Designed exclusively for PC gaming
Specifically designed for the PC Gamer, Arctis 5 combines independent game and chat control, cutting-edge DTS surround sound, and dual-zone RGB illumination to create the perfect audio solution for your battle station.
Signature Arctis sound
- The signature soundscape of Arctis emphasizes subtle, critical sounds to give you an advantage.
ClearCast noise-canceling microphone
- The Arctis ClearCast bidirectional microphone has superior noise cancellation and clarity.
DTS Headphone:X v2.0 surround sound
- Lose yourself in the game as every ricochet, shuffling zombie, and engine roar comes to life.
Premium woven ski goggle fabric
- The elastic fabric perfectly contours across your entire head, comfortably distributing the weight and eliminating pressure points.
AirWeave ear cushions
- Athletics-inspired performance fabric AirWeave ear cushions keep your ears cool and dry.
Lightweight design
- Constructed to be so light that you will forget you’re wearing them.
Upgrade your SteelSeries Setup
SteelSeries Mice
- Our gaming mice feature advanced optical sensors, RGB illumination, and are compatible with PC and Mac.
SteelSeries Keyboards
- Every SteelSeries keyboard is built to last. Our top gaming keyboards feature industry-leading mechanical switches, per-key RGB illumination, and are all compatible with PC and Mac.
SteelSeries QcK Mousepads
- Designed for performance and durability, SteelSeries’ best-selling mousepads come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, so everyone can find a mousepad perfectly suited to their needs.
SteelSeries has fueled the gaming industry for over 15 years by creating innovative new products, designed specifically for esports and passionate gamers everywhere.
Team Dallas –
Bought these for my teenagers for gaming but also for general use for their devices and think they’re a great value for the price. They are well made – better than others I’ve bought them in the past for a similar price-, comfortable and have good sound quality. I like that the microphone detaches so they can be used to listen to music or watch videos. I haven’t bought Steel Series before. Will definitely buy again,
Mack Magee –
Disclaimer: While I am a big headphones enthusiasts (have tried/owned many different pairs), this only my second gaming headset, as I have usually played video games through speakers. I previously had a cheap Turtle Beach set that I used for PS4 multiplayer games with friends and family. Since building a new gaming PC 4 months ago, I’ve been using headphones for gaming more often. I’ve also had to use headphones for work since my job has moved to WFH for the foreseeable future. My favorite cans are currently my modded Koss Pro DJ100 w/ a good amp (closed set) and the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (open set) which I also use for mixing/editing audio tracks. I bought these because I needed a wireless set for couch gaming when I run my PC into my TV.Comfort & Looks: Arctis 1 = 4/5; Arctis 7 = 4.5/5The plastic finish and plain look are OK but not amazing. For $100 dollars the look and feel is totally serviceable. There are some rough-ish edges on the headband, but everything else is smooth. The clamping force is a little tight for me personally, but it’s comfortable otherwise (not too hot, headband rests OK, can move around just fine, etc). My partner has a smaller head than me and they love the Arctis 1 so far with no complaints (it is now their main headphone for working and gaming). The Arctis 7 is excellent for me and the headband is very comfy. The clamping pressure is less but still allows for movement without falling off my head. I like the slightly cleaner look & feel of the 7, but the 1 is sturdy in its own right (if just a little rough).Sound: Arctis 1 = 4/5; Arctis 7 = 4.5/5The sound on the Arctis 1 is quite good for a $100 wireless set (although not an audiophile set exactly). Definitely a mainstream gaming EQ curve (extra bass, slightly scooped mid). The details are fine and the soundstage works well with stereo effects in music or games (like enemies clunking around in FPS games). There’s OK high extension but they’re slightly attenuated. Mids are generally accurate but there seems to be more prominent low and high mids honestly. After EQing in the provided software I was able to quickly set up a couple profiles (gaming and music) that sounded good to me for general gaming and listening. The Arctis 7 isn’t incredibly different although I feel it’s a little more balanced and has better isolation. The soundstage also feels a little more realistic to me personally and it feels just a little more detailed. The surround sound is OK, but I’m honestly fine with stereo imaging.Mic/Communication Functions: Arctis 1 = 3.5/5;Arctis 7 4/5The mic is decent (same microphone on both), but it has that constant compression and low dynamic range thing going on. It’s perfectly serviceable for communicating in games (and work meetings, Zoom calls, etc.), but don’t try to record vocals with it or anything like that. I’ve been using it to teach and my students say it sounds fine compared to my usual SM58 or AT2020 setup.I should note that the Arctis 7 has game chat mix in case you want to mix the level of chat mixed into your game. It’s a nice feature if you play games where chat is useful. I also love that the mic on the Arctis 7 can be pushed back up into the ear cup.Connectivity & Battery: Arctis 1 =4.5/5; Arctis 7 = 3.5/5Great connectivity options on the Arctis 1, especially the USB-C dongle. So easy to switch between devices (including my phone) on the fly. The Arctis 7 has a traditional USB dongle with line in/line out 1/8′ jacks. It’s fine but less useful than the Arctis 1 dongle for me. The battery life is great on both and they charge back up pretty quickly as well.TLDR: Arctis 1 has higher clamping force, better overall connectivity, and it’s rougher around the edges. The Arctis 7 is comfy, better built, and has better isolation and a tuck-away mic. I think the Arctis 7 sounds just slightly better, but they’re both nice wireless headphones in their own right. If you have a small to average head and want to save $50, the Arctis 1 is great. If you want more polish, have a larger head, or want slightly better communications functionality, grab the Arctis 7.
Ben –
I bought the Arctis 1 for my son who is getting into gaming and I didn’t want to go overboard with his headset (I am a gamer and have more expensive equipment but not about to have him start on that!). I was really surprised with the Arctis 1. It is very comfortable and light weight. The head strap padding is pretty good and the fit works both on my head and my sons head (12 years old). He really likes the detachable mic (personally I don’t care as I just use it for gaming, but he likes that he can connect it to different devices that don’t use the mic and therefore doesn’t have a large mic in his face). I was a little skeptical as SteelSeries makes great products, but hasn’t done that well at this price point. However, after using it and seeing my son’s response as well, would highly recommend.
S. Huang –
After vacuuming up the cord of my very old Razer Cacharias (?) headset, it finally declared its death when my Discord group mentioned I was cutting in and out, and so it was time to replace my headset. For a very terrible 3 months, I bought a discount headset with plasticized ear cups, and while I could hear and communicate, it was very uncomfortable. I was looking into other Razer alternatives but didn’t really feel as if their features were as interesting as the Steelseries, and I also had a few recommendations for Steelseries from others. Attach to it RGB function (my tower is needlessly fluorescent) and I decided to plop down the funds for this wired version. I’ve never been a fan of wireless, just something about connection and not having to worry if the wireless is up in a clutch moment is just my style.The headset is very stylish. I’m a small person, with an average size head and average but slightly pokey-outey ears. The fabric and the stretch fabric on the headset is very comfortable and breathable. It angles just a touch forward when I wear it, which is not noticeable after a few minutes. The retractable microphone works very well, and my raid leader says I’m very crisp – definitely not the case with my knockoff cheapo headset.Length of the plug leading from the headset to the dial toggle is very generous, as well as from the dial toggle to the computer. Due to USB hogging I have to use the top of my tower USBs, but no problem at all, very forgiving in length. I haven’t had it fall out yet but I’m not headbanging while raid healing. The dial toggle is very cool! I can use it to easily mute out game noise if there’s an issue, or vice versa if everyone is just talking about nothing and I want to tone them down. At neutral, it’s equal for both.RGB functionality is initially a bit complicated looking but is through Steelseries’ app that you can download, and you can make separate profiles. I have a violet/blue shifting thing for my Tauren Shadowpriesting and have several other profiles – glowing gold for my paladin, green for druid, etc. And there are sound function toggles.Sound is great, crisp, and no reverb at all. The surround function at least in World of Warcraft is excellent and positionally is usually great, although for some reason sometimes when I’m mounting up on a specific mount the sound will originate more to the left, but, this isn’t always, and maybe is a function of my setup.I especially like this for Youtube progressive house mixes, bass turned up! The noise cancellation is not really cancellation, but the muffling is enough that it takes out more ambient noise. I live by a freeway though, so there’s nothing killing that noise. Definitely softer.I really like this headset. I would recommend if you’re in the market, give this a good try, I hope mine has a lot of life left in it. It’s a lightweight headset and the cords are fairly lightweight but give you great range.Also a good wow factor, if anyone is watching you game, and I can make it match my tower RGB, hah hah. The little things, eh?
Roger Anderson –
As soon as I opened the box, I knew this headset was a winner. The unboxing experience itself was a fun process, and taking the headset into your hands for the first time is when you really get a sense of the quality that SteelSeries put into these.First off, the frame is a dark aluminum, not plastic as the other Arctis series. The ski-goggle style headband is interesting, but if you want to get a custom band off their website, that’ll be nearly another $30. For some color. On the other hand though, this style is very comfortable. It fits my head nicely, and has some room for adjustment but not much. I wear these without the band at all, and it’s still quite comfortable.The sound quality is great, it has lots of customization options such as EQ presets, and even sliders to customize to your own preferences. It is noise cancelling, which means you’ll have a hard time hearing someone call your name if these are on even at 25% volume. But it adds a LOT to the immersion. Noise canceling also means you’ll have that echo-ey sound kind of like you’re hearing yourself talk.. You get used to it though.The dark aluminum frame is nice to the touch, and feels very sturdy. The dark accent with the black band and the RGB ear cups are really nice. Like, nice to the point you could wear them out in public and not feel awkward.The RGB is completely customizable with the color picker, but not many effects besides the typical breathing and wave. The magnetic ear caps are interesting and nice, but again if you want to buy some custom ones for another $30 or more, the choice is there.The one thing that annoys me is the proprietary cable that SteelSeries has come up with for the headset. Basically, to use this headset with my phone, I need the special cable to plug into my headset, then take the dongle and attach that to the end to turn it into a 3.5mm jack. If you have an iPhone X or newer, plan on adding that 3.5mm to lightning dongle, and you got a really long, 3 piece headset cable. Nice.Ah yes, I almost forgot. The Mic is great as well, but very sensitive. The pop filter that comes with the headset is nice, but doesn’t help much. Plus, you’ll have to take it off everytime you push the Mic into the headset. Eh. I don’t use it. Everyone in my discord says I sound great, and I’m happy with my purchase of this headset for sub $200.
J. Gerstorff –
I purchased the Arctis 3 2019 edition wired headphones. I am thrilled with these for the price. The sound is comparable to my v-moda crossfade LPs, maybe a little more boomy on the lows but not too bad. They were like 1/3 of the price though. They feel solid, but not too heavy which is good for long sessions. I use them for gaming and work conference calls which can last a long time.I find them extremely comfortable. Some people say if you have a large head they are not comfortable or the velcro strap is not long enough. I have a pretty big head…i use all but the last 2 or 3 pegs on a snapback. They fit me just fine. I guess if you have a watermelon head, beware they could be a tight fit.
Kousou Otsuki –
I have used dozen of sub $130 gaming headphones. cheap ones to Senheizer gaming headphones.Sound. Sennheiser might sound more natural when playing music, but I found this is ACTUALLY BETTER WHEN PLAYING GAME. sound stage is tuned for gaming. PUBG mobile sounds better with raised up mid, so I hear voices more clear than Sennheiser and others that I lowered voice chat volume a down a little bit, so I ould hear FX sound better. it has plenty of details even when I listen to music. every gaming headphone had pros and cons, but this is very well-validated and much fewer cons than products out there. I don’t know how but I could recognize the direction of the sound with this one better. mic is awesome too. pad is comfortable. I played for 6 hours and it was comfortable. I have 3 gaming headphone sitting here. just get this one without searching. don’t waste money like me.
Rachel –
I got these for my new PS5, and they are perfect! They work with the new PS5’s immersive surround sound, which sounds awesome. You can hear all the tiny details around you in the game. For anyone who says they are too low: the PS5 has separate Headset Volume settings. I just turned it up a bit and it’s fine. The microphone does a good job, no one has complained about it in regards to static or echoing. There are also separate microphone settings on the PS5, so if for some reason you are too low/loud for people that is easily adjustable. I also use these headphones on my computer for Discord chats and video calls for podcasts, and never have issues. I like how the microphone slides into the headset when not in use, so it’s out of the way and don’t have to worry about it snagging on anything compared to ones that only flip up. Just don’t go yanking on it or jamming it back in, it’s smoothly slides. I like these being wired, because I always forget to charge wireless ones. Putting it through the PS5 controller’s headphone jack allows for easy microphone muting, since it has a dedicated button right above it. OVERALL: Amazing headphones for the price. Sound quality and detail is great, comfy ear padding for glasses wearers, and microphone is clear.
Patrick Freas –
I have been a fan of SteelSeries headsets ever since I bought my Siberia V2’s 7 years ago. The Siberia V2’s still work flawlessly but the thin rubber coating on the foam ear pads started peeling away and leaving black specks stuck to my head and hair, so it was time to upgrade. I saw no reason to switch away from SteelSeries, and I’m glad I didn’t as they continue to impress with quality headsets. I’m so far loving this headset, it’s an improvement over the Siberia V2’s in every way. And the few Cons I’ve been able to find are minor and not deal breakers.PRO’sThe first thing I noticed about the Arctis 3’s was the ear pads have a fabric coating, as apposed to the thin rubber coating of the Siberia V2’s. This, to me a huge upgrade, as that coating peeling away was what prompted me to make this switch in the first place. It’s good to know I will not be running into that problem this time around.Another positive change over the V2’s is that the Arctis 3’s use a headphone jack as apposed to USB. I travel a lot and therefor game on a laptop, and that means limited USB ports. Not having to dedicate a USB port to my headset is a big positive improvement.Sound quality is the same amazing standard that I’ve come to expect from Steelseries.Retractable mic means you can use the headset as actual headphones for your phone or music device when not gaming and not look like a tool.CONsThis is personal preference most likely, but I don’t like the rubber coated cord. It makes it feel cheap and fragile to me. Would have preferred they went with a threaded cord.The cord is kind of short. This isn’t a problem for me, as I game on a laptop, but I could see this easily becoming a problem on a desktop depending on where your headphone jack is located.Mic is quiet. Had to turn my settings all the way up in order for people to hear me talking, and even then most people on Discord had to turn my volume up on their end. And the Mic won’t even pick up my voice unless it’s fully extended and placed directly in front of my mouth.The location of the volume control and mute button are on the back of the headset. This isn’t so much of a problem but you just need to be conscious of the controls if you ever rest your head back.
@miss.splice –
I was really reluctant at first seeing some bad reviews but now I honestly want to get another one.In the beginning this was going to be a PC headset but I liked it so much I tend to use whenever possible.Xbox one it has great sound quality but must bring up that I couldn’t use it with my older more “banged up” controller.Why? With my older controller it would have horrible static. While my newer controller never had this issue.Note I am directly plugged it into the controller no converter added. And it’s great, I believe my older controller had just been dropped one too many times.PC it’s totally works fine.Phone (Samsung S9) works great and have gotten compliments on my mic quality.Great Multi Platform Headset.