The best cheap gaming headsets for $25 or less
The best budget gaming headphones compared, late 2019
Have you tried searching Amazon or AliExpress for gaming headsets under $25? There are so many of them, with so many different brand names, it’s almost undoable. Beware though: there is a LOT of difference in quality.
After extensively testing nine high-rated models, it becomes clear: these are the best cheap gaming headsets for $25.
In the previous months, I compared the entire market of the cheapest gaming headsets. I read and compared user reviews on both Amazon (in different languages, to counter the many, many fake reviews) and AliExpress. I watched comparisons on YouTube, which were often outdated. And I read some ‘professional’ reviews which read more like commercials than reviews. In the end, I could make a selection of gaming headsets that were better or worse, but I still had no idea what the best one was.
That’s why I decided to test and compare the cheapest gaming headphones myself. I selected and ordered 9 gaming headsets for $25 or less to test and compare. The goal was to have the best-enhanced gaming experience, in both online multiplayer and singleplayer games.
I’ve tested them on games on my PlayStation 4, Xbox One and iPhone, and the USB-functionality on my Mac, but these gaming headphones also work on Nintendo Switch, PS4 Pro, pc and Android. I played APEX Legends, Fortnite, Destiny 2, Diablo III, Rocket League and well-produced singleplayer games like Uncharted 4 and Batman Arkham Knight to directly compare them in.
How do I test gaming headsets?
This is what I took into account while testing and comparing cheap gaming headsets:
- Comfort: I check the comfort from the earcups, the headband, and the pressure on your head by wearing them for hours. I wear glasses, so I take that into account too.
- Build quality: I test this aspect, but I haven’t seen any major issues here. These are well-built products for their price. If a product has a shortcoming in the chord or the headphone, I’ll write it in the review.
- Microphone quality: One of the most important aspects of gaming headsets is the quality of the microphone: how well can others hear you? I tested all the mics with the same online friend, who gave back excellent and detailed descriptions of the mic quality. (Thanks, Bo!)
- Chat quality: How well is the chat on your headphone separated from the gaming sound? This is a critical test: if separation is bad, it’s hard to hear your teammates while you’re playing — and the other way around.
- Sound quality for gaming: How good are the sounds in the game reproduced? How well can you place footsteps, gunshots, and other sounds around you? Also: does the headphone improve the overall playing experience?
- Sound quality for other purposes: I also tested these headphones on series (like Man In The High Castle), movies (like Blade Runner 2049), and music. Bottom line: the cinema-like sounding gaming headphones also sound surprisingly good in music and movies.
- Sound isolation: For all the partners and parents out there, I've tested them on sound isolation too. The better the sound isolation, the less noise comes off from the headphones to people around the player.
- At the end of the selected winners, you’ll see the other headphones I tested — and why some headphones didn’t make this test at all.
Last update: December 1, 2019. Added my own photos of the top 3 selections!
As said, the differences between the gaming headsets for $25 are significant. Therefore, I’ve decided to appoint different winners for different purposes. Good luck choosing which one will suit you (or your kids) best!
These are the best cheap gaming headsets for $25 or less:
Best cheap gaming headset for $25: Nubwo N11
The Nubwo N11 is one of three gaming headsets in this test that tries to imitate a Dolby Surround 7.1 environment on your ears. While you can’t really compare the effect with an actual speaker set around you, the effect is stunning.
It gives games an incredible cinema-like experience. The Nubwo N11 has a generous bass that emphasizes background tones, explosions, and even in-game voices. It’s easy to pick up sounds that can’t be heard on most headsets in this test, like a slight buzz coming from a machine in a factory-like environment in Destiny 2, for instance. The amount of sound around you makes games truly immersive on this headset. It sounds very spacious and detailed.
At the same time, the mid-tones are controlled here. That may make it a bit harder to locate footsteps around you in areas like sand or grass because, in order for these to sound clear, headsets need a treble peak. The Nubwo N11 doesn’t have that — please look at the Kotion Each G2000 mentioned below. The lack of the treble peak improves the overall listening quality, however, because the sound doesn’t hurt your ears at the moment of explosions or attacks.
Next to the cinema-like experience, the Nubwo N11 also has a very good microphone. It produces a full, warm, yet clear sound — the kind you want to have if you stream your gaming sessions.
No product for this price is perfect, and there are two small downsides to the N11 as well. While the earcups and padding within the headband are thick and comfortable, the Nubwo N11 can feel a bit tight on the sides of your head. Definitely stretch the headband good to loosen it up! Also, the sound can get a little full with the game and chat at the same time. Happily, reducing the game volume in the settings helps a lot.
Comfort: 3/5
Sound quality: 5/5
Microphone quality: 4/5
Sound isolation: medium
The full and detailed sound and the solid microphone make the Nubwo N11 the all-round best gaming headset for $25.
- Buy the Nubwo N11 on AliExpress
- Buy the Nubwo N11 on Amazon US/ Europe/ UK
Best cheap gaming headset for detecting footsteps: Kotion Each G2000
Are you a pro-gamer, but you don’t want to spend too much on a gaming headset? The Kotion Each G2000 has the best placement of footsteps and surroundings around you — an important factor for success in online multiplayer games.
The Kotion Each G2000 doesn’t resolve as much sound as the Nubwo N11. With the Nubwo, you’ll simply hear more detail from your surroundings in games. With the G2000, however, you’ll especially hear the details you need. It has a fierce treble peak, which makes it easy to hear footsteps around you in games such as Fortnite and APEX Legends. They sound clear and very loud. It’s hard to miss them.
There is a downside to this, however. The same treble peak can also make gunshots and explosions sound painfully loud in your ears. That’s why I think the Nubwo N11 is the better all-round choice. Still, the Kotion Each G2000 does offer good, full sound. It has a thumping bass and sounds spacious too.
The Kotion is relatively lightweight and that makes the comfort on your head okay. The ear cushions are so thin, however, that your ears may press against the insides of the headphone — which doesn’t feel very pleasant. The microphone quality is good (its sound is clear, but there’s some white noise surrounding your voice), but hearing your teammates and the game sound at the same time, can be a bit much. It may be handy to tone down the game volume a bit.
Comfort: 4/5
Sound quality: 4/5
Microphone quality: 4/5
Sound isolation: medium
- Buy the Kotion Each G2000 on AliExpress
- Buy the Kotion Each G2000 on Amazon US/ Europe/ UK
Best $25 gaming headphone for voice chat: Onikuma K1
If you’re spending hours in games like Minecraft or Rocket League, where the chat quality is more important than the game sound, the Onikuma K1 may be the cheap gaming headset to go for. It is amazing for voice chat.
The Onikuma K1 is one of the best-selling gaming headsets on AliExpress, which is undoubtedly a result of the army-like colors you can buy the K1 in. It even has details of a helmet on the headband. It’s relatively light too, and the fabric earpads are easy on your ears.
The game sound of the Onikuma K1 is kind of flat. Its bass is not very pronounced, and so aren’t the mids and higher tones. Bluntly said, the K1 doesn’t improve the sound of a game much over a good pair of built-in tv speakers.
That has a purpose though. As a result of the soft game sound, the voice chat shines. The voice chat with your teammates is perfectly audible, even in more chaotic game moments full of explosions and gunshots. The microphone quality is excellent too: your voice sounds perfectly clear, and surrounding noises are damped perfectly. It has the best microphone quality of the gaming headsets in this test — including that of the Kotion Each G2000, which is praised for it. Mind you though: you do leak a lot of sound to people surrounding you.
Comfort: 4/5
Sound quality: 2/5
Microphone quality: 5/5
Sound isolation: terrible
If you, most of all, just like to hang around with friends online, the Onikuma K1 maybe your top choice. It’s the best gaming headset for voice chat under $25.
- Buy the Onikuma K1 on AliExpress
- Buy the Onikuma K1 on Amazon US/ Europe/ UK
Other cheap gaming headsets in this test compared
As said, I’ve tested nine selected models extensively. These are the other cheap gaming headsets I tested, listed from best to worst.
Redragon Scylla H901
One of the cheapest gaming headphones money can buy — and it’s good. The Redragon Scylla only has a little dot on the left earcup as a microphone, but still, it produces a decent sound. The Scylla H901 is lightweight and comfortable to carry, although the round earcups are the smallest of this test — and maybe too small for you. It produces game sound with good detail and placement and has a nice bass as well. A runner-up to the top three recommendations. (AliExpress/ Amazon US/ Europe)
Comfort: 3/5
Sound quality: 4/5
Microphone quality: 3/5
Sound isolation: good
EKSA E900
From here on, the difference in quality between the gaming headsets becomes very noticeable. Although: the EKSA E900 is the most comfortable headphone tested. It’s so light and soft in the headband and cushions, you can actually forget you’re wearing a headphone. The sound is amazing for movies and series — with an emphasized bass and natural presentation — but it lacks spaciousness wanted in games. The microphone makes you sound distant — and it puts through other players with a lot of echoes. (AliExpress/ Amazon US/ Amazon Europe/ UK)
Comfort: 5/5
Sound quality: 3/5
Microphone quality: 2/5
Sound isolation: good
Onikuma K6
The Onikuma K6 looks massive and weighs a lot. It definitely is a lot of headphone. The sliding mechanism to adjust the height of the earcups isn’t very sturdy though. Games sound great, with the same cinema-like approach and level of detail as the Nubwo N11. However, higher notes can be a bit tiring. The microphone quality is below-average, with you sounding muffled and distant to other players. (AliExpress/ Amazon US/ Amazon Europe/ UK)
Comfort: 3/5
Sound quality: 4/5
Microphone quality: 2/5
Sound isolation: good
Nubwo N15
The Nubwo N15 may be the sleekest looking headset of this test. You could just drag it into a professional Skype call and not be laughed at. It will then put the other callers through very loud, just as it does with other gamers. The voice chat sound totally overtakes the game sound on the Nubwo N15, and it may be for the better. Games sound sharp to your ears, with a huge emphasis on mid-tones that still sound tinny. It lacks bass and much-needed space in the sound. (AliExpress/ Amazon US/ Europe/ UK)
Comfort: 3/5
Sound quality: 2/5
Microphone quality: 4/5
Sound isolation: outstanding
Onikuma K9
Like the Nubwo N11 and Onikuma K6, the Onikuma K9 has a surround-sound approach, making games sound incredibly cinema-like. It works wonders in well-produced singleplayer games. Unlike the other models though, that’s where the upsides of the Onikuma K9 stop. Comfort is below average, due to pressure on the earcups and the weight of the headphone. The microphone quality is a joke — it’s as if you accidentally swallowed it. You’re completely inaudible to other players.
Comfort: 2/5
Sound quality: 4/5
Microphone quality: 1/5
Sound isolation: bad
Nubwo N7
The Nubwo N7 is big. Incredibly big. It has massive earcups held together by a flexible headband, that actually may cause the earcups to fall over your ears. Because it’s light, it’s still somewhat comfortable. The microphone quality is decent, comparable to that of the Redragon. That’s where the good points stop. The sound in games is flat. It lacks vividness, bass, detail and sounds downright harsh — and voices in the chat come through too sharp too. Not a thing to enjoy here.
Comfort: 3/5
Sound quality: 1/5
Microphone quality: 3/5
Sound isolation: terrible
Other headsets that didn’t make this test (and why)
There is an incredible amount of cheap gaming headsets below or for 25 dollars. Before doing this comparison, I selected which headphones to buy and which not to buy for this test. I deliberately left out headphones with many obviously fake reviews, which were already criticized hard by user reviews or by YouTubers in previous tests. These are other gaming headsets I looked at but decided not to let partake in this test.
- Beexcellent GM-1: With SO many fake reviews out there, I decided not to trust this generic-looking model.
- CSL GHS201: A variant on the Kotion Each G2000.
- Havit RGB: ‘tight’, ‘mediocre sound’, ‘problems when powered with USB’ according to user reviews.
- Mpow EG9: user-reviews mentioning ‘sound on the left side disappeared’, ‘bad sound’.
- Nubwo N12: many user-reviews mentioning a tight fit, ‘undoable when wearing glasses’.
- Nubwo N2: ‘Earcups too small’, ‘disappointing bass’ in user reviews.
- Salar C13: ‘The sound doesn’t have enough power.’
- ZOP N43: ‘The driver rambles.’
Footnote
I will continue researching the best cheap gaming headsets, although I’m mainly focussing on truly wireless earphones at the moment. I’d love to hear from you what gaming headphone you’ve chosen!
Disclaimer: affiliate links
Planning to buy one of the gaming headphones listed? I’d be grateful if you did it via one of the links in this article. These are affiliate links from AliExpress or Amazon, from which I’ll gain a little percentage of the price. I only put links on the products I recommend. Buying a product via such a link won’t cost you extra, yet it will support me a bit in my research on affordable audio. ❤
Also read my other articles:
- The best Active Noise Cancelling headphones under $100
- The best Bluetooth headphones under $50
- The best Bluetooth speakers under $50
- The best cheap wired earphones from AliExpress
- All the best true wireless earphones under $100
Follow me to keep updated with great cheap audio product tests and articles. :-) See you next time!
