Best gaming headsets for PS5, Xbox and PC (UK)
For most people the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X is the one to get, at around £130, because it works wirelessly with PS5, Xbox and PC. On a tighter budget, the wired HyperX Cloud Alpha plugs into almost anything for around £60.
Published 3 Nov 2026 · Last updated 14 Nov 2026
Quick picks
- SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless EDIT'S PICK · Most people, and anyone who plays on both PlayStation and Xbox, or on a console and a PC · around £130
- HyperX Cloud Alpha (wired) BEST VALUE · Anyone on a budget, and people who switch between consoles, PC and a phone · around £60
- Xbox Wireless Headset · Xbox owners who want a simple wireless headset that connects straight to the console · around £100
- PlayStation Pulse Elite · PS5 and PlayStation Portal owners who want the best sound from an official headset · around £130
- Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 · Long gaming sessions, and anyone who wants to switch between a console and a PC at the press of a button · around £180
- Razer BlackShark V3 Pro · Competitive PC players who want a strong mic and low-latency wireless · around £230
- SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni BEST PREMIUM · People who play on several devices at one desk and want one headset for all of them · around £350
No. 1 · EDIT'S PICK
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless
around £130 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
A mid-price wireless headset with a small USB-C dongle and Bluetooth 5.3 at the same time. Platforms: the 5X works with Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, PS5 and PS4, PC, Mac, Steam Deck and phones. The 5P version is the same price but drops Xbox.
Why we picked it
GamesRadar names the Nova 5 its pick for PS5 and Xbox, and likes its range of game EQ presets. SteelSeries rates the battery at up to 60 hours, and the retractable mic tucks away when you're not chatting. It's one of the few wireless headsets at this price that covers both consoles, so it's the safe buy for a mixed household. There's no active noise cancelling.
Best for: Most people, and anyone who plays on both PlayStation and Xbox, or on a console and a PC
Skip it if: You want noise cancelling. If you only play on PlayStation, the Nova 5P is the same headset without Xbox support, at the same price.
| Works with | Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, Mac, mobile |
|---|---|
| Connection | 2.4GHz USB-C dongle, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Battery | Up to 60 hours |
| Drivers | 40 mm |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 2 · BEST VALUE
HyperX Cloud Alpha (wired)
around £60 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
A wired headset with a 3.5 mm jack, 50 mm drivers, a detachable mic and a detachable braided cable with in-line controls. Platforms: plug it into a PS5 or Xbox controller, a PC, a Switch or a phone.
Why we picked it
PC Gamer calls it the best wired gaming headset, praising its comfort and sound, and notes it's often discounted. Because it uses a plain 3.5 mm jack, Currys lists it as working with PC, Mac, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and Android. The main drawback is the mic, which detaches but has no flip-to-mute.
Best for: Anyone on a budget, and people who switch between consoles, PC and a phone
Skip it if: You want to play from the sofa without a cable, or you need a flip-to-mute mic.
| Works with | PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Switch, mobile (3.5 mm) |
|---|---|
| Connection | Wired, 3.5 mm |
| Drivers | 50 mm |
| Weight | 310 g |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 3
Xbox Wireless Headset
around £100 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
Microsoft's own headset. It connects to the console without a dongle and to a phone over Bluetooth at the same time. Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows 10/11 PCs (over Bluetooth or a USB-C cable). It doesn't work wirelessly with PlayStation.
Why we picked it
Windows Central rates it the best budget wireless headset for Xbox, praising its bass, comfort and mic, and noting that Dolby Atmos works without a separate subscription. Microsoft rates the battery at up to 20 hours. Reviewers' complaints are big jumps between volume steps and a fit that can be small for larger heads.
Best for: Xbox owners who want a simple wireless headset that connects straight to the console
Skip it if: You also play on PlayStation, or you have a larger head.
| Works with | Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, mobile (Bluetooth) |
|---|---|
| Connection | Xbox Wireless, Bluetooth |
| Battery | Up to 20 hours |
| Weight | 320 g |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 4
PlayStation Pulse Elite
around £130 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
Sony's own PS5 headset, with planar magnetic drivers, a retractable boom mic and the PlayStation Link USB adapter. Platforms: PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC and Mac over PlayStation Link, plus phones over Bluetooth at the same time. It doesn't work with Xbox.
Why we picked it
TechRadar calls it the best official PS5 headset, praising its sound, clear mic and the way it connects to PlayStation Portal. Sony rates the battery at up to 30 hours. TechRadar's reservations are the bulbous look, its weight of about 400 g, and value at the full price.
Best for: PS5 and PlayStation Portal owners who want the best sound from an official headset
Skip it if: You play on Xbox, or you can wait a few days for Sony's cheaper new Pulse headset (see the FAQs).
| Works with | PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC, Mac, mobile (Bluetooth) |
|---|---|
| Connection | PlayStation Link USB adapter, Bluetooth |
| Battery | Up to 30 hours |
| Weight | About 400 g |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 5
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3
around £180 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
A wireless headset with two USB transmitters (one for a console, one for a PC), simultaneous Bluetooth 5.2 and 60 mm drivers. Platforms: there are two versions. The PlayStation version works with PS5, PS4, PC, Steam Deck and phones. Buy the Xbox version if you play on Xbox; Turtle Beach says it also works with PS5 and PC.
Why we picked it
Windows Central rates it the best Xbox headset overall, praising its sound, wide soundstage, comfort and value. Turtle Beach rates the battery at up to 80 hours. The reviewer's complaints are an ordinary mic and a fiddly firmware update process.
Best for: Long gaming sessions, and anyone who wants to switch between a console and a PC at the press of a button
Skip it if: Mic quality matters a lot to you, for example for streaming.
| Works with | PS5, PS4, PC, mobile; Xbox version adds Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One |
|---|---|
| Connection | Two 2.4GHz USB transmitters, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Battery | Up to 80 hours |
| Weight | 405 g |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 6
Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
around £230 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
Razer's esports headset, with 50 mm drivers, hybrid noise cancelling, a detachable mic, and HyperSpeed 2.4GHz wireless plus Bluetooth 5.3 at the same time. It also works wired over USB or 3.5 mm. Platforms: the standard version is for PC and PS5; there's a separate version for Xbox.
Why we picked it
GamesRadar names it the best headset for PC, praising the mic, comfort and simultaneous Bluetooth. PC Gamer likes the sound, mic and low latency, but found the noise cancelling weak and says it's hard to justify over the non-Pro BlackShark V3 (around £140). Battery is up to 70 hours on PC, lower on console, according to GamesRadar.
Best for: Competitive PC players who want a strong mic and low-latency wireless
Skip it if: Noise cancelling is the reason you're paying more; reviewers found it modest.
| Works with | PC, PS5, Switch, mobile; Xbox needs the Xbox version |
|---|---|
| Connection | 2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth 5.3, USB, 3.5 mm |
| Battery | Up to 70 hours |
| Weight | 367 g |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 7 · BEST PREMIUM
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni
around £350 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
SteelSeries' flagship, launched in May 2026. Its OmniPlay base station can connect up to four sources at once and mix them. It has active noise cancelling, a retractable mic and two hot-swappable batteries. Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2 and mobile.
Why we picked it
GamesRadar calls it the best headset it has tested and its best overall pick, with better sound, comfort and mic than the Nova Pro Wireless. Each battery is rated at up to 30 hours over 2.4GHz with noise cancelling off. GamesRadar finds the clamp tight at first, and TechRadar questions the value while the older model is still on sale.
Best for: People who play on several devices at one desk and want one headset for all of them
Skip it if: You only use one console; the older Nova Pro Wireless costs less and does most of the same.
| Works with | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, mobile |
|---|---|
| Connection | 2.4GHz base station, Bluetooth, 3.5 mm |
| Battery | Up to 30 hours per battery (two included) |
| Weight | 339 g |
Retailer links coming soon.
How we chose
We started with the gaming headsets recommended in 2026 by GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, TechRadar and Windows Central, then cut the list to models we could find on sale new in the UK today, at a UK price we could check.
Platform support decided a lot. Many headsets come in separate PlayStation and Xbox versions, and official console headsets only work with their own console, so each pick says plainly what it works with. Where a model has two versions, we say which one to buy.
After that, we weighed sound, comfort and mic quality, then battery life and features such as Bluetooth, noise cancelling and switching between devices. We spread the picks across budgets, from a wired headset at around £60 to a premium one at around £350.
This guide is based on manufacturer specs, UK retailer listings and the expert reviews listed below. We haven’t tested these headsets ourselves. Where reviewers disagree or have reservations, as they do about the Razer’s noise cancelling, we say so.
Prices move a lot around Black Friday. We checked them on the date shown beside each pick, and they’re typical prices rather than one-day deals.
Sources
- GamesRadar+: Best gaming headset 2026
- PC Gamer: Best gaming headsets in 2026
- TechRadar: Best PS5 headsets 2026
- Windows Central: Best Xbox headsets in 2026
- Scan: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless
- Scan: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P Wireless
- Currys: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wired Gaming Headset
- Microsoft Store UK: Xbox Wireless Headset
- Xbox Wire: The next evolution of the Xbox Wireless Headset
- PlayStation UK: Pulse Elite wireless headset
- PlayStation Blog: PlayStation Pulse and Pulse Edge wireless headsets
- John Lewis: Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 for PS5, PS4 and PC
- Turtle Beach: Stealth 700 Gen 3
- PC Gamer: Razer BlackShark V3 Pro review
- Box: Razer BlackShark V3 Pro for Xbox
- GamesRadar+: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni review
- Scan: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni
FAQs
Will any wireless headset work with an Xbox?
Not always. Many wireless headsets, including the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3, Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and SteelSeries Nova 5, come in separate Xbox and PlayStation versions, so check which one you're buying. A wired headset with a 3.5 mm jack, such as the HyperX Cloud Alpha, plugs into the Xbox controller instead.
Should I wait for Sony's new PlayStation Pulse headset?
If you only play on PS5 and want an official headset, it's worth a look. Sony says the new PlayStation Pulse goes on sale in the UK on 19 November 2026 at £89.99, with planar drivers like the Pulse Elite. A pricier Pulse Edge with noise cancelling is due in 2027. We'll update this guide once reviews are in.
Can I use one headset on my PS5 and my PC?
Yes. Every headset here works with a PC, and all except the Xbox Wireless Headset also work with a PS5. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 and SteelSeries Nova Pro Omni make it easiest, as they can stay connected to both and switch between them.
Last updated 14 Nov 2026.