GTA 6 is almost here: Get ready with the best gaming headsets for exploring Vice City

Grand Theft Auto VI finally launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with digital preloading starting November 12. Thirteen years after GTA V, you’re about to spend a lot of hours in Vice City and the rest of Leonida, Rockstar’s take on Florida. Most of those hours, you’ll likely have something on your head.

Most “best headsets for GTA 6” lists I’ve seen treat it like any other shooter: hear the footsteps, win the gunfight. But that misses a lot of what a GTA game actually sounds like. It’s a road trip with a crime problem: the radio, the cutscenes, engines, sirens two blocks over, and hours of cruising with nowhere to be.

This time, the soundtrack even follows you out of the car. Rockstar confirmed that Jason and Lucia can keep the radio and the series’ first on-demand podcasts playing on foot, through headphones and earbuds connected to their in-game phones.

So, I picked headsets for the way you’ll actually play: comfortable for marathon sessions, clear for dialogue, and fun for Flash FM. Every pick has been through the SoundGuys lab, and each works with the console GTA 6 runs on, as long as you buy the right version. More on that below.

Best for story-mode marathons: Sony INZONE H6 Air

Sony built the INZONE H6 Air for exactly the kind of game GTA 6 is. It’s an open-back wired headset tuned for action and story games rather than competitive shooters. Our reviewer, Jhaycee Calvez, called it the most comfortable headset they’d used, with no itchiness after more than eight hours of continuous play. That’s the stat that matters for launch weekend.

It shares its drivers with Sony’s MDR-MV1 studio headphones, and it shows. In our testing, background music never muddied dialogue in story games, and treble never turned shrill even at high volume. It also posted the highest overall MDAQS score of the four headsets here, which predicts most listeners will enjoy how it sounds.

The catch is the open back. The H6 Air leaks sound like a small speaker and blocks almost nothing from outside, so it’s for a quiet room, not a shared couch. It’s also wired only: plug the 3.5mm cable into your DualSense or Xbox controller, or use the included USB-C DAC on PS5.

Best for Xbox: HyperX CloudX Flight 2 Wireless

If GTA 6 is going on your Xbox Series X|S, the CloudX Flight 2 Wireless is the easy pick. It’s officially licensed for Xbox, so the dongle just works, and it also works with PS5 and PC, plus your phone over Bluetooth. Our testing found it tuned for action-adventure games rather than competitive shooters, with a subtle bass lift that makes car chases and explosions more exciting without wearing you out.

Battery life is the other big win. HyperX rates it for up to 100 hours over 2.4GHz with the RGB lighting off, but only about 20 hours with it on, so turn the lights off unless you need them. Its boom mic also rejects background noise better than most, which is handy for party chat in a busy house.

It isn’t flawless for a dialogue-heavy game. A dip in the upper mids can make voices sound a little farther away than you’d expect, and the leatherette pads got warm after about four hours. There’s no wired fallback if the battery dies, either. Still, it’s frequently on sale for around $99, which makes it the best value on this list.

Best for homes with both consoles: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

Got a PS5 and an Xbox under the same TV? The Arctis Nova Pro Omni hub connects up to four sources, officially supports both consoles, and lets you hear the hub and a Bluetooth phone at the same time with no drop in quality. It also never has to stop for a charge. It ships with two swappable batteries, so one charges in the hub while you play, and a single battery lasted 32 hours and 51 minutes in our testing.

Its noise cancelling is the strongest on this list, cutting outside noise by 81% in our tests. That helps if your Vice City time shares a room with a TV, a dishwasher, or a roommate.

One warning: the default tuning is built for competitive shooters. In our review, story-game dialogue came through clearly but sounded harsh, with painfully loud sibilance. Fix it before you start the campaign. In SteelSeries GG on PC, our reviewer recommends cutting 8.5kHz and 10.5kHz by 5dB, or you can pick a treble-reducing preset in the Arctis mobile app. If you only own one console, skip it: the H6 Air or CloudX Flight 2 will serve you better for far less.

Best for detail and dialogue: Audeze Maxwell 2

The Audeze Maxwell 2 uses huge 90mm planar magnetic drivers, and its strength is separation. In our testing, dialogue stayed clear no matter what was playing underneath it, which is exactly what you want when a cutscene lands over a blaring radio. It also scored highly for timbre in our MDAQS testing, and its rated 80-hour battery lasted our reviewer more than a week of daily use.

It comes in two versions: a $329 PlayStation version that also works with PC, Switch, and phones, and a $349 Xbox version. Buy the one for the console you’ll play GTA 6 on, because the PlayStation version won’t connect wirelessly to an Xbox.

Be honest with yourself about comfort, though. At 567g it’s the heaviest pick here, and our reviewer found it uncomfortable and warm after about four hours. A treble peak around 7kHz can also make some voices sibilant over long sessions. If you take breaks between missions, the detail is worth it. If you play in eight-hour stretches, the H6 Air is the better fit.

Best earbuds: SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Jason and Lucia are wearing earbuds this time, so why shouldn’t you? The Arctis GameBuds are still my favorite gaming earbuds, because they fix the usual problem with earbuds on consoles. PS5 and Xbox don’t support Bluetooth audio, so the GameBuds include a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle that lives in the charging case and plugs into your console, while Bluetooth handles your phone. A triple-tap on either bud switches between them.

In our testing, the noise cancelling cut outside noise by around 78%, close to flagship earbuds, and the buds lasted 8 hours and 32 minutes on the dongle with ANC off. The case holds three more full charges, so a top-up between missions keeps you going.

They aren’t a perfect stand-in for a headset. Bass doesn’t hit as hard, and in busy open-world streets, footsteps and ambience sometimes buried story dialogue when I tested them. The Clear Dialogue preset in the Arctis Companion app helps, and the app has over 100 game-specific presets to try. Get the Xbox version if there’s any chance you’ll play on Xbox: its dongle has modes for both Xbox and PlayStation, while the PlayStation version won’t work with Xbox.

What about the new PlayStation Pulse?

Sony’s new PlayStation Pulse wireless headset launches the same day as GTA 6, November 19, for $99.99. It brings planar magnetic drivers down to its lowest price yet in Sony’s lineup and connects to your PS5 over PlayStation Link and to your phone over Bluetooth at the same time. A step-up Pulse Edge, with noise cancelling and a detachable boom mic, follows in early 2027.

We haven’t tested either one yet, so neither made this list, but we’ll review the Pulse as soon as we can. If you’re eyeing the older Pulse Elite instead, our review found it a decent value for planar drivers on PS5, held back by a bulky build, poor isolation, and no noise cancelling.

Do you need a special headset for GTA 6’s 3D audio?

No. GTA 6’s PlayStation Store listing highlights Tempest 3D Audio, Sony’s spatial audio tech, but the PS5 does that processing, not the headset. Any headset or earbuds connected to the console can use it. Turn it on under Settings > Sound > Audio Output > Enable 3D Audio for Headphones.

On Xbox Series X|S, Windows Sonic for Headphones is free and built in. Dolby Atmos for Headphones is a $14.99 one-time unlock through the Dolby Access app, with a free trial, and DTS Headphone:X is another paid option. Choose one under Settings > General > Volume & audio output. Start with the free option and only pay if you hear a difference you like.

Make sure you buy the right version

This is the most common GTA 6 headset mistake. Many wireless headsets come in separate PlayStation and Xbox versions that look almost identical, but their dongles aren’t interchangeable. With some brands, including SteelSeries, the Xbox version also works with PlayStation; the reverse is rarely true. When in doubt, check the box for your console’s logo, or go wired: a 3.5mm headset plugs into both the DualSense and the Xbox controller. Our guide to connecting a gaming headset walks through every setup.

For more options beyond GTA, see our lists of the best gaming headsets and best PS5 headsets.

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