Is Surround Sound Good For Gaming? (Pros &Cons)

Surround sound provides an immersive experience for home theater, so using it in gaming is good or bad. There are two types of Surround sounds, one is virtual, and the other one is true or natural.

Although, surround sound technology is not new in the world of sound; it was not used by a majority of gamers. While few gamers are comfortable with it, few aren’t.

Table of Contents

The reason why came up with the solution is surround sound good for gaming. Also, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of using surround sound for gaming.

Key Takeaways:

Surround sound headphones are good for open-world games,
Surround sound can give you an immersive audio experience,
Not the first choice for competitive gamers,
Few games do not support surround sound,
7.1 surround headphones become popular in the gaming community.

Pros and cons of using Surround sound for gaming

Every sound system has pros and cons, so understand its purposes before buying it. In a few cases, it performs more than your expectations, and a few cases you may experience the opposite.

Why you should use surround sound for gaming?

Immersive Experience: Using a surround sound headset can give you an immersive audio experience. The quality of sound always matters to experience high-quality video games and a surround sound headphone is a stop solution.
Realism: Surround sound adds realism to games by simulating sound from different directions. The reason why 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound headsets become popular nowadays.
Directional Audio: Using a surround sound headphone allows you to pinpoint the direction of in-game sounds like footsteps, gunfire, nature sounds, explosions, etc.
Open-world games: A surround sound headphone becomes the first choice for a gamer who performs an open-world game like Elden Ring, The Getaway, No Man’s Sky, etc.
Flexibility: You can customize the audio setting in surround sound headsets. This flexibility allows you to play almost every game with different sound quality.
New technology: A surround sound headphone with new technology gives a few more advantages to games.

Why you shouldn’t use surround sound for gaming?

Competitive games: As a gamer, surround sound headphones are not the first choice, in a competitive scenario. Stereo headphones are more effective than surround sound-enabled headphones.
Better option: In headphone technology, more convenient options are available, the reason why most gamers don’t like to use them.
Cost: A surround sound headphone may cost you more than regular high-quality headphones. I don’t like to invest those hundreds of dollars in a surround headphone. Try to invest in a graphics card, then invest in a surround sound headphone.
Supports: Many games do not support natural surround sound quality. So, using surround sound to play those games is worthless.

Here we pointed out every pros and cons of using surround sound headphones in gaming. Identify your purposes and check whether it’s good or bad.

Are surround-sound headphones good for gaming?

Most of the gamers use high-quality headphones. When it comes to surround sound headphones, it is also a good option for gaming.

While surround sound headphones are good in open-world games, it’s a first choice for competitive shooters.

A gamer who is comfortable with previous stereo headphones, may not want to upgrade to surround headphones. But, nowadays 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound-enabled headphones have become more popular in the gaming industry.

As a professional gamer, you can use surround sound-enabled headphones. There are two types of surround-sound headphones true and virtual; ensure to choose a true one.

Is it true that Surround Sound is a Gimmick?

Surround sound is advertised incorrectly by gaming companies or popular gamers. But when it comes to giving you a competitive edge in gaming, it was just a way of marketing.

A surround sound headphone is used to experience immersive sound quality. But few companies promote it with fake promises.

In my case, already have a premium stereo headphone which is capable perform well in every situation in the game. As of now, I don’t want to upgrade it to any surround sound headphones.

Surround Sound vs Stereo: Which Is Better For Gaming?

A sound that comes from two or more speakers is known as stereo. In simple language, almost all headphones are technically a stereo device.

On the other hand, with three or more speakers, surround sound systems are designed to create a more realistic sound from multiple directions.

Although both have their advantages and disadvantages of using. Let’s find out a few scenarios to know which one is performing better:

Open-World Gaming: Surround sound headphones perform extraordinary in open-world games; where nature is involved. Also perform better in games like racing, flight, or movie-type games.
Competitive gaming: Stereo headphones are usually better for games like competitive shooters. Using surround sound-enabled headphones in a competitive setting could make things harder for you.
Support: While all top-quality games come with stereo, few do not support true surround quality.
Settings: There are two types of Surround sounds, one is virtual, and the other one is true or natural. Try to use true surround sound in open-world games, it can give you more immersive audio quality than stereo.
Content consuming: Games like Uncharted Four and The God of War with surround sound headphones can provide you more realistic gaming experience.
Cost: A surround sound headphone starts from $30 to $699, in other hand a stereo headphone will cost you $30 to $599. Currently, I have a Sony WH-1000xm5, which costs me $398 and works very well.

Some games may not have any benefit of using stereo or surround sound; here you can stick with your current device.

Final Word:

A surround sound system or headphones are good for gaming, but not in every situation. You have to identify your buying purposes. For gaming, a surround sound headphone might be your first choice, but not good for competitive gaming.

As per my suggestion, if you have a stereo headphone, don’t need to buy surround sound-enabled headphones. If you still have any questions regarding is surround sound good for gaming, comment below.

A surround sound-enabled headphone may cost you a couple of hundred dollars. Before buying it, ensure it is worth it for you.

Sourav

I’m sourav, a music lover and sound enthusiast. After experiencing multiple sound qualities, I thought many people searching regarding this topic, but there is not enough detailed information on it. That’s the main reason why I created this blog.