A good headset matters more than most PC upgrades for team games: you hear footsteps earlier, your squad hears you clearly, and you can wear it for a whole evening without a headache. The hard part is that comfort and microphone quality are impossible to judge from a spec sheet.
Forge PC has not tested these headsets. Our picks follow Tom's Hardware's best gaming headsets guide, last updated on 10 November 2026, which is based on long-term hands-on use. We have added UK prices from SpecPrice's tracker, checked on the morning of 13 November 2026. They are approximate and will change, especially in the run-up to Black Friday.
Quick list
Pick | Type | Approx. UK price (13 November 2026) |
|---|
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) | Wireless (2.4GHz + Bluetooth) | £117.98 at Scan |
HyperX Cloud III | Wired (USB and 3.5mm) | £78.12 at GamingKit |
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II | Wireless, multi-device | no stock-checked UK price found |
Turtle Beach Atlas 200 | Wired (3.5mm), budget | no stock-checked UK price found |
Audeze Maxwell 2 | Wireless, planar magnetic | from £338.99 at Scan (PlayStation version) |
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023): best for most people
Tom's Hardware's overall pick is the 2023 version of Razer's esports headset. Its reviewer praises the microphone and the comfort, and lists a 70-hour battery life. The spec box lists 50mm dynamic drivers, a Razer HyperClear Super Wideband microphone, 2.4GHz wireless plus Bluetooth 5.2, and a weight of 320g.
Tom's flags two limitations: you cannot get audio from Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz dongle at the same time, and there is no analogue connection. Tom's also tested the newer BlackShark V3 Pro, which adds simultaneous dual wireless and ANC, but its reviewer found the drivers and microphone sounded "just a little worse" and kept the V2 Pro as the favourite. The V3 Pro was £269.99 at Scan on 13 November 2026, so the older model is also far cheaper.
On 13 November 2026, Scan had the V2 Pro in black or white at £117.98. Check that the listing is the 2023 model with Bluetooth before you buy. We list the white version as Razer BlackShark V2 Pro.
HyperX Cloud III: best budget wired headset
If you do not need wireless, Tom's Hardware's budget pick is the HyperX Cloud III, a wired headset with both USB and 3.5mm analogue connections. Tom's highlights its comfort and strong bass. The downsides it notes are some sibilance from the mic and a loud mute button. Tom's lists the weight as 320g with the microphone.
SpecPrice found it at £78.12 at GamingKit on 13 November 2026. For something cheaper still, Tom's suggests SteelSeries' wired, analogue-only Arctis Nova 1, which it describes as very lightweight and comfortable, with a retractable boom mic. Check that a Nova 1 listing is the exact model before buying, because SteelSeries sells several similarly named platform variants.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II: best multi-device headset
Tom's picks the Stealth Pro II for people who switch between a PC, a console and a phone. Its spec box lists 60mm drivers, 2.4GHz wireless plus Bluetooth, a flip-to-mute microphone and a weight of 393g, which makes it noticeably heavier than the Razer. SpecPrice did not have a stock-checked UK listing for it when we checked, so compare prices at major retailers before buying.
Turtle Beach Atlas 200: cheap and comfortable
Tom's budget alternative is a plain wired 3.5mm headset weighing 280g. Its reviewer found it lightweight, comfortable and decent-sounding, but notes that it looks and feels cheap, the cable is not detachable, and adjustability is limited. We did not find a stock-checked UK price on SpecPrice.
Audeze Maxwell 2: best for audiophiles
Audeze's Maxwell 2 uses 90mm planar magnetic drivers, which are a different technology from the dynamic drivers in most gaming headsets. Tom's says it sounds great and is surprisingly comfortable, but it weighs 560g and you still cannot switch manually between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth. Scan listed the PlayStation version at £338.99 and the Xbox version at £368.99 on 13 November 2026. Check platform compatibility for your PC before ordering.
Other headsets worth a look
These are not Tom's Hardware picks, so treat them as spec-sheet alternatives rather than recommendations:
ASUS ROG Pelta: a tri-mode wireless headset with 2.4GHz, Bluetooth and USB-C. ASUS lists 50mm titanium-plated drivers, a detachable unidirectional mic and a weight of 309g. It was £115.95 at AWD-IT on 13 November 2026.
Razer BlackShark V2 X: a wired budget option from the same family as our top pick. We list the black version as BlackShark V2 X. Scan had it at £22.61 on 13 November 2026.
Corsair HS65 Surround: a wired option at £79.99 at Scan on the same day.
How to choose
Wired or wireless? Wired headsets are cheaper and never need charging. A 2.4GHz dongle gives you low-latency wireless audio, and Bluetooth adds phone connectivity. Simultaneous 2.4GHz and Bluetooth audio is a feature you have to check for specifically, because even the BlackShark V2 Pro lacks it.
Microphone: for team chat and streaming, a good boom mic matters more than driver size. You can also clean up a mediocre mic with free software such as NVIDIA Broadcast or AMD Noise Suppression, if your graphics card supports them.
Weight and clamp: the picks above range from 280g to 560g. If you wear glasses or play long sessions, lighter is usually better.
Streaming: if you are building a streaming setup, our streaming PC setup guide walks through OBS setup, encoders and audio.
Our verdict
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) is the headset to buy for most PC gamers. It is wireless, light, has an excellent microphone according to Tom's Hardware, and was about £118 at Scan on 13 November 2026, less than half the price of the newer V3 Pro, which Tom's rated slightly worse. If you would rather save money and never charge a battery, the wired HyperX Cloud III was about £78. The Audeze Maxwell 2 is the choice for audiophiles who will put up with the extra weight. We have not tested these headsets ourselves; the picks reflect Tom's Hardware's testing, and UK prices were checked on 13 November 2026.
