If you play on your phone, traditional gaming headsets can be too bulky to carry around with you everywhere. Fortunately, with the rise in mobile gaming, more earbuds and in-ear are designed with this in mind.
In general, you want gaming earbuds with a good mic, a comfortable fit, and a balanced sound profile that lets you hear every explosion and dialogue.
1. Asus ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova
If you’re looking for a comfortable, lightweight earbud that’s great for gaming, listening to music, or taking phone calls, our review of the Asus ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova proves that they’re a perfect fit for your ears.
These headphones feature a familiar stem and bud shape, commendable build quality, and come with three different eartip sizes to help you find the one that fits you best.
We already have the ROG Cetra on this list, but with this option, you get a reliable USB-C dongle for low-latency connectivity in addition to Bluetooth.
The SpeedNova doesn’t skimp on any features, so you get solid battery life, HD audio support, RGB lighting, bone-contact AI microphones that make sure your teammates can hear you clearly, and active noise cancellation with a transparency mode for focus.
The best noise-canceling headphones do it better. Out of the box, the EQ is balanced and warm, but you can always adjust the settings using the Armory Crate.
However, these earbuds lack directional audio, which is handy for shooters and other games.
2. Turtle Beach Battle Buds
The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are our pick for the best gaming earbuds at a great price because of their versatility.
They have a detachable microphone and durable build quality, making them ideal for taking on the go.
They don’t have the absolute best sound quality you’ll find in the more premium products in our roundup, but for what they are, it’s hard to fault them.
The Turtle Beach Battle Buds retail for just $29.99 / £28, but you can often find them for even less.
You don’t see many high-quality branded earbuds aimed at gamers in the $30 / £30 price range, so for those on a tight budget, this is a solid option from a trusted manufacturer.
These earbuds definitely sounded good, whether you were talking or listening. The detachable mic is a bit weak, but it’s clear where it counts.
If you’re planning on playing on a Nintendo Switch or another console via the 3.5mm jack, you’ll be happy with the price you pay here.
3. Sony Inzone Buds
Experience a world of unparalleled sound precision. The INZONE Buds are meticulously crafted for gamers, with exceptional sound clarity and long battery life that will keep gamers engaged for hours.
Transform every gaming session into an elevated and immersive experience.
The Sony INZONE Buds are a great example of why first-party accessories are the best. They are perfect if you spend countless hours on your PlayStation 5 and want to disconnect from the world.
Following the PlayStation theme, they are available in black or all-black. They boast 8.4mm dynamic drivers that provide an immersive and smooth experience along with noise cancellation.
The hybrid design allows gamers to connect to their phones using Bluetooth 5.3 or to their consoles using the 2.4GHz dongle. Of course, you can also connect to your PC using the 2.4GHz dongle.
In terms of battery life, Sony says the INZONE Buds can last for 12 hours with noise-canceling turned off and connected via the dongle.
Over Bluetooth, they can last up to 24 hours, making them one of the best battery lives on the market.
They also feature 360-degree spatial sound, which allows you to better hear footsteps, gunshots, and enemy locations.
What makes these earbuds perfect for gaming is the low latency of 30ms over the 2.4GHz connection. Sony has put a lot of thought into making these earbuds gamer-friendly.
It’s important to note that the INZONE Buds don’t support the SBC, AAC, aptX, and LDAC codecs. That means anyone who wants to enjoy listening to music will probably want to use a different pair of earbuds.
4. Turtle Beach Scout Air True Wireless Earbud
Turtle Beach’s Scout Air headphones feature Bluetooth 5.1 technology. This allows for easy connection to Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, Windows 10 PCs, and Macs.
The headphones come with a convenient charging case that provides up to 15 hours of battery life.
The charging case can recharge the in-ear headphones in just 15 minutes, which provides a battery life of 5 hours.
Users can enjoy a total of 20 hours of playback time with the Scout Air headphones. The design of the Scout Air headphones is IPX4-rated for sweat and water resistance.
5. ASUS ROG Certa II
The Asus ROG Certa II is pricier than the other options on this list, but is it worth the extra money? These earbuds feature active noise cancellation, RGB lighting, and liquid silicone rubber drivers.
If you’re looking for something that emphasizes gamer aesthetics over other options, the ASUS ROG Certa II is definitely the one to get.
It also connects via USB-C, making it a great option for mobile or Nintendo Switch gamers. It also boasts a microphone with noise-canceling capabilities.
Most mobile gamers won’t see any reason to spend that much on wired earbuds, but if you value ANC, customizable RGB lighting, and a solid microphone system, they could be worth it.
6. 1MORE Triple Driver
The build quality is solid, with aluminum earbuds and a braided cable, and there are a few different color options to make it even fancier, like the rose gold color. It’s a simple approach, but it still shines with its almost chrome accents and sleek appearance.
These won’t stand out, but if you’re just looking for a decent pair of wired gaming earbuds, they might not.
The feature list is relatively thin, let alone wireless. It comes with a simple 3.5mm connection for connecting to a variety of console platforms and an inline mic for handling game chat.
However, this mic won’t last very long, which is a bit disappointing, and it’s more for solo play.
The inline remote with volume control is compatible with Android and iOS, making it convenient for gaming on the go or sitting on the couch.
There are plenty of silicone tips provided, so you can find a size that’s comfortable to wear and blocks out ambient noise, but like many of the earbuds on this list, there’s no active noise cancellation.
As the name suggests, the triple drivers provide a balanced sound with highs and lows, and the bass isn’t too strong, making it great for both gaming and music.
The sound quality is far superior to what you’d expect from this price range, delivering a clean, dynamic, and balanced soundstage that’s full of energy without being overpowering.
Plus, it’s wired, so you don’t have to worry about latency.
7. SteelSeries TUSQ
If you’re looking for earbuds that will let your friends hear you clearly while you’re gaming online, check out the SteelSeries TUSQ.
It stands out from the other choices on this list (and most earbuds) thanks to its detachable boom mic.
The detachable boom mic sits closer to your mouth than the integrated or inline versions, which means your voice will come through clearer and richer than the mic on the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Truly Wireless
The wired design makes it easy to connect to your PC and console and eliminates latency. The extremely bass-heavy sound profile adds a powerful boom, punch, and boom to your audio.
Sound effects like footsteps and explosions can be pulled in to make gameplay more immersive, but voices and instruments sound muddy.
Unfortunately, there are no sound customization features. It’s also best suited for quiet spaces, as it doesn’t isolate you from a lot of noise and the mic’s noise reduction is mediocre.
If you’re concerned about noise, the Turtle Beach Battle Buds also feature a boom mic, which is more effective at separating your voice from surrounding sounds, so people can still hear you even if there’s some background noise. However, they have a very muddy profile and don’t feel well-made.
FAQs
What are the best brands of gaming earbuds?
There are a number of popular brands when it comes to the best gaming earbuds, and we’ve covered this topic in more detail above.
However, time-testing has shown us that Razer, Turtle Beach, Epos, 1More, and Roccat are some of the best gaming earbuds.
Are gaming earbuds better than headsets?
This isn’t an entirely simple answer, as each type has its pros and cons. Earbuds and headsets offer very different solutions to very different problems and needs.
If you’re looking for something ultra-portable, mobile gaming, or just taking your Nintendo Switch out and about, gaming earbuds can’t be beat. They outperform headsets in this regard.
However, gaming headsets offer superior audio quality because their larger over-ear design allows for larger drivers. Earbuds can’t compete in this regard.
Headsets can offer more buttons and features because of this, and they often have better microphones. This may seem like the obvious answer, but if you need something purely for mobile convenience, gaming earbuds are the way to go.
Can I use earbuds for gaming?
Well, the answer to this question is both yes and no. If you’ve found this guide to the best gaming earbuds, the broad answer is yes.
And they can be very good indeed. However, a more detailed answer is not available on some platforms.
The ability to use earbuds on PlayStation and Xbox consoles is far less than it is on mobile devices, the Nintendo Switch, and even PCs. Just make sure that each set of gaming earbuds is compatible with the device you plan to use them on!
Also Read: Top 10 Best Waterproof Headphones