Apex Legends is infamous for having the most inconsistent audio in competitive gaming. You can hear a gunfight from 300 meters away, but a Pathfinder can land directly behind you with absolutely zero audio cues. If you are using a cheap, bass-heavy gaming headset, you are making a bad audio engine even worse.
The best headset for Apex Legends is the HyperX Cloud II. Because Apex’s audio engine struggles with verticality, you need a closed-back headset with precise imaging to pinpoint exactly which floor of a building an enemy is healing on.
If you are tired of dying to silent Horizon drops and un-audioed Octane jump pads, it is time to upgrade your hardware. Here are the top 5 headsets specifically optimized for the Apex Games.
Why Open-Back Headsets Struggle in Apex
In our guide to the Best Headsets for Escape from Tarkov, we highly recommended open-back audiophile headphones (like the
) because they create a massive, realistic soundstage.Do not use open-back headphones for Apex Legends. Apex is a fast-paced, highly compressed game. The audio engine cannot accurately process a massive soundstage. If you use open-back headphones, footsteps will sound incredibly distant and washed out, making it impossible to tell if an enemy is in your building or the building next door. You need Closed-Back headsets or In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) to compress the audio directly into your ears for razor-sharp directional imaging.
At a Glance: Top Headsets for Apex Legends
| Best For | Headset Name | Design Type | Connection |
| Best Overall (Esports) | HyperX Cloud II | Closed-Back | Wired USB |
| Best IEMs (In-Ear) | In-Ear Monitor | Wired | |
| Best Premium Wireless | Logitech G Pro X 2 | Closed-Back | 2.4GHz Wireless |
| Best Budget Wireless | Closed-Back | 2.4GHz Wireless | |
| Best for ALGS Comms | EPOS I Sennheiser GSP 600 | Closed-Back | Wired |
1. Best Overall (Esports): HyperX Cloud II
The HyperX Cloud II is the undisputed king of competitive Apex Legends. It is the exact headset used by top ALGS pros like ImperialHal. (To see the rest of his setup, read our guide on ImperialHal’s Apex Legends Settings & Gear).
They feature a closed-back design, which passively blocks out the sound of your mechanical keyboard. More importantly, their sound signature is incredibly neutral. This means the booming bass of a Gibraltar ultimate won’t drown out the subtle mid-range frequencies of a player popping a shield battery around the corner.
2. Best IEMs (In-Ear): Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro
Many professional Apex players, including iiTzTimmy, have ditched bulky headsets entirely in favor of In-Ear Monitors (IEMs).
IEMs sit deep inside your ear canal, providing unparalleled passive noise isolation. The Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro is an incredible budget IEM that costs under $50. Because the audio drivers are sitting directly inside your ear, the directional imaging is incredibly sharp. This makes distinguishing vertical audio (like someone on the roof of a building in World’s Edge) significantly easier.
3. Best Premium Wireless:
If you want to eliminate cables from your desk setup, the Logitech G Pro X 2 is the best wireless option. Desk space is critical in Apex because tracking targets requires massive mouse swipes, and a headset cable dragging across your arm can ruin your aim. (To optimize your desk space further, read our guide to the Best Keyboards for Apex Legends).
It uses 50mm Graphene drivers, which drastically reduce audio distortion at high volumes, and Lightspeed 2.4GHz wireless technology to ensure zero audio delay.
4. Best Budget Wireless: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro
If the Logitech is out of your price range, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is a fantastic alternative. It is incredibly lightweight, making it comfortable for long ranked grinds, and features a surprisingly clear microphone for calling out enemy flesh damage to your team.
(Once you have your headset plugged in, you must fix the game’s broken audio mix using Windows software. Read our guide to the Best Audio Settings for Apex Legends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are 7.1 Surround Sound headsets good for Apex Legends?
No. You should always disable simulated 7.1 Surround Sound in your headset software before playing Apex. The Source engine’s audio is designed specifically for stereo output. Forcing a third-party 7.1 filter over it will completely ruin the directional imaging, making it impossible to tell where footsteps are coming from.
