The Best Open Back Headphones for Gaming in Every Budget (With Pictures)

Gaming with headphones provides advantages, especially in competitive games, but which should you buy? We have tested dozens of gaming headphones and picked out the top 4 covering all budgets so you can enjoy the best experience for your gaming sessions.

Why Open Back Headphones for gaming?

Open back headphones allow for a much wider stereo separation, so you can hear where the sounds are coming from much more accurately. This is great for gaming, as you can pinpoint where the enemy is, and is especially useful in competitive games, where hearing the direction an opponent’s footsteps are coming from can give you a real advantage. 

Your best open back headphones for gaming at a glance

Our top picks for best open back gaming headphones for gaming

Here are our top picks for your next open back gaming headphones.

PHILIPS SHP9500

Affordable, comfortable and with a great sound, the PHILIPS SHP9500s sit in the middle of the range, and offer a high-end feel at a great price point.

Sennheiser Game One

A dedicated gaming headset with built in fold away mic. They have exceptional build quality, subtle looks and match audiophile gaming headphones of similar price for sound quality.

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro

Audiophile quality sound and looks at an impressive price point. Need a dedicated soundcard to get the most from them though.

Sennheiser HD 660S2

High-end headphones that deliver unmatchable sound. If you have the money and the system to support them, nothing else comes close.

AKG K245

They sit firmly at the budget end of the market, but you don’t miss out on much with these impressive headphones from AKG.

Conclusion

Open back headphones are perfect for gaming, but wireless open back headphones offer the same benefits with the added convenience of wireless connectivity, which provide a more immersive sound experience. Whether you are exploring new lands in an RPG or fighting a tense battle in an FPS game, being able to hear where the enemy are before you can see them always gives you an advantage.

For gamers on a budget, the AKG K245s are a revelation, with sound quality that competes with many much more expensive headphones at a remarkable price. Similarly, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros are something of a bargain, a recent range topping model, they can now be had for a fraction of their original price, and they perform fantastic. However, if money is no object, and you have a good sound card or DAC to drive them, then the Sennheiser HD 660S2s are simply the best open back gaming headphones you can buy.