The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are the brand's true wireless solution for gamers who prefer in-ears and casual gamers who can't justify owning multiple pairs of headphones. While there are some inherent compromises, such as lower continuous battery life than most wireless over-ears, you get full support from the robust SteelSeries software on PC and mobile devices. Plus, their active noise cancelling (ANC) feature onboard is still a rarity on dedicated gaming headphones, which makes them a bit more suitable if you want to use them for everyday Bluetooth audio. They also come with a USB 2.4GHz wireless dongle that works with PlayStation, PC, or your smartphone's USB-C port.
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries GameBuds are great for sports and fitness use. Their comfortable and stable in-ear fit ensures they stay put during vigorous exercise. The buds are certified as IP55 against dust and water, so they'll hold up if you jog in the rain. Their charging case is small enough to fit into most pockets, too. Out of the box, they provide a balanced sound signature with a little bit of extra boom on kicks to help you find your rhythm. You can also adjust the EQ and intuitive controls via the app. If you prefer to work out in silence, their ANC is decent, but not class-leading.
Wireless USB and Bluetooth audio connectivity.
Comfortable and stable fit.
Well-built with IP55 rating.
Noise isolation is only satisfactory.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are good for travel. They're very portable with a continuous battery life of over eight hours that can last through most regional travel. You'll likely have to recharge the buds in their case at some point in your trip if you take a flight to the other side of the world. They're comfortable, so long as you don't mind a somewhat deep in-ear fit, and their controls are intuitive and comprehensive. If you watch movies or game on your device, the wireless transmitter ensures there's tight A/V matching, but the Bluetooth implementation lacks high-quality codecs, fast pairing, and multi-pairing. Their ANC is satisfactory at isolating out background din and chatter, but it's not the strongest noise cancellation either.
Wireless USB and Bluetooth audio connectivity.
Comfortable and stable fit.
Comprehensive PC and mobile app with plenty of customization available.
Well-built with IP55 rating.
Noise isolation is only satisfactory.
The SteelSeries GameBuds are decent for office work. They feel comfortable if you don't mind a somewhat deep in-ear fit, and their continuous battery life is a little over eight hours, so you can probably make it through a shift without a recharge. Their default sound is quite balanced as well. Their discreet colorway doesn't shout gamer, so you'll still look professional on the job. While their microphone is alright for the purposes of most online meetings and calls, it can struggle to reject background noise, though there are customizable features in the app that may help. Still, the ANC is only satisfactory when it comes to filtering out office clatter like keystrokes.
Wireless USB and Bluetooth audio connectivity.
Comfortable and stable fit.
Disappointing mic noise handling by default.
Noise isolation is only satisfactory.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are decent for wireless gaming. Their continuous battery life should last long enough for the average player's gaming session, but you'll need to take a break and recharge them in the case if it falls short. While the onboard ANC isn't as powerful as many premium Bluetooth earbuds, it's enough to help you focus if you're gaming in most homes. Their USB wireless dongle ensures a stable connection with low latency to keep up with speed runs, and the basic Bluetooth implementation is more of a bonus. They feel comfortable and reproduce a balanced-sounding version of your audio with reassignable button controls. You also benefit from the brand's PC and mobile apps for dedicated EQ presets, spatial audio, and comprehensive microphone channel mixing and tuning. That said, the default mic settings struggle to reject background noise without affecting your voice's clarity.
Wireless USB and Bluetooth audio connectivity.
Comprehensive PC and mobile app with plenty of customization available.
Disappointing mic noise handling by default.
Noise isolation is only satisfactory.
The SteelSeries GameBuds are wireless only, so you can't use them for wired gaming.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds have good audio reproduction accuracy. Their frequency response is balanced, with slightly elevated bass and de-emphasized treble, relative to our target curve. Since they offer excellent frequency response consistency and good peaks/dips, you can expect a predictable and smooth sound. Their overall stereo mismatch and group delay performances deliver a stable stereo image for locating objects without space. That said, there are narrow peaks of harmonic distortion present in the treble, which may be audible.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are decent for noise isolation. There are three strengths to choose from, and on the highest setting, it filters out a reasonably even amount of noise without many narrow bands of frequencies 'poking' through, except for a weak effect on deep rumbles. Still, it's not very powerful compared to top-performing ANC earbuds, but if you don't need the best, it's a satisfactory ANC option.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds have passable microphone performance. Speech sounds fairly natural and clear, if a little bright. However, they struggle to prioritize your voice when you use them in noisy environments. Still, there are a lot of extra features in the app, such as adjustable noise gates and EQ, that may help with the disappointing noise rejection, but this requires trial and error.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds deliver audio with impressive frequency response consistency. Since frequency response consistency largely influences what you hear when you wear earbuds, this ensures that the balance of audio frequencies won't differ much at all between wears.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Mar 24, 2026: This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test, and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
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Updated May 14, 2025:
The Differences Between Sizes and Variants and Style sections were updated to mention the 'Glorange' colorway.
- Updated May 14, 2025: Review published.
- Updated May 02, 2025: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The SteelSeries GameBuds come in PlayStation ('Black,' 'White,' and 'Glorange') and Xbox ('Black') versions. Our unit is the PlayStation variant in 'Black' (here's the label), and we expect the 'White' and 'Glorange' PlayStation colorways to perform similarly. Although many functions likely cross over between the PlayStation and Xbox variants, such as mobile app compatibility and the basic design, we've only tested the PS variant, so our results are only valid for this version. It has been reported that the Xbox variant can work with PS consoles, but we haven't used that variant, so we can't confirm this.
If you encounter another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The market for gaming earbuds is growing, but they're still niche products with compromises compared to fully-fledged headsets. With that said, true wireless designs are notable because they can usually double as your everyday Bluetooth earbuds. The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds' IP55 rating and longer battery life certainly suggest you can take them on the go, but the mic's noise handling falls short out of the box compared to the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed, though the Razer's battery is much shorter. Meanwhile, the ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova offer a comparable battery performance with considerably more impressive ANC than the SteelSeries, though the ASUS have a much more uneven sound profile, and they're not as comfortable. Additionally, the mobile app for the SteelSeries is more powerful and complete than the ASUS and Razer mobile apps. If you only plan on using the earbuds with a PC, the SteelSeries GG software for PC is still powerful, but in that case, the ASUS and Razer software are more similar in overall capabilities.
If you're not strictly interested in the best earbuds for gaming, check out the best wireless gaming headsets, and the best SteelSeries headsets.
The Sony INZONE Buds Truly Wireless and the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds have different strengths and limitations that will influence your choice. The Sony have a longer continuous battery life, they work well with PlayStation and PCs, and they have better ANC and mic noise handling than the SteelSeries. However, the SteelSeries are a bit more flexible when it comes to Bluetooth codec support. Even though the SBC codec isn't exactly high-quality, most devices can support it compared the limited compatibility of the LC3 codec on the Sony. The SteelSeries feel more comfortable with better controls and an IP55 rating, too, though they only come in an Xbox variant. Otherwise, both support wireless USB dongles and low-latency audio.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and the ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova are both multi-use earbuds for wireless gaming with USB dongles at low latency and Bluetooth connectivity. If your priorities are the best noise isolation between the two models, a slightly better mic noise handling performance out of the box, or you prefer very excited bassy tuning, the ASUS are the ones to pick. On the other hand, the SteelSeries are well-rounded with a more comfortable fit, better controls, nicer build quality, a balanced sound profile, and a deep app. That said, the ANC is a bit weaker, and the mic needs finessing in the app settings to possibly improve the disappointing noise handling by default.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are better for gaming than the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Truly Wireless. The SteelSeries have over eight hours of continuous battery life, ANC, and a more comprehensive app. While the EPOS are well-made, their continuous battery is quite short at just over three hours, which is very limiting. Other features don't exactly outperform the SteelSeries enough to edge the EPOS ahead, unless you count the greater Bluetooth codec compatibility, but the EPOS' wireless 2.4GHz latency is higher than the SteelSeries, which can introduce a little more A/V mismatch while gaming wirelessly.
Choosing between the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021 depends on whether you want earbuds for wireless USB audio or Bluetooth. Only the SteelSeries include a 2.4GHz dongle for low-latency gaming with PS consoles, PCs, or mobile devices, and it can connect via Bluetooth, too. They boast a more comfortable, stable fit and a longer battery life. However, the Razer have better microphone noise handling performance out of the box, and otherwise, they operate more like casual true wireless buds, but the SteelSeries can be used like standard Bluetooth buds, too.
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Test Results
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