SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless - Multi-Platform Gaming Headset

Our analysis

The Logitech G535 Lightspeed also uses 40 mm drivers, but it connects over 2.4 GHz only and Logitech rates it at 33 hours. The Nova 5 adds Bluetooth 5.3 with a button that switches between the dongle and your phone, up to 50 hours on 2.4 GHz, and a mic that slides into the earcup instead of flipping up. That is the small daily problem it solves: taking a call from your phone without taking the headset off, on PC, PlayStation, Switch or a phone.

What stands out

• 2.4 GHz or Bluetooth 5.3, with one button. Quick-Switch moves from the game on the USB-C dongle to a call or music on the phone; SteelSeries describes a switch, not a mix.
• 50 to 60 hours. SteelSeries rates up to 50 hours on 2.4 GHz and 60 on Bluetooth, and 15 minutes on USB-C give about 6 hours.
• ClearCast Gen 2 mic, fully retractable. Bidirectional and noise cancelling, and it slides into the earcup so the headset passes for regular headphones.
• 265 g and the Nova 5 app. At 265 g, with more than 100 audio presets tuned for specific games, from the phone.

Where it falls short

The drivers are 40 mm, smaller than the 50 and 60 mm units of other headsets on this list. The AI noise cancelling for the mic on PC needs the GG and Sonar software on Windows 10 or later.

Look elsewhere if

Your main platform is Xbox: this version is the PC and PlayStation one, and the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 covers Xbox and PlayStation with one headset. If budget is the limit, the Razer BlackShark V3 X HyperSpeed also switches with one button and keeps 70 hours of battery.

It is the middle step in wireless gaming headsets at every budget, and the 5 best gaming headsets of 2026 covers the wider field.