Best Headphones for Gaming: Do You Need a Headset With a Mic?

Gaming headsets bundle headphones and a microphone, and they charge for the convenience. Regular headphones can cost the same or more and sound better for music, but they raise two questions: how will you talk to teammates, and will the audio stay in sync with the action? BudgetHeadphone does not test products hands-on. This guide pulls together what RTINGS, SoundGuys, PC Gamer, TechRadar and other outlets have published, and it also points out where the published evidence is thin.

Do you actually need a headset with a built-in mic?

Quick answer: Only if you use voice chat. A built-in boom mic is the simplest way to talk, but reviewers say quality varies a lot from model to model.

If you play single-player games or never speak to anyone, the mic is irrelevant and you can shop on sound, comfort and battery life. If you do talk, the headset mic is the least-effort option: nothing extra to buy, and it sits close to your mouth. It is not always the best option, though. In its Arctis Nova 7 review, PC Gamer says a standalone desktop mic would always be better than a headset mic. That is one reviewer's view rather than a measurement, but it fits the general trade-off: a separate mic adds cost and desk clutter, and a headset mic saves both.

Are gaming headset mics good enough for voice chat?

Quick answer: It depends on the model. Reviewers praise the Razer BlackShark V3 and HyperX Cloud III mics and give mixed verdicts on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 and PowerA LucidSound LS500.

Among the gaming headsets we have reviewed, the published mic opinions split fairly cleanly.

Mostly positive:

• Razer BlackShark V3 ($149.99). Razer says it has a detachable 9.9 mm mic. PC Gamer says that is the same mic size as the BlackShark V2 Pro 2023. TechRadar's reviewer got compliments on the mic in a Discord call and called its quality "astounding" for the price.
• HyperX Cloud III (Wired) ($99.99). Trusted Reviews calls the mic its standout feature, and How-To Geek says it improves on the Cloud II's with less aggressive noise reduction. Gadget Guy adds a caveat: the mic is sensitive and sometimes picks up unwanted noise. RTINGS rates the headset decent for phone calls.

Mixed or negative:

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 ($179.99). PC Gamer calls the mic "a bit meh" and a little tinny. SoundGuys scores the Gen 2 mic 6.5/10 and says it sounds like an old walkie-talkie, and TweakTown calls the Gen 2 mic lackluster. Trusted Reviews, however, calls it solid with decent body and clarity, and RTINGS rates mic performance as good, though it labels that section "In Development."
• PowerA LucidSound LS500 ($69.99). PowerA lists a flip-to-mute boom mic with noise filtering and mic monitoring, but PC Gamer lists "Mic is limited" among its negatives.

The takeaway is that "has a mic" tells you very little. Check the specific model.

Can regular ANC headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM6 work for gaming?

Quick answer: Sometimes, but not as a drop-in replacement. Low latency depends on newer Bluetooth LE Audio support on both the headphones and your device.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 is the most capable non-gaming pair we have reviewed, but the gaming picture is complicated. RTINGS says it isn't widely usable for wireless gaming, because its Bluetooth LE gaming feature is in beta and works with a limited number of devices. RTINGS also says that with a compatible phone or a Bluetooth LE dongle, latency is likely low enough that desync isn't an issue, and it reports near-zero latency on the analog connection.

SoundGuys tested the gaming update on a Galaxy S24 Ultra and found LE Audio gave noticeably lower latency. Voice chat in PUBG Mobile also kept game audio intact. SoundGuys lists real limits, though:

• Enabling LE Audio requires re-pairing and disables LDAC, Spatial Sound and head tracking.
• The Gaming Audio Profile (GMAP) had no working source device at the time of testing.
• Windows 11 connected using a different profile, so using the mic still degraded audio.
• The XM6 doesn't support audio over USB-C.
• Early adopters reported that two LE Audio dongles didn't work.

Digital Trends adds that GMAP needs support on both the headphones and the source device, and that the update helps compatible phones, tablets, PCs and handhelds more than consoles or older Bluetooth devices. We found no published mic-quality data for the XM6, so we can't say how it sounds to teammates. Plan on a separate mic or a mobile-only setup if voice chat matters.

How much does wireless latency matter?

Quick answer: It matters most for fast, competitive games. The published evidence says a wired connection or a 2.4 GHz dongle is safer than plain Bluetooth.

We don't have a broad set of latency measurements to compare, so treat what follows as model-specific. Razer says the BlackShark V3 has latency as low as 10 ms and offers 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth and USB connections. That is a manufacturer claim, not an independent figure. For the Arctis Nova 7, RTINGS says each variant has a dongle for low wireless latency and that wired latency is near zero. SoundGuys says the Gen 2's only Bluetooth codec is SBC, so latency is likely noticeable in games, and it says the USB-C dongle avoids that problem.

The simplest way to remove the question is to go wired. According to RTINGS, the Cloud III is wired-only, so it can't be used for wireless gaming. It rates it good for wired gaming.

Which of our reviewed gaming headsets makes sense for you?

Quick answer: The BlackShark V3 has the strongest mic reputation, the Cloud III is the wired value pick, and the LS500 is the cheapest. Check platform support on the Nova 7 and LS500 first.

• Best mic reputation: the BlackShark V3, which scored 86 in our review. PC Gamer lists it at $150 and about 270 g. Don't confuse it with the more expensive BlackShark V3 Pro.
• Wired value: the HyperX Cloud III, which scored 80 and costs $99.99. It suits a desk setup where you don't need wireless.
• Feature-rich option: the Arctis Nova 7, which scored 88. It comes in several versions: RTINGS reviewed the original Wireless in 7 (PC), 7P (PlayStation) and 7X (Xbox) variants, and a Gen 2 also exists. Make sure you buy the version that matches your console, and weigh the mixed mic opinions above.
• Lowest price: the LS500, which scored 79 and costs $69.99. PC Gamer scored it 85 and gives up to 70 hours of battery and about 260 g. Tom's Guide lists lacking bass, a plasticky build and no companion app as negatives. Platform sources conflict: PowerA lists PlayStation, PC and mobile, while Tom's Guide calls it a fantastic headset for "either the PS5 or the Xbox." Confirm Xbox support with PowerA before you buy.

For context, RTINGS's top gaming headset is the Audeze Maxwell 2, and its best under $100 is the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 (Gen 3). We haven't reviewed either, and none of the models above appeared as a top pick in the excerpts we saw. If you want the consensus pick rather than our reviewed shortlist, start there.

The Bottom Line

You need a mic only if you talk in games, and in that case the model matters more than the category. Based on published reviews, the BlackShark V3 and Cloud III have the best mic reputations. The Nova 7 and LS500 draw more mixed comments. If you would rather keep your regular headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM6 can work with a compatible phone or LE Audio dongle, but the published limits are significant, so don't count on it for console or Windows voice chat. If voice quality is your top priority, a standalone mic is the route PC Gamer says always wins.