The Perfect Gaming Earbuds Do Exist

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I’m largely a single-player gamer. I want to spend my time immersed in a world like in Dragon’s Dogma 2, invested in a story and characters in one of 2024’s great RPGs. In my shared Brooklyn apartment, achieving this can mean putting on headphones so my partner isn’t distracted by the sounds of gunfire or, more likely, repetitive dialogue and sounds when I’m bashing my head against a difficult challenge. But my most expensive over-ear headphones aren’t built for gaming, and I don’t need to use a bulky headset with a microphone since I’m not chatting with anyone. And I finally found gaming earbuds that give me exactly what I need: good quality sound and gaming peace.

The Arctis GameBuds from SteelSeries have become my new go-to when I need a quick, plugged-in gaming session. They plug directly into your console of choice (or PC) or connect via Bluetooth to your phone or Switch. Really whatever you need for wherever you play.

In their own right, these are a nifty pair of earbuds that support 3D audio and Active Noise Cancellation. Pair them with a modern gaming PC or console and you’ll see why I never want to wear an over-ear headset again.

Inside it’s inauspiciously-sized charging case you’ll find, in addition to the two earbuds, a USB-C dongle that can be affixed to any device for a low-latency 2.4GHz Wireless connection. That’s way more reliable than regular old Bluetooth. Especially when you’re gaming.

Each earbud slides snugly in my ears (historically pretty earbud friendly overall) and feel secure. Controls are intuitive, with each earbud also being a full-press button. I still prefer this light button approach over touch controls, and by default one controls pause and play functions while the other adjusts your level of noise cancelling. Those controls can be customized in the Arctis app, where you can also tweak a majority of your audio settings. The app has over 200 EQ presets for games including Alan Wake 2, Street Fighter 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and many many more.

Each pair is compatible with every piece of hardware except for the rival console. Since the Xbox and PlayStation don’t play nice together, you’re going to have to choose—but you’ll likely already made that choice in your home. The PlayStation compatible pair comes in a sleek white that you won’t want to miss to match all your other Sony accessories.

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When it comes to noise-cancelling, this is about as good as earbuds get. For as good (and totally immersive) as the ANC mode is, though, I found myself mostly playing on transparency mode. To be clear, that’s because the GameBuds’ transparency is excellent.

I’ve actually been able to have full conversations with them on, with my attention still very much focused on the game. If I’m going into a cutscene, I can just tap the left bud to go into ANC mode just like that. Switch that back to transparency mode when I’m grinding levels, so I can still enjoy the soundscape of a game while also being a functional member of my household. It’s been a real game-changer in that way. Even when I use the transparency modes on larger headsets, there is still so much hardware between my ears and whoever is trying to get my attention. That’s never a problem with these gaming earbuds.

I’ve been using the Arctis GameBuds on my PS5 and PS5 Pro, where they can take advantage of the Tempest 3D to simulate a fully 3D spatial sound experience. If the game supports it, this simulates a moving sound with you as the centerpiece, transforming your earbuds into a surround sound system.

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As with any gaming accessory, you want a headset that will stay powered up—and comfortable—for those long all-night sessions. I can’t say I make a habit of it anymore, but you never know when the endgame dungeon is going to hit—or when you and your teammates are going to go on a wining streak—and you need that battery life to just keep going hour after hour. With the GameBuds, you are more likely going to have to worry first about charging your controller.

These will last for over eight hours whenever you take them out the case. Typically closer to nine if you’re using the 2.4 GHz dongle. The case holds enough to do that about three or four times before it needs USB-C charging. It also supports wireless Qi charging, if you have a clutter-free gaming setup.

The buds charge quick too. If you one of your buds starts to fail you, just take a bathroom break and put them back in the case for a quick five minute charge. That should buy you an extra 30-45 minutes to finish up your session. Use them consistently, and they’ll be ready when you need them.

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