Customer Ratings & Reviews

Ive used these earbuds for my phone, computer, and console gaming and it has exceeded my expectations in many categories. For starters, you are able to have it connected to multiple dev I ces at a time. I have the dongle connected to my switch dock and am able to have the earbuds connected to my phone so i can call or listen to music at the same time. The battery life is also a huge perk as it was able to last almost all day without dying. The earbuds also feel high quality and if you download the app or intstall the aplication on a computer you can customize the audio to fit your needs as well as select from different preset audio settings reccomened for specific games.

I have used the Arctis Nova 7 headphones for about three years straight, but I didn’t like carrying them around. So, when I saw that new earbuds by SteelSeries were coming out, I just had to try them. These earbuds are some of the best gaming earbuds I’ve ever tried—much better than the Sony Inzone ones. They have almost the exact same range as the SteelSeries headphones. I like that the USB-C dongle is very small and comes with adapters, so you can use it with almost any computer. The earbuds last a pretty long time; I use them at around 90% volume, and they can last me around six hours with chat and noise cancellation enabled. They also charge quickly—taking about 30 minutes to get to 50% from 0%. The phone app offers over 200 sound profiles, allowing you to tweak the sound to perfection, so you can always find the right tuning. The case supports wireless charging, which is a great feature, and I also appreciate the physical side buttons that are customizable in the app. Yes, I would recommend these earbuds. In fact, I’d say they are the best gaming earbuds on the market right now. Other earbuds I’ve tried, like the ones from Sony, have had deal-breakers. But with these earbuds from SteelSeries, I can just sit back, forget they’re in my ears, and enjoy what I’m doing with no distractions.

The only headphone I’ve bought that stays in my ear no matter what. Outside of over the ear headphones you won’t get better noise cancelling. It’s so much that I recommend if you use them as running headphones or outdoor that you leave one out so you can hear traffic. It has a good connection to both my Xbox and my PC and with the use of the free app, the design of your sound preferences is seamless. My preferred gaming headphone was discontinued when I tried to update so I got this and it’s a substantial improvement.

As someone who preordered these, I can say they check about every box for me aside from two minor issues. The first issue that really can't be fixed is the mic on the headphones themselves. Then again it's really a non-issue because I can't really expect much more out of such a small package. Especially when it lives up to the 10 hours it claims to give on a single charge. The second issue is one that has persisted across two different sets of buds (I exchanged the first pair I received because of this issue) which is that in "Transparency" mode if all is quiet or I have the volume low on either the 2.4 connection or a bluetooth connection, you get a very low volume bit high pitched sort of distortion/interference that started in the first pair in the right bud. Now I have the same issue with the second set of buds that I recieved as replacements where the left bud does the same thing. Other than that I can say these buds are amazing when paired with the Steel Series Alias Mic and Sonar software on PC. Ive thoroughly tested their battery life and have never has to switch back to my over ear wireless headset during a gaming session and sometimes those vary between 5-8 hours. Overall 4/5 because of previously listed issues but compared to my Arctis Pro Wireless headphones, theyre a wonderful replacement if you want to move away from an over ear set up.

Excellent ear buds. Zero Latency for gaming. great sounds comfortable, won't fall out. Battery life is great. Functionality is flawless

Pros: Comfortable, good battery life, quick recharging, good sound. Lots of stuff to customize with the Steelseries GG app on PC. Phone app also offers customization but not to the same extent. Cons: Steelseries GG app required on PC to update buds. You cannot update from the mobile app. Connecting to the mobile app and PC GG app was annoying, but work well after being connected. Buds will randomly turn off at times. This has happened maybe 2 or 3 times in the month I've owned them.

Sound quality, comfort, battery life, secure fit all excellent

The Arctis GameBuds from SteelSeries really surprised me with their versatility and performance. I’ve used them across multiple platforms—PS5, Switch, and PC—and they connect easily every time. The sound quality is strong with well-balanced audio and clear directional cues during gameplay, which is a huge plus for competitive titles. The noise canceling is decent, helping to reduce background distractions, and the compact case with built-in USB-C dongle storage is a smart design. Battery life has been reliable, and they’re lightweight enough to wear for extended sessions without discomfort. The only slight downside is that the microphone quality is just okay—it gets the job done, but don’t expect crystal-clear voice chat. Still, for true wireless gaming buds that work across this many systems, they’re a great pick.

Earbds for gammers. Well i have to say these are really good. I have a pair of Arctics Headphnes for gaming but did't know they had earbuds. These are small fit right in your ear i like how light they are and i don't get hot around my ears like i do with headphones. The sound is awesome and works great with the app that you have to download on your phone. You can control of the volume with the phone app or the earbuds it will show you what side controls what. Makes it really easy to adjust, the noise cancelling is great you wouldn't think you could get this from earbuds but it gives it to you. You have to watchthe mic it will pick up all the sounds around you but you can control that to. You get 3 sets of earbud inserts to fit inside your ear a charging cable and a reciever to hook up to your console. That is the only question i have on this product i don't understand why they give you a cord to connect to the console then plug the reciever into the end of it. When your done the cord and the reciever hang down from the console. When all the other come with a USB plug that doesn't stick out much. Other than that a great new pair of gaming earbuds if you want a quick play and don't want the headphones hanging on top of your head or if you don't like headphones these are great. You get all the sound and quality as if you had headphones on.

First off, you have to get the SteelSeries Arctis app for your phone or the Steel Series GG app to make decent use of these headphones. If you ever want to update them, it has to be the PC app and there have been a couple updates already. With the app installed, there is the option to disable the volume limiter as it is defaulted on for EU and their limitations. That instantly made the headphones better as by default their audio felt very small. Also with the app, you can modify the EQ or enable Sonar, which essentially is just EQ for individual applications. Some of the specific Sonar settings for games were really not to my liking, but that is why you can customize it yourself. Quality of the audio is OK. No matter the EQ setting I felt like I could never reach a good bass. Even with trying to get a deeper seal in my ear with a different size of silicone tip, it just never really sounded great. The functions of the headset are by physically pushing in on the respective earbud. Personally I really dislike that method as it sometimes messes with the fitting that you may have had perfect. Why not just touch sensitive? The pushing is fairly light compared to some I have tried though. With 3 taps of the right earbud, you can switch between 2.4 and Bluetooth mode. There are some single and double tap settings that you can modify with the app, that is not one of them. But, this allows you to connect to your phone and your PC or Xbox, pending what you have the tiny dongle switched and connected to.You can not listen to both devices at the same time, it is one or the other. However, if you are listening on 2.4 mode and connected to a phone via Bluetooth, when you get a call, it will automatically switch to Bluetooth mode. While on a call or in game chat, everyone said it sounded distant, kind of like being on speaker phone. It is kind of expected I guess, but at least they could clearly he\ar me. The biggest issue I have had with them, and support has said they can’t recreate the issue, is that when ANC is on and listening to audio, high end sounds just sound awful. Basically the top end sounds are replaced with static. Now, I don’t consider my area a high noise area, but you can hear the PC fans and a floor fan and when I enable ANC it works well. I can truly hear the difference. However, listening to any other audio at the same time pretty much makes the headset sound like they are blown out. Maybe this is something they can fix with a future firmware update once they can reproduce the issue, but I tried 3 different headsets and they all had the same issue. Overall, they are not bad multipurpose earbuds, they just aren’t as good as I would expect from the brand, especially the ANC issue I have experienced. Besides needing the app for anything else, I don’t feel they stand out from any other headsets.

Love these earbuds. At first I didn’t think these were capable enough to replace my AirPods for music but once I hooked it up the the GG engine on my laptop and made a custom eq setting, it changed my mind and they’re now my daily carry. The fact that it’s versatile to be able to use them for my PS5 and my phone when I’m traveling is amazing. The sound is great, and it’s bassy if you change the EQ around, the black version is very stealth which is what I was looking for. One of the best parts is the battery life as well, it lasts so long. Could possibly also be due to the fact that I don’t use the ANC feature, but either way I’m very impressed by these. Mic is also clear when using them for phone calls, haven’t tried gaming mic since I don’t play multiplayer.

The SteelSeries - Arctis GameBuds are pretty much a train-wreck product. From a purely hardware standpoint, they are lightweight, fit tight and the integrated case/2.4 GHz dongle arrangement are ingenious. The problem with these true wireless earbuds is the software side of the equation and as such I will simply start off with - - "Avoid these at all costs!". I will also push my Pros & Cons section closer to the top: Pros: Ingenious storage/charging case with integrated 24 GHz dongle storage Good, tight fit but not the most comfortable. Passable! Cons: Clunky pairing sequence that is anything but seamless and this 'system' has compatibility issues with a Sony ZX700 Walkman and Samsung Galaxy S23+. Pairing drops forcing a re-pairing, when pairing even works at all. The Arctis Android App feels like Beta. When pairing appeared successful, initially, the App notified me that there was a firmware update but applying that update via the SteelSeries published method is another train-wreck. (See below) Custom equalization functionality dead ends and there is no apparent way to create your own EQ presets are abundant for games but the few music related offerings are meh; Bass Boost barely raises the bass floor. When the buds appear to work for a session, the capacitive sensing, ear detection tech has massive lag and/or simply doesn't work at all. What the? * With the summary details out of the way, I immediately researched "help" from SteelSeries own product support pages whereby they detail out how to initially set up the SteelSeries - Arctis GameBuds by connecting the system to a Windows PC via the provided USB cable. I attempted to do this across three different Windows 11 based machines and the SteelSeries GG "Engine" software did not indicate an available firmware update or detect the presence of the buds/charging case. In one instance while attempting to pair & configure the Arctis GameBuds with my Galaxy S23+, it seemed like the pairing hurdle was overcome but then the App froze up during the middle of the "initializing your device" stage. The pairing steps are not governed by the App and conflict with the device Bluetooth pairing process. Another example of a product released too soon and/or engineered poorly. Competitor products have the software & F/W things figured out... SteelSeries has not.

I've used nearly ALLL the modern headsets (I'm a bit of an audiophile) and these earbuds are solid! Here are my thoughts - A good premium 3d headset is going to give you better 3d positional sound. You cant beat multiple speakers. - The earbuds do come close! I can tell when footsteps are behind me or above me. - The sound quality is excellent. Games sound great (I play FPS like Apex) and music sounds good too - Battery life is fantastic. I've never run out of a charge during a 6 hour gaming marathon. Who are these for? - If you are looking for a mobile lightweight option with great sound and positional audio these are great! If you are looking for true 3d top of the line sound, go with a headset. I picked these up because headsets are bulky, I wanted something for listening to music and gaming. In my opinion these are fantastic and comparable to a midrange headset.

[Employee of bestbuy] First time using in-ear buds, and was on the unsure side. Was looking to find a pair that would easily connect to my pc and other devices, as my previous gen A50s were havung problems switching. The SteelSeries Buds perform very well and the set up is easy. It does have a desktop and mobile app, which are okay. I only really use the desktop app to manage discord and xbox app volumes. A lot of the sound profiles sounds great though, and the spatial audio on the Warzone setting was great. I also like the triple tap option to switch between the 2.4 ghz and bluetooth feature. My only knock is they may be a little large for some ears so long usage may not be viable (my wife did not find them comfortable even with the smallest ear tips), and i wish there was sound mixing on the mobile app (unless i missed it).

So far, I've been beyond impressed. That battery life has been decent. The weight is light enough to help keep them seated. The sound is great once you get it setup. That is the tricky part of their whole setup. It does take time to get things dialed in to your liking. I've found that the sound has a great range. The bass is adequate without being overbearing. The only issue I had was it was turning off after awhile in bluetooth mode. I found that it was simply a setting in the app, and I turned it off. Overall, I can't recommend these enough.

These earbuds are fantastic. The sound is good, setup is easy, and they’re comfortable. The steelseries software however is atrocious. It takes over your sound devices and constantly crashes I cant in good conscience recommend installing it.

I love these, the sound quality is great for gaming. I’ve started using these more than my Arctis Nova Pros. And I mainly bought these for my PCVR and Quest 3. And they work in both ways. Stand alone is great too just need to increase the volume.

I was pleasantly surprised on these ear buds. They sound good, the mic is decent according to friends in discord. I like the dedicated dongle included. They are pretty comfortable. My only con is lack of features, and the ANC is pretty bad. You have to have a pc to update them and you can only make profiles on the Sonar app on your pc not using the app on your phone.

Overall great earbuds. The compatibility with EVERYTHING is a big plus, but it doesn't excel in any specific area. Very comfy, has above average sound quality for earbuds, but lacks in bass and the ANC/Transparency modes are a little subpar. Great with a Switch or Xcloud/Steam Link or Mobile gaming in general

Here's the bottom line with these gamebuds, if you game while you're traveling or you mostly play solo then these are pretty good. But they are NOT a "main" headset that I would use daily especially while gaming with friends. The biggest problem with these gamebuds are the mic, they're practically unusable. The other issue is the design and ergonomics which I'll go into more below. My main headset is the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless which are excellent, but I get tired of wearing them because they're so heavy and they make me look like I'm about to taxi a plane, so I wanted something small, lightweight, and demure if you will. I tested them while playing on both PC and PS5 with friends and on the first day I became the butt of many jokes by my friends because of the mic quality. The feedback that I got from others was that they either couldn't hear me because I sounded so quiet compared to everyone else (even with my mic volume at max), or the mic kept cutting in and out constantly. When I finally switched back to my Nova Pro Wireless headset my friends let out an audible sigh of relief in unison, thats how bad these gamebuds are apparently. Aside from the mic quality, the sound quality is actually decent. I do agree with other reviewers that the bass is actually not bad with these and I would go as far as to say that I would recommend them if all you do is play solo. I had zero issues with connectivity for either bluetooth or 2.4 and it worked perfectly fine for both PC and PS5. Now on to the design of these gamebuds as I mentioned at the start - it's terrible. The biggest problem is these gamebuds either fit really well for you or they're a constant pain that you have to keep adjusting. It was the latter for me, and for some context I have AirPods Pro which fit me perfectly. In addition to the fitment issues when you adjust the earbuds you will 100% accidentally touch the very large side buttons which are pre-programmed to switch you from 2.4 to bluetooth or change your ANC setting (depending on which earbud you touch). Every...single...time that I adjusted the earbuds (which seemed like every few minutes) I would end up touching the buttons, it's infuriating. But wait, theres more - because theres only one button on each earbud in order to do simple things like mute your mic you have to hold the button for a "short time" (Steelseries actual language). The problem with that is if you hold the button for too short of a time it registers as a tap and switches you to a different connection mode, if you hold it for too long then it increases the volume. Basically muting yourself becomes a side quest in and of itself. To wrap things up here - the only reason I would keep these is if I was traveling and playing solo which is not something I do often, so unfortunately these are going back to Best Buy.