Here are the best cheap gaming headsets under $60 that can compete with more expensive alternatives.
| Rating | Price | Connection | Compatibility | Surround sound | More info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteelSeries Arctis 1 Best overall  | 4.5 | Under $60 | Wired – 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | Yes (only PC & Xbox) | |
| HyperX Cloud Stinger Best under $50  | 4.4 | Under $60 | Wired – 3.5mm + dual 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | No | |
| Razer BlackShark V2 X Best Razer  | 4.5 | Under $60 | Wired – 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | Yes (only PC & Mac) | |
| Corsair HS60 PRO Best lightweight  | 4.4 | Under $50 | Wired – 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | Yes (only PC) | |
| 4.4 | Under $50 | Wired – USB & 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | Yes (only PC) | ||
| 4.4 | Under $40 | Wired – 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | Yes (only PC) | ||
| 4.4 | Under $50 | Wired – 3.5mm + dual 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | No | ||
| ASUS TUF Gaming H3 Best under $40  | 4.4 | Under $40 | Wired – 3.5mm | PC & Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR & mobile | Yes (only PC) |
Getting an excellent budget gaming headset is enough to enjoy your favorite games. While you might not get the fanciest design and extra features, you can comfortably play competitive games alone or with friends.
Regardless of which best budget gaming headset you pick, all of them are so good you’ll soon forget they were so cheap. Sadly, no wireless options with RGB lighting since they cost too much.
Here is a list of the top 8 headsets that are specifically built for gaming and are relatively cheap for the quality they provide.
Who doesn’t like cheap quality above the price you pay. We sure do, so we made this buyer’s guide.
Here’s all the necessary information you need to make the correct decision about the best cheap gaming headset within your tight budget.
Related:
Best gaming headphones
The best wireless gaming headset
Best gaming earbuds
Best Cheap Gaming Headsets
1. SteelSeries Arctis 1
Best overall 
SteelSeries Arctis 1 is one of the best budget gaming headsets for gaming right now.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: n/a 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Excellent value
- Great comfort with memory foam earpads
- Balanced sound
- … that lacks a bit of bass punch
- No option for ChatMix
SteelSeries Arctis 1 have an overall balanced audio output. While this is good for listening to music, you sometimes miss the extra bass rumble during long gaming sessions.
They do, however, create a good surround sound with help from the Windows Sonic Spatial feature.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 cheap gaming headset is the most simple of the Arctis bunch. Build quality is still decent, with steel inside the headband and ear cups made of hard plastic.
These have an exceptionally comfortable fit, with thick memory foam pads that rest gently on your head. The fabric covering the ear pads also keeps the ears cool.
The included microphone is removable and can be muted with a press of the button.
These are the best cheap gaming headsets for gamers who like to switch between different platforms. There’s also a wireless option.
2. HyperX Cloud Stinger
Best under $50 
The HyperX Cloud Stinger is the best cheap gaming headset under $50 with a wired connection, a jet-black color, and simple design cues.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: 50mm 
Frequency range: 18-23.000Hz - Lightweight and comfortable
- Simple plastic design
- Good microphone
- Great value for money
- Lower durability
- Average noise isolation
Stinger is a good headset with excellent sound quality and a well-balanced stereo game audio with a slider to easily adjust volume.
The bass is clear but not overpowering and possesses sufficient clarity of sound. If you really want a spatial sound experience, you can enable Windows Sonic surround sound feature.
The HyperX Stinger is a lightweight headset that weighs 275 grams and has a comfortable design for marathon gaming sessions. The audio cable has a standard length, with an optional extension audio cable in the box.
It doesn’t compress the head in any way even when wearing glasses, and it also doesn’t slide off in cases of erratic movement.
Sure the ear cushions aren’t made out of memory foam, but some cheaper foam, which isn’t as fancy but still soft.
The noise-canceling microphone (uni-directional) mutes when folded up and otherwise records clear and distortion-free voice. Read our full review to find more info.
3. Razer BlackShark V2 X
Best Razer 
Razer surprised gamers with 3 new BlackShark gaming headsets, with V2 X variant being the cheapest gaming headphones of the bunch. However, they still offer great value.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: 50mm 
Frequency range: 12-28.000Hz - Nicely balanced sound
- Sturdy build
- Razer's 7.1 virtual surround sound
- The app doesn't let you change EQ
Big new Triforce 50mm drivers deliver a decent amount of clarity and detail. The latter is most noticeable when playing with 7.1 surround sound.
Interestingly, the bass isn’t as boosted as in other gaming headsets, making for a more balanced frequency response, which is what most people prefer.
BlackShark V2 X are big over-ear headphones with a distinct look, with the same high-end design as pricier rivals. Soft padding is filled with exquisite memory foam.
There is a protruding volume knob on the left earcup, alongside a microphone mute button. The clear mic works incredibly well, cancelling most ambient noises.
You get a unique code to access Razer’s proprietary 7.1 virtual surround, which can make your gaming audio more fun.
Of course, in the app, you can further play around with other audio settings and sound modes. The single issue is that you can’t fully customize the sound.
The 3.5mm audio connection makes these best cheap gaming headsets compatible with most major gaming platforms.
4. Corsair HS60 Pro
Best lightweight 
The best budget gaming headset from Corsair with a great microphone, durable aluminum construction, and surround sound support.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: 50mm 
Frequency range: n/a - Support for virtual surround sound
- Good, lightweight build quality
- Decent removable microphone
- Non-detachable cable
- Sound not suitable for music
A slightly V-shaped sound signature of these cheap gaming headsets means that in-game effects like explosions sound great and much bigger. While that’s great for gaming, it isn’t ideal for music.
The extra feature that the HS60 Pro have is surround sound. It helps to enlarge the soundstage and improve positional audio, making the gaming experience more fun.
As for the design, the frame is relatively lightweight, and thanks to thick padding, also very comfortable, even for extended gaming sessions.
Durability is decent with aluminum yokes and braided cable, which is sadly non-removable.
The included removable mic offers good clarity but has a de-emphasis on the lower end, making deep voices sound slightly thin.
5. Logitech G432
Best gaming headset from Logitech with solid sound quality for a decent price point.
Connection: Wired – USB & 3.5mm 
Driver size: 50mm 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Balanced sound
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Good passive soundstage
- Can sound harsh sometimes
Surprisingly even frequency response with a modest boost in bass and upper midrange.
The latter makes the vocals more present but can occasionally makes the sound harsh at high volumes. Sadly, you can’t do an EQ tweaking since there’s no app.
Nevertheless, the headset works well for both video games and music listening. They offer a good sense of soundstage, too, and they can also do simulated surround sound via USB connection.
These budget gaming headsets are built quite well, with a metal frame to add sturdiness and durability if they fall off the table.
The flip-to-mute microphone is of decent quality but can sound a bit dull if you have a deeper voice.
Well-padded headband and earpads are reasonably thick and ensure both good comfort and noise isolation for long stretches.
6. Razer Kraken X
The Kraken X are one of the best budget gaming headset with a good mic quality, sturdy aluminum frame, and 7.1 surround sound support.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: 40mm 
Frequency range: 12-28.000Hz - Wide compatibility
- Great value
- Good sound
- Comfortable
- All-plastic construction
While there’s an emphasis on low-end, it never overwhelms the audio quality into muddiness.
Instead, they output great sound quality that remains nicely clean. A detailed positional sound gives you the gaming edge over your opponents.
For improved immersion, Razer offers its own virtual surround that mimics 7.1 systems. The latter only works on PC, not even on one of the next-gen console (PS5 & Xbox Series X) or mobile devices.
Despite the price, Kraken X have a rather good microphone. You can easily use it for both serious gaming and video calls on Zoom or Skype.
A few things could be better with the build quality, but for the price bracket, you can’t ask much. Generally speaking, they should survive a couple of years of days use.
7. JBL Quantum 200
New headset of JBL is one of the best budget gaming headset for gamers on a budget who want good sound specifications and wide compatibility.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: 50mm 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Wide compatibility
- Great value
- Good sound
- Comfortable
- All-plastic construction
Surprisingly capable budget headsets with vast soundstage and good detail retrieval for the price.
JBL tuned these very nicely, essentially if you use them for gaming. Their immersive sound helps bring out the rumble and fine details like footsteps at the same time.
The design is relatively plain and plasticky. However, the use of plastic helps these cheap gaming headsets to be extremely lightweight.
The latter, and the fact they use a sufficient amount of memory foam padding, provides long-lasting comfort during gaming sessions.
JBL Quantum 200 are a great entry-level cheap gaming headset for everyone looking for their first pair. It’s suitable for singleplayer games or to join friends in the metaverse.
8. Asus TUF Gaming H3
Best under $40 
This is a sturdy wired stereo headset with good sound quality for a low price point.
Connection: Wired – 3.5mm 
Driver size: 50mm 
Frequency range: 20-20.000Hz - Good sound with deep bass and sparkly highs
- Quality microphone for the price
- Cheap-feeling build materials
The TUF H3 wired headset sound incredible (for the price) and remain fairly balanced throughout the frequency response, with a slight boost in the bass for a more immersive gaming experience.
Despite coming at a price point of under $40, their microphone quality is more than adequate. On top of that, it’s Discord certified so that your teammates can easily understand you in the voice chat.
The plastic construction makes them surprisingly pretty hard and featherlight. Faux leather earpads are generously padded so that you’re don’t have to deal with ear pain during long play sessions.
Instead of inline controls, you can find both the mute mic button and volume wheel on the earcup for instant access.
All in all, it’s one of the best cheap headphones for gaming.
Many gaming headsets lack a decent microphone. If you don’t already have a good microphone for your gameplays, check our pick for the best microphones for gaming.
Honorable Mentions
Turtle Beach Recon 70 – Turtle Beach Recon 70 are a great cheap gaming headset for consoles under $40 but with a cheaply made construction. (Check Recon 70 price)
Onikuma K6 – This is a great gaming headset from an unknown brand that delivers good value for money. It delivers energetic low frequencies and enjoyable sound quality across the frequency response range (for a cheap headset). Onikuma K6 review
Frequently Asked Questions About Gaming Headsets (FAQ)
What to expect from a budget gaming headset?
Most cheap gaming headsets aren’t wireless, don’t excel in audio quality, boast few premium features, and sport mostly plastic build.
Fortunately, budget options have a mostly lightweight design and are fairly comfortable to wear for long periods. Microphones in this price range do a surprisingly good job, too, picking up your voice nice and clear.
Also, many cheap gaming headsets now offer surround sound gaming. Though, it only works for PC users.
Why wireless headsets cost more?
Any wireless headset costs more than wired headsets because they’re made from more components (Bluetooth and DSP chips, batteries, wireless dongle,…), which increases production cost.
The price range of more premium headsets with wireless connectivity options depends on the brand and the specifications. They can be as low as $100 or as high as $600, depending on your budget and needs.
Sadly, you can’t get a reliable cheap gaming headset with wireless connectivity for under $50 (maybe in the future).
Check out the best wireless gaming headsets you can get right now.
How much should I spend on a gaming headset?
There’s no need to cash out big money since you can get a compelling quality gaming headset for under $100. Going higher will bring other features and customization options, that aren’t beneficial to your gameplay.
Even overall best headset might not work for you. If you’re a casual gamer, first try some more affordable option before spending a couple of hundreds on other headsets. You can find a great headset at a reasonable price.
What are good brands for gaming headsets?
By far the most trusted gaming brands are SteelSeries, HyperX, and Logitech.
Of course, some other models and brands can be great, too, like Sennheiser and Audio-Technica, but since they’re more music-oriented, you have to pick the right model.
Are 7.1 gaming headsets worth it?
It’s better to have only a stereo headset with a good soundstage, rather than opting for a simulated 7.1 surround. Quite often, virtual surround hurts the overall sound quality, even on otherwise great headsets, regardless of the gaming hardware.
Unless a game is mastered to use a particular surround standard, like Dolby Atmos. In that case, having an Atmos-supported gaming headset is the best option that can offer much greater immersion.
Should you pick wired or wireless headset?
Both have their strengths. A wireless gaming headset offers more freedom of movement since you aren’t limited by the length of the wire. Some come with built-in audio features.
On the other hand, wireless functionality means handling with some sort of a USB-C dongle and taking care of the battery life. You also have to consider that those batteries aren’t going to last forever.
Meanwhile, wired gaming headsets are a more reliable plug & play solution that sounds great and doesn’t infuriate you with audio stutters during multiplayer games.
