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In the worlds of esports, streaming, and simple everyday gaming, having a headset can mean the world when trying to achieve victory. Being able to communicate with teammates and hear incoming enemies is extremely important, and some popular titles won’t allow players to do so effectively if they don’t have the right equipment. Thankfully, headphones and headsets are getting cheaper for both wired and wireless options. Avid gamers will have numerous choices for the best gaming headsets under $100 USD, but there are five that stand out from the rest.

All prices are taken from official Sold By Amazon listings. In case these listings are unavailable, they’ll be taken from the cheapest option available for new devices.

The TREBLAB Z2 isn’t a conventional gaming headset, but it makes this list due to its fantastic features and on-sale price. This is a fantastic choice for those who mainly play single-player games — especially horror games and shooters — since it’s easy to adjust and effective at picking up quiet noises. It may lack optimization for gaming, and you may want to get an external microphone rather than rely on the build-in mic. However, the long battery life and fantastic sound quality will surely make plenty of users very happy regardless.

Pros: Wireless, extremely long battery life (around 35 hours), great sound quality, good comfort options.

Cons: Microphone quality is poor, active noise canceling can harm the sound quality, not a perfect fit on certain head sizes, no gaming-centric optimization.

Price: $89.97 on sale, normally priced at $119.97.

Buy Now on Amazon, or on Treblab

The Razer Blackshark V2 is a more traditional headset with many of the features one should expect for modern gaming. From its USB sound card to its detachable mic, there’s a lot to love at an entry-level price. It should be noted that some users experienced issues with comfort, and the microphone quality seems to be somewhat inconsistent on consoles. Even so, it’s a perfect headset for anyone looking at a cheap-yet-great way to communicate with their allies online.

Pros: USB sound card, detachable microphone, custom software, easy audio controls.

Cons: Not wireless, not many options for comfort, microphone might not work as well on consoles, Razer software is required to access features and has been criticized for being unintuitive and intrusive.

Price: $69.99 on sale, normally priced at $99.99

Buy now on Amazon, or on Razer

As the cheapest headset under $100 option on this list, the Razer Nari Essential is very impressive. It provides 16 hours of wire-free gaming with incredible comfort. However, users unhappy with the sound quality might need to tinker with settings using software from Razer that many buyers dislike. The Nari Essential still drives a hard bargain in the budget department and happens to stand as the cheapest headset on this list thanks to sales.

Pros: Wireless, decent battery life (around 16 hours), custom software, decent microphone for wireless headsets.

Cons: Mic quality still poor compared to wired headsets, Razer software is required to access features and has been criticized for being unintuitive and intrusive, might be incompatible with some consoles.

Price: $54.99 on sale, normally priced at $99.99

Buy now on Amazon or on Razer

The HS70 Pro from Corsair is the priciest headset on this list even with sales, but for good reason. The microphone is fantastic when compared to other wireless headsets and it offers further customization through Corsair’s iCUE software. The software is sadly required to access various features like the 7.1 surround sound; an unfortunate trend among headsets from popular companies such as Corsair and Razer. Still, the HS70 Pro headset is a fantastic choice for those who want the best wireless experience while still staying on a budget.

Pros: Wireless, great mic quality, detachable microphone, custom software.

Cons: Software can be buggy and is required to access features, battery is prone to failure over time, comfort can vary from person to person.

Price: $96.99 on sale, normally priced at $109.99

Buy now on Amazon or on Corsair

Perhaps the most popular gaming headset under $100 is the HyperX Cloud II. Its fantastic microphone and sound quality are good reasons to purchase it alone, but the headset even comes with swappable ear cups to suit the buyer’s preference. It doesn’t have software to customize the sound options, but that might actually be a plus considering the limitations of other headsets on this list. One simply can’t go wrong by making the HyperX Cloud II their gaming headset of choice.

Pros: Fantastic mic quality, customizable comfort, great sound quality, USB sound card, detachable microphone.

Cons: Not wireless, doesn’t boast custom software, some features might not be available on consoles.

Buy now on Amazon or on HyperX

Despite how the ranking might seem, these headsets are very close to each other in terms of quality. Depending on the features and your own personal preference, some of the higher-priced headsets might be more appealing. Keep an eye out for sales as they become available and choose the best headsets under $100 that work best for you!

The lead image of this article was created by HackerNoon’ Stable Diffusion AI Image Generator.

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