The best gaming earbuds can offer you an immersive yet compact audio solution. The top gaming buds don't compromise in terms of audio quality, which means losing yourself in your favorite games' soundscapes - whether you're out traveling or simply on your daily commute - is more achievable than ever.
Notable brands like Razer and Sony manufacture excellent gaming earbuds, so there's no doubt that you'll be able to find something that suits your needs. It's also worth considering that their small form factor makes the best gaming earbuds ideal for handheld gaming devices too, from the Nintendo Switch to the Steam Deck.
We've tested loads of pairs of earbuds for gaming to support and select from for this guide, so we know a thing or two from direct testing and putting them through the wringer. Here are our picks for the best gaming earbuds you can get right now.
The Quick List
Best overall
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds raise the bar for gaming earbuds in 2024 and offer an exceptional package that includes brilliant audio quality, great compatibility, superb battery life, and wonderful features.
Best budget
If you're looking for a pair of earbuds that allow you to enjoy multiplayer games with your friends, then the Turtle Beach Battle Buds might suit your needs.
Best wired
If you're looking for an ideal wired pair of headphones, then the 1More Triple Driver in-ear headphones deliver clear, high-quality audio.
Best microphone
The SteelSeries Tusq boasts a superb removable boom mic that offers great microphone quality at an affordable price.
Best for PS5
The Sony Inzone Buds boast fantastic sound and battery life, making them ideal for PS5 play.
Best for audiophiles
We consider the 1More Quad Driver In-Ear headphones to be the most powerful gaming earbuds currently on the market.
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I've been reviewing gaming headsets and sets of gaming earbuds and managing coverage for both for years now. I still use gaming earbuds most days on my commute to the office too, and have found a new love for buds with the Pulse Explores that go with my PlayStation Portal. I've also reviewed dozens and dozens of the best gaming headsets from up and down the spectrum, so know what makes a good set of audio givers - and what sets apart great ones.
The best gaming earbuds in 2024
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Best gaming earbuds overall
✅ You want some of the best sounding gaming earbuds. These earbuds are simply some of the absolute best I've ever tested in my years of testing gaming earbuds and headsets. The SteelSeries audio quality and pedigree shine through in these, despite their diminutive stature.
✅ You want a set of gaming earbuds that offer the fullest package. In addition to the fabulous audio straight out of the box, the Arctis GameBuds are also the most complete package when it comes to gaming earbuds too: there's a great features set, wonderful design and build, super battery life and charging options, and a companion app that takes it to another level.
❌ You want touch-controls for your buds: The Arctis GameBuds deploy a touchpad for their onboard controls - similar to that of a laptop pad - rather than touch controls. The result is that they are less prone to accidental pushes, but require a bit more pressure to actuate.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are our new top pick for the best gaming earbuds money can buy in 2024 for a number of reasons, and the sheer fact that they sound brilliant and do everything gaming earbuds should do excellently. The design is exquisite and robust, the SteelSeries quality and pedigree in gaming audio shine through from tiny drivers, they offer superb battery life and charging features, can be used in conjunction with the top-notch Arctis Companion App, and are easy to use across all platforms. And we mean all platforms: if you get the Xbox variant then you can use them across all major gaming platforms with ease.
Coming at $159.99 / £159.99, the GameBuds are pretty aggressively priced for premium earbuds and come in cheaper than our previous top pick, the Epos GTW 270 Hybrid Earbuds, and also cheaper than the likes of the Sony Inzone Buds, and PlayStation Pulse Explore buds too; other stand out gaming earbuds in the price bracket. But the overall package offered by the
Particular highlights of the compelling package offered, away from audio quality, include the excellent battery life and charging case that can be wirelessly charged, and the brilliant EQ options and presets you can choose from on the Arctis Companion App. You can change between these on the fly while using the buds via the app, and they are genuinely excellent. I found the controls a little tricky sometimes given the required pressure and third-party foam tips have ensured the very best fit, but these are extremely minor caveats to what are otherwise brilliant earbuds.
These buds would give some of the best gaming headsets a run for their money and if you're looking for the best overall gaming earbuds to buy, then you've just found them.
- Read more: SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review
Best budget gaming earbuds
✅ You want something cheaper for online gaming. The microphone that these buds come with makes them fantastic for multiplayer games, so you're free to jump in and out of games without having to worry about your audio.
✅ You want something versatile. The detachable mic that accompanies these buds means you're free to use them for music or calls outside of your gaming. They are also easy to store, too.
❌ You want to use them for recording audio. Despite the microphone being a handy addition to this pair, it can be pretty sensitive, meaning they are not ideal for streaming or recording audio.
The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are what we consider to be the best gaming earbuds on a budget and that's because of their versatile nature. You've got a detachable mic, and durable build quality, which makes them ideal for carrying around with you on the go. They may not have the absolute highest sound quality as you'll find with more premium offerings in our roundup, but for what they are, they are hard to fault.
That's because the Turtle Beach Battle Buds retail for just $29.99 / £28 but can frequently be found at cheaper rates, too. We don't see many quality branded earbuds aimed at gamers for around the $30 / £30 mark, which makes this offering from a trusted manufacturer well worth considering for those on a budget.
We found that these earphones certainly sounded the part whether speaking or listening. That's because of the detachable mic, which while a little flimsy, was clear where it mattered most. Whether you're aiming to play on the Nintendo Switch or another console of choice through the 3.5mm jack, you'll be happy with what you're paying for here.
- Read more: Turtle Beach Battle Buds review
Best wired gaming earbuds
✅ You appreciate value. This pair of headphones isn't the most expensive, but that doesn't mean any corners are cut on quality. They boast some fantastic sound quality, despite their slightly lower-than-expected price tag.
✅ You prefer a wired model. Although wired headphones feel more convenient in terms of form factor, wired models will more often than not offer better sound quality, and the 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones certainly match up.
❌ You want to use them for music too. These headphones are great for gaming, but if you want something to use for music too then it might be worth looking for something with sturdier controls.
The cable-packing 1More Triple Driver in-ear headphones are the best wired earbuds you can buy in 2024. The rubber cable can tangle and the remote is a bit plasticky, but it's hard to find a genuine fault at the price here.
For a mere $100 / £100 (around AU$168), you'll be hard-pressed to find a more sonically pleasing pair of earbuds than 1MORE's Triple Driver.
Those that want a little more luxury from materials in their earbuds can look further down this list for the Quad Driver version – though expect to pay roughly twice as much. The triple drivers tick pretty much every box, though.
After extended testing periods spent with both the 1MORE Triple Driver in-ear headphones and the 1MORE Quad Driver in-ear headphones, we were taken aback by the value of each set of earbuds, given their relatively low price points. These ones give you a lush sound simply by plugging them into the headphone jack on your controller or PC. They punch way above their weight.
- Read more: 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphone review
Gaming earbuds with the best microphone
✅ You want a good mic for less: The quality of the boom mic in the SteelSeries Tusq can be comparable to headsets of a similar price. This is a great mic in a small form factor for less.
✅ You want a portable option: The SteelSeries Tusq is easily portable and even comes with a small carrying bad to help you take it out and about without losing any parts.
❌ You want to listen to music: The sound of the SteelSeries Tusq seems to have been tuned specifically for gaming. This means that it sounds great while you play, but suffers from overly sharp middle-frequency sounds when you listen to music or watch movies.
The SteelSeries Tusq gaming headset is our top choice if you're searching for the gaming earbuds with the best microphone. Although we found the quality of the microphone to not be quite as high as some of the much more expensive entries on this list, the SteelSeries Tusq presents unparalleled value if your main concern is chatting with friends.
It is a wired pair of gaming earbuds that features a detachable boom microphone in addition to a secondary integrated microphone. With the boom mic attached, you can expect your voice to come through loud and clear with little disruption from background sounds. In our testing, the earbuds also sound great, offering plenty of clarity and good bass.
The use of a 3.5mm jack also ensures compatibility with a wide range of platforms, including all of the major consoles and mobile. The small size of the SteelSeries Tusq means that it can be easily taken out and about too, where you can sacrifice some recording quality in favor of portability by removing the boom mic and relying on the integrated one instead. They're a superb value option if you simply want to listen to your games and talk to your friends.
- Read more: SteelSeries Tusq review
Best gaming earbuds for PS5
✅ You value versatility: The Sony Inzone Buds are a top-notch choice for gaming as well as casual listening.
✅ You're looking for strong audio quality: Despite their small size, the Inzone Buds have a very detailed audio profile perfect for music, audiobooks and podcasts.
❌ You value clear lows and bass: The Inzone Buds' sound scale struggles on the lower end, and sounds slightly muddy despite its rich sound in the mids and highs.
Sony has achieved something truly great with the Inzone Buds; our recommendation for the best gaming earbuds for PlayStation 5 use. With phenomenal build quality and intuitive on-board touch controls (customizable via the PC's Inzone Hub app), they're an accessible and sturdy pair of buds that should last any user for years to come, nad seriously impressed us in our testing.
If they can stomach the rather high price tag, that is. At $199.99 / £179.99 / AU$249.95 they certainly don't come cheap, costing roughly the same as the Apple AirPods 3 and a good bit pricier than the Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed PS5 gaming earbuds.
We'll confidently say the Sony Inzone Buds are worth that price, however. They offer a crystal-clear sound that helps electronic-focused tracks and vocals really shine through. Their bass profile could stand to be better, but overall sound quality in the highs and mids was excellent. Battery life is also a high point here. We found that Sony's claim of 12 hours of charge via 2.4GHz dongle connectivity, with a further 24 provided by the charging case to be accurate.
- Read more: Sony Inzone Buds review
Best gaming earbuds for audio philes
✅ You value smartphone compatibility. When looking for a pair of earbuds for gaming, you might want to consider options that are also compatible with your phone to save yourself from having to carry two pairs with you. Fortunately, these headphones are pretty versatile and maintain an impressive sound quality, so you'll be set across the board for a decent listening experience.
❌ You have a tighter budget. Even though the Quad Driver in-ear headphones do have impressive sound quality, they are more expensive than their equally performing sibling.
If you've got the cash to splash, the 1MORE Quad Driver in-ear headphones are the best-quality, pound-for-pound, buck-for-buck, wired headphones out there. 1MORE delivered a smashing flagship pair of wired earbuds with the Quad Driver set, thanks to their balanced sound build quality, smartphone compatibility, and price.
These in-ear headphones will make mobile audiophiles very happy and do justice to modern gaming's 3D audio and virtualized Dolby Atmos settings. Priced at $199 / £200, these aren't exactly cheap as far as wired earphones go, but the quality you're getting out of them certainly makes all the difference.
What's more, they're now frequently discounted more commonly to around the $179.99 / £80 mark if you know where to look at certain retailers such as Amazon. Overall we found the voicing and sound profile of the 1MORE Quad Driver in-ear headphones to truly deliver where it matters most, so your gaming experience should be top-drawer with these in your ears.
- Read more: 1More Quad Driver In-Ear Headphones review
How to choose the best gaming earbuds
Much like the adjacent gaming headset market, the gaming earbud market is chock full of options that can make picking the best gaming earbuds for you a little tricky. However, thinking about, and focusing on a few key areas can make the purchasing process a little easier to navigate.
Think about your budget
An easy one, and an obvious one, but it's incredibly important to consider - especially when the price of buds can escalate really rapidly when you start considering more premium sets. We always advise that you have an ideal budget in mind, but also one that you could feasibly and happily stretch to in the instance that something tempting comes down in price. We also advocate for patience sometime too - one of the most effective ways of making the most out of your budget is simply waiting for sales events like Prime Day or Black Friday.
Decide on wired vs wireless
One of the first decisions to make will be whether you want to go wireless or are happy staying wired with your buds. Staying wired can still offer genuine benefits in 2024 such as cross-platform compatibility and they are often (but not always) cheaper. However, wireless means you can go totally free of cords and give ultimate freedom. Also, if you are going wireless, make sure you interrogate reviews and information to ensure the battery life is going to be sufficient for your needs - there's nothing like losing battery mid-game while using buds.
Consider compatibility
If you play on more than one platform and want earbuds to use across them all, then you'll have to make sure the earbuds will be compatible with them. That's not a given, however, so you may need to be somewhat discerning and ruthless. The easiest hit in compatibility might be wired - but then you'll have to consider the above point to work out if that's actually what you want.
How we test the best gaming earbuds
There's a lot that goes into what makes a product one of the best, and we put a lot of work into testing gaming earbuds to ensure our list is the most truthful representation of the products currently on the market. Of course sound quality is the most important factor, but we take a lot of alternative factors into consideration.
Things like comfort and battery life play a huge part in what makes some of the earbuds designed for gaming perform better over others. If you're trying to immerse yourself into a longer gaming session, the last thing you want is a short battery life to interrupt your playtime, and you also want a product that won't cause any discomfort after a while too.
We update our best of lists regularly to ensure the products we feature are always the best of the best. With new products being added to the market pretty often, especially in a market as broad as gaming earbuds and headphones, it's important to keep up to date with new products to ensure everyone is having the best experience possible regardless of console.
Best gaming earbuds - FAQs
We've put our knowledge and expertise of the best gaming earbuds to answer some of the internet's burning questions. If you're after more of a deep dive then we've got you covered below.
Are earbuds better for gaming?
Using earbuds rather than a dedicated gaming headset may not offer the same sound quality, but their smaller form makes them significantly more convenient than a gaming headset if you're travelling. If you're predominantly a mobile gamer, or your designated console is a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, they may be better for your experience.
Which brand of gaming earbuds are best?
There are a number of reputable earbud brands perfect for gaming, such as Turtle Beach, 1More, and Razer, but the decision of which is best will largely come down to personal preference. Every product in our list is one of our top picks, making it even harder to narrow down which is best, but we guarantee every product we have chosen will deliver a solid performance.
Should I buy earbuds or headphones?
It really depends on how you like to game. If you like to play portably with Nintendo Switch, for example, then a pair of gaming earbuds is a marvelous fit, especially considering the console supports Bluetooth connectivity. On the other hand, you may find a pair of gaming headphones to suit you better if you play at home, or prefer a wired 3.5mm connection.
Are wireless gaming earbuds better than wired?
Much like in the gaming headset market, folks will often bring up the comparison between wired and wireless gaming earbuds. Broadly speaking, with the quality of gaming audio products in 2024, both wired and wireless earbuds can offer a fantastic experience; we can wholeheartedly vouch for both from our extensive testing. Choosing between them will come down to different factors like price and potential comfort but perhaps most importantly, compatibility. Simply put, wired earbuds will offer greater compatibility and likely be cheaper, while the more expensive wireless ones will almost certainly be tied to one or two platforms.
