Ever consider replacing your gaming headset with a pair of earbuds? Just in time for the holidays, Steelseries has dropped the price of its blemished box Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds for PlayStation 5 or PC to $125.99 (normally $200 new) with coupon code “FROST10“. Get free delivery before Christmas. This is lowest price I’ve seen for the best dedicated gaming earbuds of 2025, even beating out Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
From the Steelseries website regarding “blemished box” products:
“Save big on flawless, untouched gear in imperfect boxes. While the packaging may be slightly damaged, the product itself is in perfect condition and fully covered by the standard warranty.”
Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds for $125.99
I don’t see as many gaming-specific earbuds as I do gaming headsets. In fact, this is Steelseries’ first product release in the category. What makes this earbud more gaming focused is that it can be paired with a mobile app (for console, you use the Steelseries GG software for PC) preloaded with over 100 different audio presets customed tailored to specific video games and genres. Each earbud contains a 6mm neodymium magnetic driver that can simulate bass and spatial audio effects. Also, the Gamebuds connects to your PS5 or PC over a fast and reliable 2.4GHz wireless networking with the included USB Type-C dongle. No headset is complete without a built-in microphone, and the Gamebuds has a decent one, although not nearly as good as an extendable boom mic.
The Gamebuds can be used outside of gaming, of course. Like any good pair of in-ear buds at this price point, the Gamebuds features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and active noise cancellation. Three different sized eartipsa are included for a more customized fit. The battery life is below average at 10 hours, but a charging case is included that extends playtime to 40 hours before needing to recharge.
I have a pair of these myself and quite like it. I prefer these over standard headphones on hotter days, because my ears sweat profusely when I use traditional over-ear headsets. Not so with these Gamebuds.
Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds Review by Michael Higham
“The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds take care of business from nearly every angle when it comes to being a versatile set of earbuds suitable for music and intense gaming sessions. Their physical design lets them fit securely into my ears while staying comfortable for hours on end. Impressive and balanced sound quality serves as the foundation while features like ANC, great battery life, and lag-free 2.4GHz connectivity round out the package. You might get better raw audio or more convenient controls from other higher-end offerings, but few earbuds are able to cover every base as competently as the SteelSeries GameBuds, making them easy to recommend for those who want to bridge the gap between gaming and everyday use with few compromises.”
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
