Best Gaming Microphone in 2021 - Great Deals

It seems that the gaming mic is that piece of gadget that can be easily overlooked by gamers. Especially the new ones. They know that splurging on the gaming keyboard is a must, and getting a suitable gaming mouse makes things easier, but gaming microphones are often thought of as an unnecessary piece of tech. There are, after all, enough gaming headsets around with strong built-in mics, so why shell out money for something you’ve already probably purchased.

Out of all the microphones we’ve tested, Hyper Quadcast is definitely the most impressive. A well-rounder of a microphone, it works the best in the gaming environment due to the clear audio and vocal warmth it produces.

Quadcast, by the way, refers to its unique design – three-diaphragms that allow for four polar patterns, including stereo arrangement. Which is what makes this mic an all-rounder: while I wouldn’t recommend unconventional stereo arrangement in a gaming environment, it works great when you’ve got two different sound sources or a wide source. It works perfectly for a live recording environment and the audio remains super-clear, but also warm, with no inkling of shrillness many microphones tend to produce in similar environments.

HyperX Quadcast’s other attractive quality is its design, I’m not gonna lie. It’s a compact, slick-looking gadget, which knows its potential buyers and incorporates some gaming aesthetics. When the mic is operational, red light illuminates from behind the cradle, creating a suitably dramatic atmosphere. You can easily mute it and turn off the light by simply tapping the top of the mic. Last but not least, it’s equipped with a very sturdy shock mount, which makes it basically impossible to knock the stand over unless that’s what you’re aiming for.

With its clear audio, attractive design, and recording abilities, this is a good mic for… pretty much any use you can think of. Downside? It might be a tad bit pricier than you’ve budgeted for. But we swear it’s worth every penny.

The Razer Seiren X only has one polar pattern – supercardioid. It’s not the most common of patterns, but if your main concern when choosing the mic for gaming is about external noises messing it up, then you can put those worries to rest by purchasing this mic.

The supercardioid pattern is the umped-up version of hypercardioid – it’s even more directional and its primary aim is to cut any and all possible external noise while focusing solely on the sound produced by a single voice in front of it. While it does sometimes pick up keyboard clicks, overall we’ve found that it does deliver on this promise quite effectively.

The one downside to the Razer Seiren X’s audio is the weaker basses and low mid-range. If you need clear audio for basses or low mid – then you should probably keep looking. Otherwise, this mic is definitely going to deliver.

The microphone has a slick, modern, all-black design. It’s very compact and comfortable in use. In fact, I’d say this is a perfect microphone for you if you often travel and need to be able to set up and disassemble the audio system frequently. Obviously, there are better options for your home office (see the microphone above), but if you need to go on the road and still be able to stream, podcast, record, and – obviously – game, especially if that’s what your livelihood depends on – than, despite it’s somewhat limited capabilities, this is the wallet-friendly option to go with.

If budget isn’t something you’re concerned about and are, in fact, looking to purchase the best possible mic to enhance your gaming experience – then Blue Yeti X is probably the most optimal option for you.

The biggest upside this microphone has is the versatility it offers. This is another one of those mics that offer four polar patterns and fantastic – probably the best on this list – audio output when it comes to the gaming environment. Yeti X has also simplified the process of switching between the patterns: it comes with a simple dial that lets you easily switch between the patterns and quickly choose the one you want in any given environment: cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional, or stereo. So if you already had a four-pattern mic but didn’t utilize its full potential for no other reason but feeling lazy about switching between them – Yeti X has made sure you’ve got no such excuses anymore.

Another feature that raises the quality of audio higher, is condenser capsules – this model is sporting an increased amount compared to other Yeti models – which bring extra smoothness and sensitivity to the sound. There’s also a definite noticeable improvement to the quality of the audio recording, compared to other Yeti microphones the Blue Yeti X can catch a wider dynamic range which makes the sound feel a bit more well-pronounced.

The one downside of the mic is in its design. At first glance, this is a really nice-looking microphone – all very slick and modern with its all-black case and smooth line, but after some time you do notice that the dials feel a little loose and plastic, and the matte casing easily attracts smudges. Neither of which is a big problem, but for the amount of money you’ll be shelling out, nothing about this mic should be feeling cheap. Its primary function – the sound quality – does make up for these small slip-ups fully and then some, though.

All in all, this microphone is maybe not offering any dramatic improvements to those who already own a Yeti, but for those who are looking to upgrade to a premium mic (or just want a mic that will let them easily utilize all four polar patterns), this is a great choice.

If your first priority is for the mic to be optimal for not only gaming but also streaming – AND you want it to be budget-friendly as well, then Blue Yeti USB is probably the model you should go with.

Unless you’re very new to streaming, you’re probably already familiar with this mic, since it has managed to gather somewhat of a legendary reputation in the streaming world – the majority of streamers have probably used it at one point or another in their careers, and even now you’re very likely to frequently spot it on Twitch-dwellers’ desktops.

Make no mistake: Blue Yeti is popular for a good reason (even if it’s not the overall best the market has to offer – we’ll talk about that below).

The biggest upside this mic comes with is the clarity of sound. The words “crystal clear” come to mind. Its nicest feature is definitely its ability to pick up a single sound signal placed before it. Just like Yeti X we talked about above, this Yeti model also comes with four polar patterns which add to its versatility – through the audio can be somewhat… the word “crunchy” comes to mind.

This is an easy mic to operate. Probably among the easiest you’ll ever put your hands-on, so if you’re a newbie who’s a bit intimidated when it comes to plug-in microphones, this would be a good option to start with. All this mic comes with are volume control and mute button. That’s it. Disrupting the streaming process or messing up the audio quality is very hard with this one, you have to actively try for something to go wrong.

On the other hand, Yeti X, unfortunately, doesn’t provide any high resolution recording options, so if you’re looking for a mic that’s optimal primarily for music recording this might not be the best option – though thanks to the four polar pattern options, you can still use it for both music recording or podcasting – it’ll just take a bit more effort to find the settings that yield the best audio quality for you.

This Yeti model is characterized by somewhat retro design and reminds of older microphone models with its smooth lines and rounded shape. It is made of sturdy materials and you can feel at the touch that its high-quality tech built to last. The stand is well-angled and weighty, guaranteeing that you won’t be accidentally knocking over the mic. The design together with its clear audio output make this a really optimal mic for streaming, despite some of the drawbacks. As confirmed by its popularity on Twitch.

If you’re already a seasoned streamer – or wish to take the quality of your streams to a new level, then you should probably start thinking about acquiring Elgato Wave:3.

This mic works fine with every single platform you can think of – be it Twitch streaming, Youtube, or just audio recording feature you prioritize, it offers a high-resolution recording and clean sound.

The mic is less versatile than Blue Yeti we discussed above (it only has one polar pattern – cardioid), but it offers a wide range of hardware and software features, which are well worth investing in – like he built-in pop shield.

We found the Elgato Clipguard to be one of its most significant features – it was very successful at limiting volume during testing. Anti-distortion tech makes it easy to control sound quality – it’s basically automatic and requires very little investment on your part.

This is a very “classic” looking microphone if I say so myself. It’s easy to operate, though you do need to be careful with the mute button when you start using the mic – it’s very easy to inadvertently press it in the heat of the battle. However, after gaming with it a few times you do get accustomed to it and automatically maneuver around it in a way that avoids the mute button.

Another thing we liked about the Elgato Wave:3 is its size. This is a very small and portable microphone – which, combined with its quality of sound output, is very appealing for quite a number of reasons. If you often travel, or if your gaming/streaming space just isn’t very spacious (yet) – this mic would be a very optimal choice for you since it is possible to be set up… pretty much anywhere without having to sacrifice the quality of your streaming (and gaming, obviously) sound. Equipping yourself with a mic does guarantee your audio quality won’t suffer no matter the environment you’ll have to stream from.

Podcasting seems to be a more lucrative career choice day by day. Which also makes it quite a competitive field few thought it would be even half a decade ago. The amount of new podcasts and podcasters flooding the internet every day seems to have reached an astronomical amount and the tougher the competition, the more important to equip yourself with quality tech – no matter how good an idea for a podcast you have, no one will be listening to you, if the sound quality isn’t good. These days there are just too many good alternatives when it comes to this type of content.

So if you’ve decided to make some money on the side of your gaming by starting a podcast, then you need a good mic to ensure people will give your podcast a chance. Among the mics we tested, Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ seems to fit this role the best.

Audio-Technica is actually quite a respected name in the industry, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is not the first time you’re hearing it. And yes, it does deserve its reputation.

As pro recording microphones go, Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ doesn’t seem very fancy at the first glance – but the few features it does offer, it offers to their maximum capacity.

The first thing you’re likely to notice is that, like some of the others on this list, it’s not a very versatile mic – it only offers one (cardioid) polar pattern. But in this case, that’s an upside: this makes the mic uniquely suited for singular sound recording, which it does to the highest quality possible. If you’ve already done some research on gaming mics, you might know that Audio-Technica tech is particularly suited for recording speech, due to the breathiness and pleasant distant background sound it provides. This pleasantness of audio is what makes this mic perfect for podcasting (without sacrificing its usefulness for gaming, of course).

If you do choose to purchase Audio-Technica AT2020USB+, I’d recommend getting a boom arm and a pop shield on the side. Not having the pop shield included with the mic is probably one thing I’m unhappy about and consider a noticeable downside together with a noticeably wobbly design, which calls for the boom arm to be remedied. Luckily, they aren’t that expensive addition to your purchase.

Music recording is the most sensitive feature the mic can offer – at least if you’re doing it with the intention of spreading your art around, and not just fooling around with the equipment to pass the time (which, hey, many do – especially these days, when picking up new hobbies is practically the only way to keep your sanity intact).

But if you want actual quality music recording – then you should go with Beyerdynamic FOX. This might sound like a suspicious option at first since it’s not quite versatile and only provides one (cardioid) polar pattern. But to make up for it, this mic offers a high-resolution recording quality, much higher than your usual USB plug-in mic comes with. While it’s not a feature you might be looking for when simply gaming, it definitely umps the quality of sound for streaming, podcasting, and especially music recording. In fact, few come close when the latter is considered. Beyerdynamic FOX has a lot of features to offer the user, but in the end, it’s the sound quality that makes every penny invested worth it – even if it had nothing else to offer, it would still be the best mic for recording music.

Beyerdynamic FOX boasts a slick modern design, while also being very compact. There are buttons for volume and mix, as well as a headphone jack on the front of the mic, and a mute button on the top. The mic comes with a sturdy pop shield that easily clips on.