It wasn’t all that long ago when I refused to use a headset, believing that only a full surround sound speaker system offered the best audio experience for PC gaming. My, how things have changed. Now the market is awash with headset models, from countless different brands, covering every possible budget limit and feature requirement.
A great headset will genuinely raise the level of immersion in games, especially those that have rich soundtracks and good spatial effects. Horror survival becomes that bit more horrific when you can hear the distant sounds of encroaching footsteps, building in intensity; dull thuds becoming pulse-racing booms with every second.
Of course, a cheaply-built or poorly designed headset will do none of this. The sound will be tinny or the bass heavily overdone. Many become very uncomfortable to wear after a short period of time, which only adds to the misery of owning such a pair of cans.
We’ve tested a lot of headphones this year: Many were okay, some were pretty good, but only a few were worthy of being considered for our PC Gamer Hardware award. Below you can see the three nominations for that sweet prize and we’ll announce the winner for the best gaming headset of 2023 on New Year’s Eve.