The quick list
1. Best overall
2. Best official
3. Best high-end
4. Best battery life
5. Best wired
6. Best budget
FAQs
Investing in a good headset for your Xbox Series X is a great way to make the most of the console’s advanced audio capabilities. Now that the system is well into its third year on the market, plenty of brands have begun offering their own competitive audio products. There are loads of different options to choose from so, to the simplify the buying process, we’ve created this handy list of the very best Xbox Series X headsets that takes into account a wide range of budgets and preferences.
We have extensively tested all of the models featured and, as a result, know that they are among the highest quality headsets available for the console. If you’re interested in even more Xbox recommendations though, consider visiting our list of the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories or best Xbox controllers.
Audio is only one part of the picture, however, so if you want to try and make the most of some of the best Xbox Series X games you might want to consider investing in one of the best monitors for Xbox Series X. If you’re interested in a great way to expand your library cheaply, don't forget to also take a look at our breakdown of everything on offer through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
The Quick List
The best overall Xbox Series X headset
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X headset is our pick for the best overall Xbox Series X headset thanks to comfortable design, fair price, and impressive performance.
The best official Xbox Series X headset
Great price meets great performance. The official Xbox Wireless Headset is a fantastic starting point for those looking for a new headset to use with their console.
The best high-end Xbox Series X headset
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro ticks all the right boxes for a luxury headset. It features excellent sound quality, a brilliant microphone and an eye-catching premium aesthetic.
The best Xbox Series X headset for battery life
If battery life is the number one priority for you, consider the SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless headset. It offers 25 hours of playback to help minimize the amount of time you spend recharging.
The best wired Xbox Series X headset
There are a handful of reasons to considered a wired headset, including no longer needing to worry about charging. If you want a wired option, the Fnatic React Plus is a great choice.
The best budget Xbox Series X headset
The Nacon RIG 300 Pro HX is a superb headset for such a low price. It features a comfy design and sound quality that punches well above its weight.
Best Xbox Series X headsets in 2024
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The best overall Xbox Series X headset
✅ You value comfort: The soft fabric of the memory foam ear cups is extremely comfortable, offering a pleasant experience over longer gaming sessions.
✅ You use multiple platforms: In addition to Xbox, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X is compatible with PC, PlayStation, mobile, and Nintendo Switch making it perfect for those who like to game across multiple systems.
❌ You don't have access to a PC: You need a compatible PC to change the settings of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X, which might prove frustrating if you don't have one on hand.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X is our number-one pick for the best Xbox Series X headset on the market right now. It's a fantastic all-round performer, offering clear audio that's perfect for the majority of games and even holds its own when it comes multimedia consumption. The design of the headset is pleasingly robust, featuring a headband constructed with a durable combination of plastic, metal, and soft rubberized material. Add on the fact that the memory foam ear cups are comfortable to wear and it's a package that's very hard to beat.
This headset uses a flexible and retractable microphone, which features a prominent LED mute indicator that lets you easily see when the sound is off. It also features no shortage of on-board controls, with a volume dial, a ChatMix Dial, a mic mute button, a Bluetooth connection button, and, of course, the power button. It connects to your Xbox through a USB-C dongle (a USB-A to USB-C converter is included in the box) but it also supports a wide range of other systems including PlayStation and PC.
Switching between them is as easy as removing the dongle and slotting it into your machine, making this headset one of the most versatile choices on this list.
- Read more: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X review
The best official Xbox Series X headset
✅ You’re ready to go wireless: The Xbox Wireless Headset is a cheap and cheerful way to finally cut the cord and game without wires getting in the way.
✅ You love bass: These headphones are all about that bass and deliver rich, powerful sound that is free from distortion.
❌ You want better mic monitoring: The Xbox Wireless Headset's poor mic monitoring is by far its biggest weakness.
Microsoft's Xbox Wireless Headset is easily up there as one of the best Xbox Series X headsets. Not only is this model officially licensed, ensuring complete compatibility, but because it boasts absolutely incredible sound quality. It is also very easy to pair with the system and includes a handful of great quality-of-life inclusions for the price.
The Xbox Wireless Headset comes in at just $99 / £89 / AU$149 making it one of the very best options when it comes to pure value for money. Of course, competitive pricing wouldn't mean much if it didn't sound the part, and fortunately, these headphones excel across the board. We were blown away by the prominent bass and the balanced sound profile in our testing, which helps it deliver strong performance in the low-end and mids, too.
Although its perfect for shooters, there are six customized EQ settings ready to go straight out of the box tailored to a wide variety of different genres. The headset also features Dolby Atmos support for better music listening and a truly immersive audio performance in supported games.
- Read more: Xbox Wireless Headset review
The best high-end Xbox Series X headset
✅ You want a premium-sounding and feeling headset: The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro sounds excellent and feels absolutely incredible to wear. This is one super comfortable design.
✅ You play on different consoles and PC : If you’re someone who enjoys gaming on PS5 and PC in addition to your Xbox Series X, then you’ll certainly appreciate its cross-platform compatibility.
❌ You’re on a budget: There’s no getting around the fact that $329.99 / £279.99 / AU$599.95 is a steep price to pay for a gaming headset, even at the top-end of the market.
There's very little we can fault the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro on in terms of design and performance even compared to the other best Xbox Series X headsets. Armed with excellent hand-tuned 50mm audio drivers, brilliant active noise canceling, and a truly premium design, this really is the be-all and end-all when it comes to top-end models on the platform.
Priced at $329.99 / £279.99 / AU$599.95, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro is a seriously expensive option for the Xbox Series X. It really is a case of you get what you pay for with this one, though, as no other console-focused offering feels or sounds quite this good. The stellar sound quality is even further elevated by the Dolby Atmos support and, overall, you're getting sound that few can rival even in 2024.
Something else particularly special about the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro is the level of customization avaliable. You're able to tweak absolutely everything about the sound through the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app. Like the The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Wireless, this model supports 'SuperHuman hearing' giving you the competitive edge in some of the best FPS games.
- Read more: Turtle Beach Stealth Pro review
The best Xbox Series X headset for battery life
✅ You play for long periods: If you're going to be playing for particularly long sessions, the brilliant battery life of the SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless is going to be your best friends.
✅ You need a good value headset : It’s not the cheapest headset headset on the market, but it isn’t quite the bank-breaker that the varied feature list would otherwise suggest.
❌ Music is your jam: There are better headsets when it comes to music playback. The SteelSeries Arctis 7X is perfectly adequate for tunes, but lacks the detail and depth that some pricier headsets deliver.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless certainly lives up to the promise of delivering extensive battery life through its 2.4 GHz wireless adapter, which lends the headset a quoted lifespan of around 25 hours playback. In our testing, we found that the SteelSeries Arctis 7X frequently met this figure when gaming and enjoying media, though this set is definitely more suited to the former than the latter.
With a price tag of $149 / £174.99, the SteelSeries Arctis 7X isn't exactly the cheapest Xbox Series X headset on the market, but we believe that its versatile nature, outstanding build quality, and stellar audio profile more than justify this price. You're getting full support for USB-C devices (in addition to a handy USB-A adapter), a propriety cable, and compatibility with a standard 3.5mm audio jack. This means that, while it excellent for Xbox, you can also make use of this headset with your other devices as well.
In addition to the fantastic battery life, we appreciated the faithful directional audio and crisp profiles in our testing, though. We found that gunfire and explosions sounded suitably punchy in competitive gaming sessions and that dialogue in single-player titles was picked up effortlessly, too. The built-in microphone is also one of the best that we've tested recently.
- Read more: SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless review
The best wired Xbox Series X headset
✅ You love esports: The Fnatic React Plus is perfect for upgrading your performance in competitive online games - you should be able to hear footsteps clearer, for example.
✅ You want to chat as you play: The boom microphone on the Fnatic React Plus is top-notch, and is perfect for talking with friends even in the middle of an intense gunfight.
❌ You also want to listen to music: Fnatic React Plus sounds underwhelming when listening to music - its focus is on competitive gaming.
When it comes to well-priced, fully-featured options for competitive gaming, the Fnatic React Plus is a superb contender. This wired gaming headset features Dolby Atmos support for simulated surround sound and we are also huge fans of the unique black-on-orange aesthetic.
With a price point of $74.99 / £84.99 / AU$140, the Fnatic React Plus is one of the more affordable gaming headsets available - especially from a such big-name brand. Most gamers will also recognise the Fnatic name, as one the most popular and long-running eSports organizations. It's safe to say that they clearly know a thing or two about how to develop audio solutions for competition, but the performance is noticeably less impressive when listening to music.
We also like the microphone on the Fnatic React Plus. With other headsets, it can sometimes be challenging to stay heard during intense firefights, potentially leading to vital callouts being missed. That's not the case with the detachable mic found here, however, which features a cardioid pattern and pop filter that do an excellent job of ensuring that you are heard at all times without issue.
Given everything that this headset offers, we think they are ideal for those into big multiplayer titles like Halo Infinite and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
- Read more: Fnatic React Plus review
The best budget Xbox Series X headset
✅ You’re on a strict budget: The solid materials of this design mean that the RIG 300 Pro HX comes highly recommended within its price range.
✅ You like longer gaming sessions: With the comfortable plush earcups, the headset won’t irritate during longer sessions.
❌ You’re after something with more features: The RIG 300 Pro HX is still quite basic and lacks many of the features provided by pricier headsets.
The cheapest of the RIG series, Nacon's RIG 300 Pro HX packs plenty of bang for your buck. You're getting a surprisingly comfortable and solid build. The chunky, early 2000s aesthetic that won't be for everyone, but does admittedly help it stand out from the pack.
The ultra-low price point of $29.90 / £29.99 (around AU$44.89) is incredibly appealing and the headset manages to offer plenty at such a low price. Expect solid, but occasionally muddy audio, and a solid, but not exceptional, microphone. This is perfect as a backup headset for use by friends or as a primary one if you're working with a very strict budget.
The only thing that we would consider actively poor is the short length of its cable which, as a wired only headset, is a little disappointing.
- Read more: Nacon RIG 300 Pro HX review
Best Xbox Series X headsets - FAQs
Will my Xbox One headset connect to Xbox Series X?
Yes, most headsets designed for Xbox One will work on Xbox Series X thanks to Microsoft's focus on cross-compatibility. Still, we think it's worth looking at options designed specifically with Xbox Series X in mind as you may find additional features exclusive to that current-gen system.
Is it best to have a wired or wireless headset for Xbox Series X?
Whether you should have a wired or wireless headset depends largely on your personal preference. While wired headsets mean that you don’t have to worry about battery life during long sessions, having a wireless headset will prevent additional clutter. As the Xbox series X supports both a 3.5mm jack and 2.4GHz wireless Bluetooth, there’s nothing stopping you from trying both to see what suits you best.
Do I need a headset for the Xbox Series X?
Headsets aren’t essential to gaming with an Xbox Series X, but they can improve your experience. A headset will provide a better sense of immersion and can even allow you to experience sounds that would have been missed without one. So, while you don’t need one to enjoy the best Xbox Series X games, it’s worth considering if you spend a lot of time gaming.
We test Xbox headsets in a variety of ways. Audio quality is typically the first port of call. But we also consider battery life, connectivity, build quality, ease of use and, of course, the price. The best Xbox headsets will strike a strong balance in all areas, or provide a seriously high quality experience in one or two areas.
We make sure to test the best Xbox Series X headsets thoroughly before considering whether or not to place them on this list. There are plenty of headset brands available on the console, including Turtle Beach, Fnatic, SteelSeries, and Xbox's own-brand headsets. With so many options, it's important to highlight the ones that are really worth your time and money.
Our best headsets guide is updated regularly. As new products release all the time, we endeavour to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to recommending you the best headsets.
If you want to make the most of your Xbox, why not also consider something from our list of the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories or best Xbox Series X games?
