SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (PlayStation version)
Two of our picks from Best Gaming Headsets in 2026: Wired, Wireless and ANC Picks, compared side by side on the specs and trade-offs that actually matter.
Short answer
Between the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (PlayStation version) and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless, we recommend the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (PlayStation version) ($269.99 when we checked it on 2026-10-26) as the better gaming headsets in 2026: wired, wireless and anc pick for most people. A player who games for hours in a noisy home and wants PC and console audio from one headset without ever stopping to charge. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless ($129.99 when we checked it on 2026-10-26) still makes sense if a PC, PlayStation or Switch player who also takes phone calls and wants to charge about once a week.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset — Neodymium Magnetic Drivers — 100+ Audio Presets — 60 HR Battery — 2.4GHz or BT — ClearCast Gen2.X Mic — PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Mobile
$129.99observed
Lowest we have recorded: $113.99 on (19 weekly checks)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset - Neodymium Magnetic Drivers - Active Noise Cancellation - Infinity Power System - Gen 2 Mic - PS5, PS4, PC, Switch, Mobile - White
$269.99observed
Lowest we have recorded: $269.99 on (10 weekly checks)
Specs head to head
| Spec | SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless | SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (PlayStation version) |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 40mm neodymium | Neodymium, 40mm |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz to 22 kHz | 10 Hz to 22 kHz wireless |
| Impedance | 36 ohms | 38 ohms |
| Wireless | 2.4GHz USB-C dongle plus Bluetooth 5.3, quick-switch | 2.4GHz plus simultaneous Bluetooth |
| Battery | Up to 60 hours | Two hot-swappable packs, spare charges in base |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, Switch, Meta Quest, mobile (no Xbox) | PS5, PS4, PC, Mac, Switch (no Xbox) |
Our take on each
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless
Best for: A PC, PlayStation or Switch player who also takes phone calls and wants to charge about once a week.
The Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is the headset that covers the most situations for the least money in this guide. A small USB-C dongle handles low-latency 2.4GHz audio for PC, PlayStation, Switch and Meta Quest, and a button on the earcup flips the headset to Bluetooth 5.3 for a phone or tablet. It switches between the two rather than mixing them, but a notification beep tells you when a call comes in while you are gaming.
Battery is the second reason to buy it. SteelSeries rates it at 60 hours, which works out to a full week of evening sessions, and 15 minutes on USB-C fast charge adds about 6 hours. The 40mm neodymium drivers run at 36 ohms and cover 20 Hz to 22 kHz.
The companion app holds more than 100 game-specific EQ presets, switchable while you play, which helps in footstep-heavy shooters. The ClearCast 2.X mic retracts fully into the cup and records at 32 kHz, a real step up from the Stinger 2. The catches: this base model does not support Xbox, which needs the separate Nova 5X, and the headset has no active noise cancellation.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (PlayStation version)
Best for: A player who games for hours in a noisy home and wants PC and console audio from one headset without ever stopping to charge.
The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless solves two problems most wireless headsets have: dead batteries and one-device-at-a-time audio. It ships with two batteries. One sits in the headset while the other charges in the base station, and a swap takes seconds.
The base station is the second half of the product. It connects to two systems at once over USB, for example a PS5 and a gaming PC, and a button moves the headset between them. Bluetooth runs alongside the 2.4GHz link at the same time, so a phone call or a podcast can sit under game audio, which the Nova 5 cannot do. Active noise cancellation with a transparency mode handles a loud household or a fan-heavy PC.
The drivers are neodymium units rated at 38 ohms, and the headset supports Tempest 3D Audio on PS5 and Microsoft Spatial Sound on Windows. This listing is the PlayStation version, which also covers PC, Mac and Switch; Xbox owners need the Xbox version. The trade-offs are cost and desk clutter: $269.99 is more than twice the Nova 5, and the base station needs space and a USB port.
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