SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless review - "a budget-friendly, cozy gamer dream"

I happen to be an alternative, goth-loving individual on the outside, but on the inside, I’m a fan of everything cute, pink, and adorable - and that extends to gaming headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless.

The quality of the sound and features on offer from the best gaming headsets should always be at the forefront of what makes any pair of cups worth your hard-earned cash. But I can’t change the fact that design and aesthetics are close behind. SteelSeries must have had me in mind when they launched this new budget pair of cups, as it’s available in two gorgeous Lavender and Aqua colorways on top of its black and white SKUs, and still manages to rustle up that signature quality you’d expect from the brand.

At heart, the $109.99 / £99.99 Arctis Nova 3 wireless is much like the previously released Arctis Nova 5 Wireless. Both sport a similar robust form factor, and impressive sounding 40mm neodymium audio drivers. But for $20 less, SteelSeries added some upgraded tricks up the Arctis Nova 3 Wireless’ sleeves, from simplified onboard controls and fast charging support to a new slimline 2.4GHz wireless dongle and a detachable microphone.

All of this culminates in a more-than-worthy qualifier for one of the best value for money wireless headsets out there. A wireless gaming headset for those, like myself, who want one to better match their cute, cozy gaming setups without losing out on premium, high-quality features.

Key Specs

Design

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 doesn’t just take after the Arctis Nova 5 and its impressive sound quality, but its form factor is almost identical too. Both headsets feature that plastic moulded headband, with an elastic patterned band underneath for comfort and support, as well as circular earcups are coated with a soft mesh fabric.

This time around, however, all of the onboard controls have had a little mix-up. The mic mute button and volume/chat mix dial are still on the bottom edge of the left cup, however, now so are all the buttons you need to get this headset up and rolling. Instead of relinquishing the power button to the right cup, it’s now confined under the dial, and when pressing a series of different combinations, it also finds itself as the pairing and quick switch button too.

One of the other key differences is also the detachable ClearCast Gen 2.X mic, which can be popped in and out of the 3.5mm port on the same cup. Before, SteelSeries had stuck with a retractable mic, whereas now you can just pop off the boom arm and store it away if you are planning on taking these out and about. This change was actually a bit of a relief for me. There’s no longer the fear that my mic is accidentally on so strangers can hear all my cursing and profanity at the lack of healing in Marvel Rivals.

The most striking difference between the Arctis Nova 3 and other headsets in the line is, of course, its stunning new cute colorway. Instead of just black and white SKUs, this budget pair of cups was “inspired by a box of Crayola Crayons,” and it shows in its new bright pastel Lavender and Aqua colorways. I received the Lavender model for review and was ecstatic that, unlike the Turtle Beach Stealth Stealth 600 Gen 3 headset, SteelSeries didn’t lazily leave the earcups black, as every inch of the Arctis Nova 3 is draped in this stunning cozy color.

This is the first headset of the line to come with the new slim 2.4GHz dongle. This dongle is the same one found packaged with the SteelSeries Arctis Game Buds and far more compact than the USB-shaped dongles found amongst other headsets.

This dongle does come with its own annoyances, however. As it doesn’t stick out like a typical USB stick, it can cover up some vital ports depending on the console, or bit of tech you’re using. For the PS5, this was no issue, as there’s nothing close to the front-facing USB-C port that might have been an issue. But, sticking the dongle on the Nintendo Switch 2 (which it didn’t end up being compatible with, but more on that later) meant hiding either one of the ventilation ports, or the handheld’s 3.5mm port.

Features

You’ll also need to have a USB-C port in order to use it in the first place, but everything from the PS5 to the Steam Deck has you covered. The Arctis Nova 3X, the version I had for review, also comes with a USB-A to USB-C adapter as it's designed with Xbox support in mind, but that’s also handy for any PC players without any USB-C ports at hand.

Other than the 2.4GHz dongle, you have just about everything you need to get set up with the Arctis Nova 3 right out of the box. SteelSeries also packs in a charging cable for good measure, but to make this headset truly shine, you will need to have a smartphone already at your disposal. The headset is compatible with the free-to-download Arctis app, which lets you easily switch between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz mode, check on your remaining battery, adjust sidetone, and select between hundreds of pre-made audio presets.

Just about every game you can imagine has a preset of its own, from Balatro, Clair Obscur Expedition 33, to my online gaming obsession, Marvel Rivals, and I’ve sworn by them ever since I popped the older Arctis Nova 5 Wireless on my head for the first time. Naturally, if you don’t think the pre-set for Dead by Daylight is giving the creepy soundstage of the 4v1 online game justice, you can instead make your own. But this does still require using the PC based SteelSeries GG software and saving it to your headset, which can be a fiddly and time-consuming process.

Performance

With or without the audio presets at play, the Arctis Nova 3 is a fantastic sounding wireless headset. With the same 40mm Neodymium drivers at play as the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless, I went into testing knowing the audio experience wasn’t going to be exactly that new. Yet that didn’t mean I didn’t put the Arctis Nova 3 through its own vigorous testing. In fact, the headset was released just days before the Nintendo Switch 2, which meant I had even more hardware to put through its paces with the gorgeous purple-colored cups. If you were hoping it’d be fodder for the best Nintendo Switch headsets guide, I have good news and bad news. While popping in the new slimline 2.4GHz dongle into either USB-C port on the new handheld, I had absolutely zero luck in getting it working.

The Switch 2 did let me know that the microphone was set up, which was nice. But so far, 2.4GHz is not an option with the new handheld. I suspect we’ll need to wait on a future firmware update to get that latency-free wireless connection but, in the meantime, Bluetooth is still a worthwhile alternative. I spent hours upon hours playing Mario Kart World with the Arctis Nova 3 on my head, and much to my chagrin, could hear every single green and red shell hurling towards me in Mario Kart World.

There were no connectivity issues as the jazzy kart racer’s soundtrack permeated my eardrums, and the incredibly lightweight 260g headset was an ideal match with the portable handheld. It wasn’t surprising either that the headset also worked a treat alongside my PS5 as I finally finished off the current Flower of Krakoa Battle Pass in Marvel Rivals, and did some daily fishing in Rare’s sea-faring online adventure game, Sea of Thieves.

It’s hard not to continually reference my Arctis Nova 5P headset, but everything sounded just as impressive as my PS5 headset go-to. Just like the 5P, the 3X Wireless sounded even better once the Arctis app was in play. Our hardware team’s own Tabitha Baker noted in her Arctis Nova 5 Wireless review that presets for games like Apex Legends and CS:GO meant taking the audio to new heights that she “could differentiate between different weapons, locations, and movements with ease.” This is the same deal this time around, and I was able to fear the footsteps of every annoying Hawkeye in Marvel Rivals trying to flank down our team, and help propel ourselves to victory as the preset let me hear every nuance of the Marvel hero shooters' soundscape.

Outside of sound quality, charging this headset is a much nicer experience. This Arctis Nova 3 has been decked out with fast charging, and about 15 minutes will get you up to 9 hours of play. I never had to worry about the battery of the headset regardless, as the up to 30 to 40 hours of playback was enough to keep me juiced up over the weeks of testing. But being able to quickly give it a charge while my friends figure out what daily and weekly challenges they needed to tackle in any given day of Marvel Rivals for a bit of reassurance never got tiresome.

Should you buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless?

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 isn’t that different from its Arctis Nova predecessors, but it doesn’t need to be. Essentially, it feels like a re-packaged Arctis Nova 5 Wireless but with a range of more interesting colorways to suit different gaming setup types, a detachable microphone, speedier fast-charging, and a slimmer 2.4GHz wireless dongle.

All of these little upgrades come at just $109.99 / £99.99, around $20 less than the Nova 5. Of course, that older model is regularly discounted at retailers like Amazon and even directly from the SteelSeries website, and can even be found for under $100 during the biggest sales events. Whether or not the Arctis Nova 3 is a worthy alternative for your gaming set up, or just the right headset option for you generally, depends on whether you care enough about those little differences.

Even if you aren’t choosing between it and other SteelSeries headsets, the $109.99 price point feels entirely justified. The robust and high-quality build the brand is known for oozes from every inch of these brightly colored cozy cups, and that extends to the sound quality too. You aren’t getting the booming and mighty power of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless here, but the 40mm drivers are enough to propel every nuance of your favorite game OSTs, from Mario Kart World to Deltarune, to stunning-sounding heights.

If you’re after a Nintendo Switch 2 wireless headset, I’d recommend waiting for further updates and confirmation of the 2.4GHz compatibility. The Bluetooth works fine with the Switch 2, and I never had any lag or latency issues when taking Mario Kart World out for a test spin, but 2.4GHz is a no-go. It’s likely later firmware updates will fix these compatibility issues, but I recommend opting for an alternative like the Razer Barracuda X Chroma if you’re dead set on using a 2.4GHz connection and don’t want to stray too far from that $100 price point. Alternatively, you could always rely on Bluetooth instead and hold out for that future 2.4GHz support down the line.

How I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless

To properly see what SteelSeries’ new budget cups were capable of, I spent over two weeks accumulating the Arctis Nova 3X (the version I was supplied with for review) into my gaming, and everyday entertainment tech set up. At first, I used the 3X alongside the PS5 while finishing off the Flower of Krakoa Battle Pass in Marvel Rivals, and the usual testing games, from Dead by Daylight and Sea of Thieves. Afterward, I started a Deltarune replay to see how the headset dealt with the catchy and sublime OST by creator Toby Fox on the PS5.

With the Switch 2 released on June 5, I then connected the headset to the new handheld via Bluetooth and tested it alongside Mario Kart World and the new NSO GameCube library. When I wasn’t playing games, I was using the headset while watching TV shows on Paramount Plus, from the 90s cartoon classic Hey Arnold, to the spooky drama School Spirits. Lastly, I also used the headset while listening to a myriad of music genres on Spotify, from the pop beats of Djo’s latest album The Crux, to Namco Bandai’s past Tekken game soundtracks. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless doesn't sound like your jam, our guides to the best Xbox Series X headset, the best PC headset for gaming, and the best gaming earbuds are full of high-quality alternatives worthy of your beloved console of choice.