Here’s what a perfect gaming setup looks like: PlayStation 4 installed in your beast of an entertainment center, hooked up to the biggest LED TV you can possibly afford for the mind-blowing graphics, and the best high-spec wireless gaming headset you can possibly buy for the killer audio experience. Yes, you read that right, not a speaker system or even through your LED TV’s audio—a gaming headset, preferably one from the top brands like Turtle Beach, RAZER, or Logitech.
Why a gaming headset, you ask? There are many reasons, but we’ll list four for you: it’s relatively cheaper, it takes up less room, it lets you talk to your fellow teammates during multiplayer games, and most importantly, it just sounds better. It really does, simply because a headset delivers the sound in a much closer and intimate fashion compared to regular speakers. It lets you hear everything you need to hear and more, without anything from the outside world to interrupt or ruin the experience. In short, it’s the ideal way to hear the game you’re playing on your PS4. And there’s also the added bonus of not having to worry if you’re playing too loud for the neighbors!
Alright, so you’re convinced, and you’ve got your very own PlayStation wireless headset, all nice and hooked up to your Dualshock 4. But now you have a problem: which games should you play on the PS4 when you’re on headset mode? Add to that, which games play better and sound even more awesome with a headset? Get ready to find out! After play-testing and cross-checking, as well as hours upon hours of weekend gaming, we’ve managed to put together a list of the top eight games that you should play with a PlayStation wireless gaming headset.
Here they are below, and in no particular order:
- Titanfall 2. We’re starting off strong with Respawn’s stunning sequel to the sleeper hit of 2014. Titanfall 2 features not just fast-paced multiplayer shooting with blisteringly-quick parkour mechanics, but also giant robots that you pilot. The fever dream of every nine-year-old boy, this magnificent piece of modern video game action combines Call of Duty’s intense first-person gunplay with Tony Hawk’s free-flowing rhythm and Mechwarrior’s heady, heavy robot combat action. The graphics are amazing, as expected of any modern AAA title, but the sound bears special mention here. Every sound you hear in the game—from the waspish buzz of your Titan’s servos as it thunders through an intersection, to the dopamine-inducing level-up noise when you get enough experience points for a particular skill—is all designed with such precision and detail that you need a headset to hear everything with perfect clarity. And yes, if you have a headset with surround sound, you can definitely get an edge in multiplayer.
- Some call it an offshoot of the Demon Souls/Dark Souls franchise, some call it a kind-of-sequel, others argue it’s more of a seaboot (a sequel reboot). But whatever it may be, Bloodborne is the kind of game you play with the lights off, the blinds drawn, and all the game’s glorious spine-chilling atmospheric audio delivered right into your ears with a closed-back headset. Bloodborne features all the dark, gothic, and gritty atmosphere of Dark Souls and the terrifyingly-stiff difficulty of Demon Souls. Plus, it’s all lovingly rendered down to the last detail with the PS4’s graphic and audio muscle. This is a game that needs a headset, not only to immerse yourself completely into the role of the Hunter, but also help you survive its punishing difficulty.
- Star Wars Battlefront II. Yes, this game may have had a controversial beta and release due to all the commotion with the loot boxes and pay-to-win progression system, sure. Let’s not let that take anything away from the amazing effort that DICE has put into what is arguably the best-playing, best-looking, and best-sounding Star Wars game ever made in the history of videogaming. Playing this game—especially its Starfighter Assault mode—is the closest we will ever get to living and breathing in the Star Wars universe. Every sound effect is made as painstakingly authentic to the movie and to the lore as it needs to be, from the swooping orchestra pieces, to the way Tie Fighters shriek as they fly past, and even how each ship’s laser cannons sound different as they fire. Yes, a headset is needed for this game, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan. The prequels may have been disappointing, the new trilogy may be flawed and lackluster—but Star Wars Battlefront II, at a technical level, will give you that legitimate Star Wars goodness we’ve all been waiting for ever since we saw the pan up from Vader’s funeral pyre.
- NieR: Automata. One of the runaway hits of 2017 that no one was expecting but everyone was curious about, Square Enix’s NieR: Automata is a bleak but enchanting science fiction tale. It presents the age-old tale of machines trying to become human, but then turns it around and asks us if we, the players, know what being human means. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions that’s hidden underneath spectacular combat gameplay from Platinum, and made so heartbreakingly tragic by the penned story of Yoko Taro. Everything about this game will make you cry, and its gorgeous emotive soundtrack, along with its beautiful sound design, will make you sob even harder. Play it with a headset; it deserves your undivided attention.
- Destiny 2. The highly-anticipated sequel of the intense multiplayer loot shooter that has the pedigree of legendary FPS Halo, Destiny 2 presents players with more of the original game that they’ve grown to love. Bigger, better and badder in every single way, from the graphics and gameplay to the soundtrack, this is yet another system-pushing classic that will have you hooked to your TV screen for days on end. Do yourself a favor and play it with a headset; not only will you need it to fully appreciate the emotive and sweeping soundtrack, but you’ll definitely need it for the super-intense, 7-hour raids that’ll have you clawing at every advantage you need to survive.
- Persona 5. The fifth installment in a long-standing JRPG series wherein you play as a mysterious high-schooler endowed with the equally-mysterious power of being able to summon gods and demons to fight crime—or do homework, or ask girls out, whatever does it for you—Persona 5 is one of the more colorful, more unique, and more vibrant experiences you’ll ever get to play on your PlayStation 4. This is true whether you’re familiar with the game’s pedigree or not. Graphics-wise, it’s excellent—it has a 3D anime look that’s both all its own and yet distinctly Japanese in a very future-modern setting. Sound-wise, it is an absolute joy as not only does the music form an integral part in the atmosphere and mood, but the action is done in such a way that the sound effects and character actions punctuate the song currently playing in the background. Definitely warrants a headset.
- The Witcher 3. This masterpiece of a WRPG sequel from CD Projekt Red has it all: a powerful story, amazing graphics, memorable characters, excellent combat and a near-open world that rewards exploration as it does character interactions. Play as Geralt of Rivia, legendary Witcher and slayer of monsters, in an epic quest that pushes the boundaries of just what the PS4 can do, audio-wise and graphics-wise. This is yet another headset-worthy title as the soundtrack and sound effects bring together a masterful package, and the ambient noise and voice acting both immerse you in the game’s world. The sound alone is enough to make you forget that it’s only a game and not an entire smorgasbord of sensations.
- Final Fantasy XIV. This particular installment of Square’s much-lauded JRPG series definitely, absolutely needs a headset, not just because of its excellent soundtrack and gorgeous sound design, to say nothing of its gorgeous graphics. It’s because, like Destiny 2, succeeding in this game requires coordination with your fellow players, and no simple canned dialogue or hotkey message will suffice. Voice chat is essential if you want to tip over the game’s many raids and dungeons, especially when you’re tackling endgame.
And that’s it, those are the games that require you to get a PlayStation wireless gaming headset for a full, immersive gaming experience. Please do note that this is not intended to be a definitive and absolute list, as there are tons more games in the Sony PlayStation 4 library that do play and sound better with a headset. With that said, if these titles are familiar to you, then we congratulate you on your excellent taste. But if not, try one of them out at a friend’s place, or rent them if you need to. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!
