I’ve been using the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5s for a few weeks now, and it’s hard to point a negative at them. They’re ultra comfy, sound fabulous, and have long battery life. But with the price point of $299 pushing these more into the mid-range area, you’d expect some of these things, right? And it’s SteelSeries; they have a strong track record. So, let’s break down what makes these great and the few minor things holding it back from excellence. 

I have no issues with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5’s comfort levels. I’ve worn these things for hours and simply forgot they were on my head. The elastic band, memory foam ear cuff sizes, and adjustable sizes were all I needed to get these to suit my head and ears. And this thing is lightweight without feeling like poor quality, so I easily forgot they were even on my head. 

Regarding functionality, there’s no effort to try anything new here, which is fine. On your left ear is a mute button, volume wheel, and retractable microphone. On your right side is the power button and a hot-swap button, enabling quick switches between a Bluetooth device and the included UBS-C dongle. 

Although they don’t look too “gamer,” I still wouldn’t wear them outside as normal headphones just for music. They aren’t designed for that, even if they are compatible with both your phone and Nintendo Switch. 

Design of the headset: no complaints. However, the USB-C dongle may be a pain for some people, mainly as it covers the front USB-A slot. Something to keep in mind if you use that often. 

You can customise the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 using the SteelSeries companion app, which includes over 100 game presets and the option to adjust the mic levels, LED lights, and more. Fortunately, this is a straightforward app to use even if you’re playing on PS5, thanks to the ability to connect to the USB-C dongle and a Bluetooth device, which will allow you to control the headset settings on your iPhone or Android device while playing on your console. Just make sure you buy the correct version of this headset, as the Arctis Nova 5P is for PlayStation, and the Arctis Nova 5X is for Xbox. Both versions of the headset will work with phones, PCs and Nintendo Switch.

Is the companion app worth it? Yes, very much so, as at least in any game I tested it with, the preset did utterly change the levels and 360 audio to be much more balanced and sound like a proper immersive sound system. From rebalancing the voices and music in something like Alan Wake II engrosses you in the voices and creepy vibes surrounding you in a game like that, while in the mixture of FPS shooters, I tried from XDEIANT to Apex Legends, the ‘Foot Steps’ setting could save your life as it lifts the sound of peoples feet.

I haven’t had a chance to play online with anyone who could give me some true feedback on how I sounded in a multiplayer game, but listening back to my test recording, I think the mic sounds perfectly fine. 

This headset has one of the biggest batteries for a headset I’ve used. It’s marketed at 60 hours, which doesn’t sound too unreasonable. I have charged this once in the weeks I’ve been using it, and although I don’t game as much as I did before, I worked what feels like ALL THE TIME — I’ve still been using these whenever I have been on any console or PC. They also have a fast charge thanks to the USB-C connection, so really, are you ever going to be using these without being charged? At worst, it seems like an hour of charge would get you 24+ hours of use easily. 15-30 minutes of charge is plenty of time to finish your gaming. 

This version of the headset doesn’t feature active-noise cancelling but the headset itself it pretty self-enclosing, but I haven’t tested it in any noise enrolments like a bus or airport where that may mean more. You can get it on the ‘Pro’ model of this headset. 

As I said at the top, I don’t have much to complain about here. And I really don’t. The lack of ANC might be a turn-off for some, but don’t let that sway you unless you literally play your PS5 or PC next to a wood chipper. They block out most sounds pretty well. And the app, which seemed like just another gimmick to me at first, is really solid, with useful presets you’ll want to use. The footprint one for competitive FPS almost seems like you’re enabling a cheat mode. 

(A review unit was supplied for the purposes of this article.)