The best wireless gaming headsets deliver excellent audio without the anchor of a cable tying you to your desktop. Just think of what you could get up to without a wire holding you back, like making a cup of coffee while in the group chat or running to get the door without ripping your headset out of the jack. In most cases, a premium is attached to that freedom, though you can bet that the best wireless headsets today sound as good and carry just as little latency as their wired counterparts.
Our favorite wireless gaming headset is the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. That’s because, alongside fantastic audio quality, it bares two of the most important features that wireless headsets need: a flawless connection and a great battery life. The best gaming headsets I’ve tested will last a few days on a single charge—30 hours of battery life is a decent starting point—but the Cloud Alpha Wireless goes for 300 hours. Woah. I’m glad we’re seeing more headsets featuring Bluetooth connectivity since it frees up a USB slot that a wireless dongle would take up, and you can connect your phone to them. But it’s worth noting that a Bluetooth connection is often used only for a battery-saving option because, as a gamer, you will want to go for an essentially lag-free 2.4GHz connection instead. Though you might need some in case you want something to pair with your Steam Deck. If you’re a serious audiophile whose primary focus is music instead of gaming, you should check out our picks for the best headphones for gaming (they’re not just for gaming). The real bargains will be found in the best gaming headsets guide, but not all of them provide the magical air of freedom the ones below will.
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Best wireless gaming headset overall
The HyperX Cloud Alpha is perhaps the most praised thing to exist on this site. We all love it on team and now HyperX has cut the cord on its best pair of cans. The biggest drawcard for this headset is the new huge battery. This is offering up to 300 hours of battery life while in wireless mode, while still keeping the headset relatively light and comfortable. It’s a pretty massive feat and I feel HyperX has pulled it off.
Out of the box this unit was reporting having about 80% charge, so I decided to leave it there to see how well that held. I spent a work day listening to music and checked the battery again: I swear it still said 80%. I have been using this thing for gaming and music listening pretty consistently for the past week and I’m not even at 50% battery yet.
That impressive battery life is of course, a best case scenario. A lot of that has to do with the volume you’re running the headset at, and volume is probably my only real complaint. It’s absolutely loud enough but I can listen to it at full volume and still be fairly comfortable.
The sound quality truly is incredible.
But the sound quality truly is incredible. Music sounds amazing. It’s always fun to listen to some of my favourite sound heavy songs on a good pair of cans and try to pick the different instruments or bites used. These do an excellent job, and are definitely one of the better gaming headsets I’ve used to listen to music on. When playing games the directional sound is also very nice. I was able to easily locate hidden batteries by directional beeps in Deep Rock Galactic, and had a wonderful time bouncing along to the tight beats of Shadow Warrior 3. I loaded up some Doom Eternal and promptly terrified myself. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it sounds like having a Cacodemon suddenly show up and whisper sweet blah-things into very specifically your left ear then these can absolutely deliver.
The Cloud line is always touted for comfort and despite the hefty battery this still definitely fits the bill. I’m someone who struggles with too much weight or tightness on my head, and I have a real sensitivity to uncomfortable headsets. The top band is thick and has soft padding underneath. This coupled with the equally soft ear cups makes for a very cozy experience, and does an excellent job of blocking out noise.
Sadly, the mic is your fairly standard affair and while it will work just fine for chat in games, it’s very basic and uninspired when it comes to sound quality.
Though all things considered, I struggle to imagine a customer who wouldn’t be happy with these as a wireless gaming headset. They’re pricey, but within reason for their specs, and they certainly deliver on everything you could want for gaming, and listening to music, on your PC.
Read our full HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless review.
