most of the noise around you is drowned out.

The microphone is the standout feature here. The outside noise isolation on this omnidirectional mic is respectable, so you won’t have to worry about your roommates or family irritating your teammates on the other side of the display. There are also some nice but admittedly extraneous blue RGB lighting effects round out the package.

Plantronics RIG 400HS Gaming Headset

We saved one of the best gaming headsets for under 50 dollars for last. This is also one of the more unusual choices we’ve decided to spotlight. The open-back design is very uncommon in the gaming market, and for good reason. The fact that these types of headphones tend to leak sound like crazy also means that sound is going to get picked up regularly by the microphone.

If you’re looking for single-player headphones you occasionally use for their headset capabilities, you’ll find a lot to love here. The RIG 400’s microphone is actually incredibly nice, providing crisp and crystal clear performance. Plantronics has also scored a license from Dolby for the Atmos tech. A lot of headsets promise to surround sound, but the inclusion of Atmos here demonstrates that Plantronics’ headsets are the real deal.