SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: This headset just revolutionized my gaming experience

Sound and music can make or break a video game. There are games where hearing the faintest hint of an enemy’s footsteps will keep you alive, such as Hell Let Loose. Then there are video games where NPCs chattering away make the environment more immersive — Baldur’s Gate 3 is a great example — while horror games like Alan Wake 2 utilize the silence-broken-by-enemy-scutteling trope well. Your TV’s speakers won’t always deliver the best sound and you’ll need a pair of the best gaming headsets. How about the new SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Series?

The Arctis Nova 5 headset is gaming giant SteelSeries’ latest offering, and is, in short, fantastic. Having tested this headset thoroughly, these are the most comfortable headphones I’ve owned. The sound quality and battery life are outstanding, and with the USB-C adapter and Bluetooth, you can connect to and effortlessly switch between all aforementioned devices. 

At this price point, it's an easy headset to recommend. To find out more, read our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 headset review.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Cheat sheet

• A great wireless headset for casual and competitive gamers alike, costing $129.
• Incredibly comfortable for long gaming sessions, with an adjustable elastic headband and memory foam earcups.
• Outstanding battery life of up to 60 hours, with USB-C fast charging. 15 minutes of charging time gives you 5 hours of listening time.
• User-friendly companion app lets you choose from over 100 presets tailored to a variety of video games.
• Bluetooth 5.3 and a 2.4GHz dongle allow you to quickly switch between devices.
• No active noise cancelation.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Price & availability

Launched on May 14, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 headset has a retail price of $129 / £129, and can be purchased from select retailers around the world and SteelSeries itself.

SteelSeries calls this headset “affordable luxury”, and it sits between the Arctis Nova 7 ($179) and the Arctis Nova 3 ($99).

The Arctis Nova 5 comes in 2 variants: the 5P and 5X. While the specs remain the same, the 5P is compatible with PlayStation and 5X with Xbox. Both headsets are also compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and Meta Quest.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Design & comfort

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 headset doesn’t look very different from the Arctis Nova 7. With a black ABS plastic and metal chassis, the Arctis Nova 5 has an adjustable elastic headband which can be adjusted to your liking. I’ve owned a pair of the expensive JBL Live 660NC ($199) in the past and they weren’t nearly as comfortable as the Arctis Nova 5.

The earcups are big enough for most ears and are made of breathable memory foam, and to me, they were very comfortable even while wearing glasses. The headset did make my ears a bit hot after wearing them for 3 hours, so if you’re opposed to sweat pooling up, you might want to take short breaks. Weighing only 9.41 ounces, not only is the headset portable, but it doesn’t weigh you down. I wore it for 7 hours straight and didn’t experience any soreness. I really appreciate that the Arctis Nova 5 isn’t clunky. Because it doesn’t look huge and isn’t heavy, I’ve enjoyed using the headset as a regular pair of headphones outside of gaming. You can also adjust the earcups’ height, and they can be folded flat to slip into a backpack — ideal for when you’re traveling with your Switch.

In terms of controls, the Arctis Nova 5 is quite straightforward. On the right earcup, you’ve got a power button and a button to swap between Bluetooth and dongle modes. Next to these is a USB-C port. On the left earcup, there’s a mute button, a volume wheel, and a retractable mic. The mic also has an LED light which goes red if the mic is muted.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: App

Alongside the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 headset, SteelSeries has also launched its brand new companion app, available on both iOS and Android: the Nova 5 app. The manufacturer says it’s the world’s first app featuring over 100 audio presets tailored to an array of games. I got lucky that many of the presets were for games I’ve either played or am currently playing.

You can connect the headset to your phone (via Bluetooth) and to your PS5 (via the dongle) simultaneously, which lets you use the app to change the preset, mic volume, sidetone, and adjust the mic’s LED brightness. Setup was smooth as well, as pairing the headphones with my phone took under 10 seconds, and when I inserted the dongle into my PS5’s USB-C port, I was up and running within 5 seconds.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Gaming performance

For the purpose of this review, I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 in 2 ways: playing games on my PS5, and listening on my phone. I played 3 hours each of Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3), Alan Wake 2 (AW2), and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

BG3 creates an immersive environment especially towards the end of the game, when you’re surrounded by NPCs in a busy city. I was highly impressed by the BG3 preset which, compared to the flat preset, added more life to the game. Background conversations felt livelier and faded out better as I distanced myself. The headset’s 360° spatial audio really shone here. As for combat, if I was engulfed by fire, the crackles sounded sharper. If I shot an arrow, I could hear the bowstring and could tell precisely when it was shot. Nifty!

I then tried my favorite horror game, Alan Wake 2. AW2 sounds terrifying even if you’re using your TV’s speakers, and it sounded even scarier through the Arctis Nova 5 headset. I changed the preset to the one for AW2, and if a character was speaking to me, the direction of audio changed as I moved around, emitting from the left and then the right. When frenzied cultists jumped at me in the woods, I got goosebumps. This preset also does a great job at balancing different voices. I played the musical level and was pleased with how incredible the bass sounded in Old Gods of Asgards’ ‘Herald of Darkness’, and I could still hear the protagonist mumbling to himself.

First-person Cyberpunk was the last game I played where I took a stealthy approach, picking off enemies individually. The preset didn’t make the game sound overtly different, so I changed it to FPS footsteps instead. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked like a charm. I could hear faint whispers and footsteps coming from behind closed doors.

Usually, I use the Sony DualSense controller’s mic and speaker when my brother and I play our co-op BG3 campaign. The sound quality isn’t stellar and his voice lags, but that wasn’t the case with the Arctis Nova 5, which uses a ClearCast 2.X Microphone. According to SteelSeries, the mic features a high bandwidth chipset supporting 32KHz/16Bit audio which ensures clean audio. He said that my voice had never sounded clearer, and on my end, I could hear him perfectly too. I also used the app to adjust the sidetone level so I could hear myself speaking while using the mic. This way, you negate the possibility of disturbing others in the room.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Audio performance

Like I said, I love that I can use the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 even when I’m not gaming. I listened to a playlist on Spotify Premium, which is one of the best music streaming services, on my Google Pixel 7 Pro. The app also has presets tailored to music and movies, so you can boost the bass or enhance the clarity of vocals. Whether I was listening to Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ with its punchy bassline, or Porcupine Tree’s ‘Buying New Soul’ with the soft vocals, I was satisfied with how the songs sounded.

The only thing missing from these headphones is active noise cancelation (ANC). The earcups themselves do a good job of concealing your ears from the world, as I couldn’t hear even the doorbell ringing. The only model in the Arctis lineup that features ANC is the Arctis Nova Pro, but that headset will cost you an eye-watering sum of $350.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Battery life

SteelSeries claims that the Arctis Nova 5 headset lasts up to 60 hours on a single charge. In my testing, I found that the headphones went from zero to 100% in just under 2 hours when charged with a 30W USB-A to USB-C adapter. After about 10 hours of use (PS5 and phone), the app indicated the headphones were at 76%. Also, charging them for 15 minutes gave me approximately 5 hours of playtime, thanks to USB-C fast charging.

The Arctis Nova 5’s battery life is considerably higher than its direct competitors’. The cheaper $79 Sony Pulse 3D headset lasts approximately 12 hours, and the $119 Astro A20 Gen 2 lasts 15 hours.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review: Verdict

The PS5 version of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Series is the best headset I’ve ever used and it easily warrants a recommendation, especially if you want a headset that can connect to every gaming system you own. Thanks to the quick-switch 2.4GHz dongle and Bluetooth 5.3, you can swap to any system you want with the push of a button. Offering outstanding sound quality with 360° spatial audio, you feel more immersed in the virtual world. Its companion app is really handy too, allowing you to choose from over 100 presets to suit the game you’re playing. Whether you’re playing at a packed stadium in EA Sports FC 24, or strolling down the streets of Faerûn in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll feel like you’re right there.

The headset is also incredibly comfortable, and you can adjust the elastic headband and height of the earcups to maximize your comfort. All of this for $129? That’s just the cherry on top of the cake.