While many assume that all gaming accessories are expensive, you can get a decent pair of gaming headphones for around $50. Many headphones in this price range help you localize sound effects in gameplay and have microphones with decent recording quality, so you're heard by your teammates. That said, they'll often lack features like wireless connectivity or customization options you'd commonly find on more expensive pairs. If you're comfortable making some compromises, there are many great options you can use with your consoles or PC that won't blow a hole in your budget.
We've tested over 845 pairs of headphones, and below are our recommendations for the best gaming headsets under $50. Also, check out our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best PS4 gaming headsets, and the best Xbox One headsets.
Quick Look
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one, so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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Best Budget Gaming Headset
The best budget gaming headset we've tested is the Logitech G432. These cans are decently well-built with a comfortable and lightweight fit for longer gaming sessions. These wired headphones have a 1/8" TRRS cable, which allows you to connect them to most consoles. They also have flexible wired adapters for a split input/output connection and a USB-A DAC. Plus, they're more than suitable for multiplayer games thanks to their boom microphone, which ensures your voice sounds clear to teammates, even in moderately noisy environments.
Their sound profile lacks bass, which can make action-packed games seem less immersive, but dialogue still sounds present and clear. Their companion software offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you tweak their sound, too. Unfortunately, they're prone to inconsistent audio delivery, so you should take some time to adjust their fit and positioning to get the same sound between uses. If that's a dealbreaker for you, the Logitech G335 are around the same price and have a more consistent sound delivery. You might prefer them because they're more comfortable and durable, but they reproduce even less low bass and don't have an app or sound customization features.
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Best Cheap Wired Gaming Headset
If you're looking to spend the minimum, then you'll want to consider the Turtle Beach Recon 50X/Recon 50P as the best cheap gaming headset. Their simple and plasticky design is a step down from the Logitech G432, but they're still worth considering if price is a major factor. Their cost varies depending on what color you get, but all models will work with any device with an AUX port. Their large ear cups are well-padded and decently comfortable for longer gaming sessions.
Due to their wired design, their boom microphone delivers better overall performance than the similarly priced Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless, which is great if you want to communicate with teammates. Your voice sounds clear and easy to understand, even if you're gaming in a moderately noisy environment. Their sound also has an intense boom in the bass range, which can accentuate sound effects like explosions in gameplay. That said, the extra bass overwhelms and muddies dialogue and instruments. They don't have any sound customization features to adjust their sound to your liking, which isn't ideal but could be a fair trade-off if you're shopping on a budget.
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Best Budget Wireless Gaming Headset
While it can be hard to find wireless options at this price point, the best we've tested with this design is the Logitech G435 LIGHTSPEED Wireless. These are worth considering if you don't want to worry about a cable, and they're designed for people with smaller heads, so their fit is tighter than other gaming headphones. You can find the Turtle Beach Recon 50X/Recon 50P at a similar price, but the G435 are better built and wireless.
You can easily pair these headphones to PCs and PlayStation consoles using the dongle, or you can use Bluetooth with your Nintendo Switch and smartphone with decently latency. They also support Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth wireless, meaning you can use them while gaming or even during your daily grind. However, their integrated mic struggles to separate speech from background noise, especially compared to the Turtle Beach, so they're not quite as good for multiplayer games.
On the upside, their warm sound profile is well-suited for gaming. The extra warmth and boom help draw attention to sound effects like footsteps while dialogue and instruments remain clear. They lack sound customization features. If you want wireless headphones to tweak to your liking, you'll need to jump to a higher price bracket. The Logitech G535 LIGHTSPEED Wireless are more expensive but still around $100. They work with the Logitech G HUB software, which includes a graphic EQ and presets, so you can adjust their sound profile. They also offer a longer continuous battery life and lower latency via non-Bluetooth wireless.
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Best Budget Gaming Headphones For Mic Performance
If you're choosing between the best budget gaming headsets but want to prioritize a strong mic performance, look at the Astro A10. These headphones are the previous generation of the Astro A10 Gen 2 and offer an even better mic performance at a lower price. Their boom mic makes recorded speech sound clear, detailed, and full-bodied. It does an impressive job of separating your voice from background noise, including loud noise like a busy street outside your window, so your teammates will hear you clearly no matter where you game.
These headphones are well-built and decently comfortable, with a detachable audio cable that's easy to replace if damaged. As for sound, they bring a little extra punch and boom to emphasize sound effects like footsteps. However, dialogue and instruments are pushed to the back of your mixes, and they lack EQ presets to customize their sound. If you don't mind buying a more expensive model, the Astro A20 Gen 2 Wireless headphones have a more balanced mid-range, so elements like voices are more present. However, their mic performance isn't as strong, and they also lack an app with customization tools.
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Most Durable Budget Gaming Headset
It's not easy to find a sturdy-feeling headset at this price point. Our top pick has an okay build, but if you want something that'll stand the test of time, look at the HyperX Cloud III instead. They're more expensive than the other picks on our list, but you can often find them on sale closer to the $50 mark, and they have a better build quality than headsets we've tested below that price point. They're the next generation of the popular HyperX Cloud 2/Cloud II and feature compatibility with the HyperX Ngenuity app, where you can access a graphic EQ and presets. They use an analog connection and come with a USΒ dongle that provides a low latency connection with PCs and PlayStation consoles. You also have access to features like channel mixing and virtual surround sound when connected via USB.
While they have a superbly detailed mid-range reproducing dialogue with great clarity, their bass response is lacking, so explosions lack rumble and boom. That said, you can always adjust the sound profile in the companion app. These headphones also have a detachable mic, so you can use them in more casual settings, which adds to their versatility. And the mic's recording quality is better than the Astro A10's, making your voice sound clear and full-bodied. They do a better job of separating your voice from background noise but typically retail over $50, so the Astro headphones are still the best choice if you're looking for great mic performance at a budget price.
Notable Mentions
- SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1: The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 are comfortable wired gaming headphones. They have a more neutral bass response and a better mic recording quality than the Logitech G432 but don't have an app or sound customization features. Their mic isn't detachable, either. See our review
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Turtle Beach Recon 70:
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are a little more expensive than the Turtle Beach Recon 50X/Recon 50P and offer a more comfortable fit and a more balanced mid-range, so voices and instruments sound more present in your audio. That said, they lack low bass and have a worse mic performance.
See our review -
Razer Kraken V3 X:
The Razer Kraken V3 X are for the folks who want to light up the room with RGB lighting on a budget with a decent mic. These wired headphones are otherwise bare bones and very bassy and warm. Certainly, if you want EQ and greater utility with software, the Logitech G432 are much more flexible.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 31, 2025:
We've verified our picks are still valid and in stock, removing the Razer Kraken X, Logitech G433, and HyperX Cloud Stinger from our Notable Mentions due to spotty stock coverage or increased prices.
May 02, 2025:
We haven't tested any new gaming headsets since our last update to this article, but we've updated the text in a couple of places for clarity.
Feb 03, 2025:
We've removed the 'Best Budget Gaming Headphones With A Detachable Mic' pick because the SteelSeries Arctis 1 is getting hard to find, and the HyperX Cloud III has a detachable mic that performs better than the SteelSeries'. We've highlighted the usefulness of the HyperX's detachable mic in the text.
Nov 08, 2024:
We've made minor changes to this article to ensure our picks are up to date and relevant. Our picks remain the same.
Aug 15, 2024: While there have been no changes to our picks in this article, we've made minor modifications to the text to improve clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best gaming headsets in the budget and cheap range for most people to buy. We factor in the price (cheaper headphones win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no headphones that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for headphones around $50, sorted by their gaming performance. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect headphones. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection, especially if you don't care about having a microphone or wireless features.