Top 5 Best Microphones for Gaming 2024

The audio quality of microphones is usually a thing for the most enthusiastic gamers. Although the truth is that you don’t have to take your best microphones for gaming to studio-level to enjoy the best audio quality, still, you’ll need something better than the plastic arm attached to your headset. Gaming enthusiasts would no doubt prefer to have a microphone that will make them sound audibly clear to team members or the opposing team while in action.

For this reason, we have brought to you the best gaming microphones, although these may not be the overall best in terms of other microphone uses, considering a lot of other factors, they’d definitely take your gaming experience to a whole new level.

Top 5 Best Microphones for Gaming comparison chart

Picture	Name	Microphone Type	Price	Rating
	Zalman Zm-Mic1 Headphone Microphone	Headphone Microphone	Check Price	3.7
	V-MODA BoomPro Microphone	Headphone Microphone	Check Price	4.2
	Antlion Audio ModMic	Headphone Microphone	Check Price	3.9
	Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone	USB Condenser Microphone	Check Price	4.2
	The Blue Microphones Yeti USB	USB	Check Price	4.2

What to look out for in a good gaming microphone

While we feel that you don’t need studio-quality microphones to enjoy your gaming sessions, you’ll still require a gaming microphone that will make you sound really good anyways. The reason is that even though the sound will get diminished as it is sent over the internet, a poor choice of microphone will only make the audio poorer.

However, a microphone with excellent recording quality will make your sounds more audible and understandable to other gamers. The design of the microphone should also be given attention to ensure it does not distract or seem inconvenient to players. Adaptability is another thing you’d do good to look out for as it should be able to be positioned in the appropriate area while still sounding great.

How to choose the best microphone for gaming

There are great varieties of gaming microphones from which you can choose from but it may seem a daunting task to easily find the perfect pick of microphone to better your gaming experience. First off is considering your budget for the microphone. While you’ll get a gaming microphone such as the Zalman for a ridiculously affordable price, the more expensive but still affordable gaming microphones like the Yeti and Audio Technica ATR2500 as well as the Antlion Mic will give you better audio experience.

Your budget is the most important thing to consider. If you can, those microphones on the higher end of our best microphones for gaming guide will provide you better audio experience. The pricing is also reasonable although there are cheaper alternatives.

The type of microphone you want is also another thing that will help you make your choice of a good gaming microphone. The clip-on microphones such as the Zalman Zm-Mic1 Headphone Microphone are the most affordable while the boom microphones such as the Antlion Audio ModMic and the V-MODA BoomPro are also great upgrades with better quality but also a significant bump in price.

The desktop mounted microphones such as the Blue Microphones Yeti and the Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB are condenser microphones that offer the best sound quality you can expect from any audio setup. Although these microphones come with significant price difference, they will greatly improve your gaming experience for better audibility in your gaming sessions.

Best Microphones for Gaming

1. Zalman Zm-Mic1 Headphone Microphone

Our Rating: (3.5 / 5)

Many people will be surprised to see a microphone that retails for less than $10 coming top of our list. It’s not like it is the best though, but to an extent, the Zalman Zm-Mic1 headphone microphone was a better alternative to your gaming headset microphone and at such an affordable price, it comes in on our list as the best budget microphone for live streaming and gaming enthusiasts. Although the Zalman does really good for gaming, there are quite a few other better alternatives that we’ll be discussing as we proceed with this guide.

Features and Specifications

Microphone Type: Headphone Microphone (Clip-on attachment mic)

Design: Compact and beautiful design

Mount: 3 mini clips for attachment to your headphone

Pros

Cons

2. V-MODA BoomPro Microphone

Our Rating: (4.2 / 5)

Here comes another pc gaming microphone that is bound to take your audio experience to a whole new level. The V-MODA transforms your normal headphones into headsets and can connect directly to your headphone if it is compatible. The 3.5mm headphone jack plugs directly into your headphone or PC and the microphone offers a great sound clarity and quality that is in line with its beautiful and excellent design. Although the BoomPro will require necessary modifications to be used with some popular headphones, the sound quality remains what it is. Impressive!

Features and Specifications

Microphone Type: Headphone Microphone (Clip-on)

Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional microphone

Compatibility: while it will work easily with Sony PS4, PS Vita and more, Sony PS3 and some more needs third-party adapter for connection.

Pros

Cons

3. Antlion Audio ModMic – Best attachment gaming microphone

Our Rating: (3.9 / 5)

The Antlion Audio ModMic attaches to your headset just like the Zalman. We found out that most of these attachment mics often have a subpar sound fidelity as a result of manufacturers prioritizing microphone sound over microphone quality. The Antlion does not seem to suffer the same fate as we found it to be better than all of the attachment mics we have tested.

Although it isn’t in the league of standing microphones like the Blue Yeti and a few others, it shines as a significant upgrade to most headset microphones and this is why it was able to make its entry into the list of the best microphones for gaming. Although the Antlion may not be your best bet for podcasts or live streaming, it still excels as a very good microphone for gaming in that it makes you more audible and understandable to your teammates and co-players.

Features and Specifications

Microphone Type: Headphone Microphone (Boom Mic)

Setup: it is easy to set up and use. You can connect it to your PC with a 3.5mm jack while it easily connects to your headphone with the Y adapter.

Pickup Pattern: Unidirectional pickup pattern that eliminates other background noise.

Flexibility: it is comfortable to use. It is adjustable to your preferred position making it a great choice for gaming or VoIP calls in either noisy or silent environment.

Pros

Cons 

4. Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone

Our Rating: (4.2 / 5)

Now, we’re moving onto some bigger things. The Audio Technica ATR2500-USB is a standing microphone of surprising affordability. The truth is that standing mics offers great audio quality that can’t be matched by many other attachment microphones. The ATR2500-USB is a condenser microphone with USB connectivity. Even though it tends to pick background noise somehow, the microphone still offers great sound clarity and it is no mistake that it featured on our list of the best microphones for gaming.

Features and Specifications

Microphone Type: USB Condenser Microphone

Pickup Pattern: Unidirectional cardioid pickup pattern.

Support: Plastic tripod with shock mount support

Design: Rigid plastic construction

Headphone jack for audio monitoring and control

A high-quality A/D converter with a sampling rate of 16bit, 44.1/48kHz

Pros

Cons

5. The Blue Microphones Yeti USB

Our Rating: (4.2 / 5)

Now, this is not in any way comparable to your gaming headset or some other subpar gaming microphones. This is you taking your streaming and gaming sessions to a whole new level of audio experience. This is you making use of an all-around microphone whose functionality extends far and wide and has made it the top choice as one of the most sought-after choices of the best microphones for gaming.

This microphone is quite affordable and is exceptionally useful when you’d want to use your microphone for other activities aside from gaming. Talk of podcasting, talk of VoIP internet sessions, studio recordings and YouTube recordings, the Yeti is King and is rightly so. For less than $100, you can start enjoying great audibility in your gaming sessions. The Yeti has got some very amazing features that we’ll briefly talk about in here.

Features and Specifications

Microphone Type: The Blue Microphones Yeti USB is a condenser mic with a tri-capsule array that reproduces your sound excellently in all situations.

Polar Pattern: Multi-pattern selections that include cardioid unidirectional, bidirectional, omnidirectional and stereo pickup patterns for perfect sound reproduction in different situations and environment.

Controls: the I/O has easy-to-use controls for mute, gain control and more.

Design: The Yeti is constructed with sturdy metal components with a unique positionable design that easily makes it the best desktop mic for gaming

Connectivity: USB connectivity compatible with Windows and Mac OS in an easy and hassle-free setup

Pros

 Cons

Final Thoughts

No matter what your choice of gaming microphone could be, whether you’d prefer a clip-on microphone, or a boom microphone or maybe near-professional condenser microphones, you can easily get your pick from our list. Although you may feel like any microphone is good, an encounter with any of these best microphones for gaming on our list will easily change your perspective. It is not a coincidence that many of these microphones are top choice gaming microphones on Amazon and other retail outlets.