SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds 61680

The Arctis GameBuds are the best gaming earbuds you can buy right now, but they're mediocre at everything else. If you don't game, don't bother.

The ANC is a genuine standout here. Four mics doing hybrid noise cancellation puts these in the top tier of earbuds we've tested, which is not something you'd expect from a gaming-focused pair. Battery life is also solid at 10 hours per charge, enough for a full day of work calls or a marathon session. But the sound quality is where things get rough. A 28th percentile sound score means music sounds flat and lifeless compared to the Sony or Technics competition. These are tuned for footsteps and gunshots, not basslines and vocals. And the mic is mediocre at best, which is ironic for a gaming product.

Against the Sony WF-1000XM6, the GameBuds win on gaming latency thanks to the dongle but lose badly on sound quality and mic performance. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is a better all-rounder if music matters at all. The JLab JBuds Pods ANC undercuts the price significantly while offering decent ANC, but you lose the 2.4GHz connection entirely. For pure gaming, the GameBuds are the only real choice in this group. For everything else, the Sony or Technics are simply better earbuds.

At $200 to $242 depending on the retailer, these are priced like premium earbuds but only deliver premium performance in specific scenarios. If you're a gamer who wants one pair of buds for PS5, Steam Deck, and phone calls, the value is there. If you're mostly listening to music or podcasts, you're paying a gaming tax for features you won't use. Staples has the better deal at the lower end of that range, so don't overpay elsewhere.

The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are the rare true wireless earbuds that actually take gaming seriously. The killer feature is the 2.4GHz dongle that plugs into your PS5, PC, or Steam Deck and gives you low-latency audio without the Bluetooth lag that makes competitive play feel like you're underwater. That's the one thing to know. Everything else, ANC, battery, the app presets, is built around making these a legit gaming headset that happens to fit in your pocket.

If you're looking for earbuds primarily for music, podcasts, or calls, this isn't it. Go get the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Technics EAH-AZ100 instead. The GameBuds are a gaming peripheral first, and you'll be disappointed by the sound quality if that's not your main use case.

Buy the Arctis GameBuds if you game on PS5, PC, or Steam Deck and want one pair of earbuds that handles both gaming and daily life. The 2.4GHz dongle is the whole point, and it works. But if music is even 30% of your listening time, get the Sony WF-1000XM6 instead. These are gaming earbuds first, everything else second.