There are only so many ways I can say how good the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is, but perhaps the simplest way is the best: it is the greatest gaming headset I have ever tested and reviewed.
Yup, it still looks very familiar, and very SteelSeries Arctis on the outside, but this headset is like no other in the brand’s lineup, or the wider market. Everything, every minute detail, has had time and consideration poured into it, and it really is the fullest realization of what a gaming headset can be, and a natural winner at the TechRadar Product of the Year Awards 2026.
First and foremost, as I laid out in my full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite review, it’s got that brilliant out-of-the-box SteelSeries audio — but not quite as we all know it. The brand-new custom-made carbon fiber audio driver, held in place by a brass surround ring, makes for a different, but still breathtaking, flavor.
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Combine that SteelSeries Arctis tuning with the new hardware combination, and you get unbelievable immersion, supremely accurate sound reproduction of anything and everything, and excellently rich and detailed certified Hi-Res Audio for a wireless gaming headset.
While I could talk about the audio alone for ages, the Elite backs up its brilliant sound with a faultless feature set.
Firstly, building on the brilliant DAC unit the Arctis Nova Pro headsets introduced, the Elite’s GameHub with OmniPlay means you can be connected to every platform type, basically simultaneously.
It’s fabulous. Utilizing this, as well as the headset’s Bluetooth connection, you can actually connect to up to four different sources, and mix and listen to them altogether. You might never need four, but being connected to my console and PC, and having Bluetooth on to take phone calls, has been really useful for me.
You’ve got two different microphone modes (a retractable boom, which is fantastic quality, and built-in ones for convenience), the ‘infinite’ battery supply due to a spare being charged in the GameHub all the time, and a host of EQ and other controls in the GameHub.
The Nova Elite feels fantastically premium, and joyous to wear and use. The cold-rolled steel and aluminum materials are superb, the leatherette cushions are sublime, the metallic volume wheel is a tiny but glorious touch, and every button and material finish feels worthy of the headset’s lofty price tag.
Other headsets might tickle different fancies, or appeal to different priorities that folks might have; but for anyone looking for a premium, do-it-all headset for all of their devices that excels in every way, it has to be the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite. You simply will not find a better headset offering the same combination of design, features and audio quality. Buy it, and you will never look back.
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rob.dwiar@futurenet.com (Rob Dwiar)
